For the Okinawa buffs who occasionally float by here, a few photographs from the family archives of Okinawa from the 1960s – early 1970s.
I’ve had to make three trips to Okinawa in the past six months to help my parents through a period of illness, and as they prepare for their eventual move back to the U.S. After forty years, however, the amount of stuff that they managed to collect is enormous, and so I’ve been working to clean out the old house (my parents live in the Oyama neighborhood of Ginowan City, near the entrance to the Marine Corps Air Station). As I was sorting through things, I came across several boxes of photos, long forgotten and nearly discarded, in one of our closets. I thought I’d start scanning them, one by one, to preserve them – even if they are of little interest to anyone but me.
I found that my parents, who are in their 70s, were surprisingly unsentimental about such artifacts and remembrances of the past. My mother seemed more upset about my tossing a pile of National Geographic maps into the recycling bin, while my father was more concerned to preserve some business records from his old accounting practice. Sentimentality stopped being a sentiment for them, which is I suppose one way to take care of things.
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- Okinawa Convention Center area
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- Futenma
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- Highway 1, heading south
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- Highway 1, looking north
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- Camp Mercy from Oyama
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- Mercy Elementary School, c 1970?
Here’s a picture of the Camp Mercy area today:
Okinawa Convention Center area
Hi, there are very few hits when it comes to Camp Mercy. We used to live exactly opposite the gate. My dad was a civilian dentist, Dr. Ismael Eustaquio. Was in high school the time of the 1970 photo but I think it was earlier than that.
I remember the strikes. We used to hide on our roof and pellet gun the riot police. One time they came running up our driveup looking for the source.
Our thrill of the strike was sneaking across in the evenings to capture one of their red flags as a trophy!
Okinawa was a magical memory.
Glad you kept your photographs.
Helps to bring back the memories.
Hi Bob, thanks for stopping by and glad you liked the photos. I hope to find and post more when I get the chance.
Having lived in Mercy / Oyama (where my parents still reside), I remember the Eustaquio Dental Clinic well, although I myself was sent off to Dr. Mendoza, just up the road next to Jimmy’s supermarket (which is still there) for my check-ups and cleanings. I don’t know if you’ve seen that area recently – it’s pretty much completely changed.
I do also vaguely remember a dog pound at Camp Mercy, though not a hospital…was it in the rear of the camp, i.e., closer to the ocean? I know there was an area between the school and the beach that was pretty much off-limits, though now it’s a bustling neighborhood and beach area.
Bob
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Lived on Oki twice 67-71 then hey wait it was three times, 71-72 (two months then got kicked off as my parents left), then 78-80 in the service.
Lived on Kadena as a kid, went to Kubasaki , dated Grace Umagat, Gary Umagats sis, who lived down by you in Ojana behind the A&W.
Go to Oki at least once a year to see Mark Payne and old friend and others.
Love the island and will retire there should something happen to my spouse.
Ron