A reunion that’s been 57 years in the making

It was in 1948 that his family first set foot on the soil of the biggest island in the Marianas, Saipan. A year later, they left the islands for California.

For Monty Rich and his sister Charlotte, however, the memories of that one-year sojourn in paradise stayed with them and they’ve always had a longing to come back and re-connect with that magical time in their childhood. The longing never went away, so they finally decided to do something about it.

Now, after 57 years, Monty Rich and Charlotte have found themselves back at the place they had considered paradise.

Monty said in an interview with the Saipan Tribune Friday morning that he and his sister were more than ecstatic to be back on Saipan after so many years of separation.

The beginning

Monty’s father, Ebb, then a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, had been assigned to the Pacific after World War II. The proud father brought his whole family with him: his wife, Neta, and their three children—Gene, Charlotte, and Monty.

Monty, the youngest of the three, was only eight years old then.

“It took us three weeks on a ship to reach Saipan from San Francisco,” said Monty.

Monty recalled how his family settled at the Navy Officers Billeting Hill, now called Navy Hill. After three months on the Hill, his family moved down to Susupe, in the area where the AJ’s Restaurant is now located.

“We moved to the beach and we lived in a hut called the Quonset Hut,” he smiled, describing the round corrugated roof of the huts at that time.

Making friends

Monty and his siblings instantly made friends on Saipan. He said his sister made friends with David Sablan, affectionately known around the island now as Uncle Dave. Although years ahead of Monty, Sablan became friends with him. They even went to the same school, the Navy American Dependent School.

Together with other playmates, Monty said they would all go swimming, beachcombing and racing along the beaches like there was no tomorrow. Monty said his memories of Saipan with his friends and family are even larger than the memories he had the years after.

“I remember we would go boondocking, as it was called that time,” Monty said.

He said he and his friends would go up the mountains and collect Sake bottles for a hobby. He also recalled how they entered former Japanese army caves and would find remains of Japanese soldiers still in uniforms.

He and his friend never got afraid whenever they encountered such scenes. “My dad had warned us before about finding the skeletons of the Japanese soldiers,” he said.

Apart from the remains, he and his friends also found other artifacts such as Japanese flags, swords, bayonets, knives, guns and hats.

“It’s quite an experience for an eight or nine year old kid,” said Monty.

The transfer

Monty’s father suddenly received an order of transfer to Oxnard, California in 1949. He said his family didn’t have a choice but to move with his father.

“It was hard. We left our friends, Americans and Chamorro friends,” he said, adding wryly that his sister had a boyfriend and his brother had a girlfriend. He said the departure was hard on both of them.

Since then, they never had a chance to come back. Rich said his parents had passed away and his brother Gene passed away last year at the age of 73.

A reunion

It was in Florida when a man mentioned to a group that he was from Saipan. A woman named Audrey came up to him and asked him if he knows a David Sablan. The man immediately said yes.

Audrey told the man that her mom has a woman friend who knows Sablan. The man took Audrey’s number. From there, everything fell into place, eventually leading to the reunion of Sablan and Monty. He said it was exciting to be in communication again with his friend on Saipan. For a year and a half the two constantly e-mailed each other.

Finally, it was this year that Monty started plans of visiting Saipan and in April, those plans bore fruit. Monty arrived on the island, with his wife, Sheila, and his sister, Charlotte, in tow.

When he got off the airplane, he said he couldn’t believe that he was back on Saipan. He said he was impressed with the industrialization in the CNMI.

However, when Sablan, his wife Rita, and Harry Blalock took them to scenic spots on the island, he said not much has changed at all.

“It was the same Saipan just as I remember,” he said.

Monty and family arrived on the island April 21 and left the island Saturday.

Memorable part

Monty said the most memorable part of his visit on the island was the trip to Susupe, around the AJ’s Restaurant where the Quonset hut used to be.

He said he walked the beach and knew when he reached the exact spot where the huts used to be. He said he felt a warm rush in his body. Monty said he felt the presence of his parents. He saw his father, his mother and his brother as he closed his eyes. Monty said it was a wonderful reunion not only with Saipan but also with his family. “It has been a wonderful reconnection for me.”

Monty is hoping that he could also connect again with his old pals such as Billy Fitts, who also collected sake bottles with him. He said his old friends could contact him through e-mail. (Editor’s Note: For those wishing to obtain Monty’s e-mail, send request to editor@saipantribune.com).