Hap Halloran visits Saipan anew

Ray “Hap” Halloran, stationed on Saipan during World War II with the 73rd Bomb Wing as an aircraft navigator and a surviving prisoner of war, arrives on Saipan this afternoon, April 17, for what may be his last visit to the islands.

In recent years, Halloran has participated in several World War II commemoration ceremonies in the Northern Marianas. Most recently, he and the 73rd Bomb Wing hosted Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez as keynote speaker at their annual reunion on 2007 in Covington, Kentucky.

“Hap is an extraordinary gentleman and an American hero,” said Villagomez. “We have always welcomed the visits of our World War II vets and their families, and we hope to make Hap’s visit especially memorable this time.”

Halloran will speak on his experiences at Northern Marianas College the afternoon of his arrival. He will also present “Time Heals All Wounds…Almost” for the public on April 18, 2008, at 6pm at the American Memorial Park Visitors Center. Admission is free.

Halloran was born on Feb. 4, 1922, in Cincinnati, OH, of parents Paul and Gertrude Halloran. Shortly after Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941), Halloran volunteered for the Army Air Corps at Wright-Patterson air base in Dayton, OH. He was assigned to the 878th Squadron, 499th Bomb Group VH, 73rd Wing, 20th Air Force.

Saipan was the base of operations for the 73rd Bomb Wing in that battle against targets on the Japanese mainland. On his fourth mission his plane was shot down. He survived as a prisoner of war in Japan until the war ended on Aug. 15, 1945.

Halloran plans to revisit historic military sites on Saipan and Tinian during his visit. VFW Post 3457 will host a reception for Halloran and the visiting USS Columbus.

“Other than a dozen some photos…all I would hope for would be a nice smile from my friends and associates on Saipan and Tinian as I head north to Tokyo and then to San Francisco with all my wonderful memories of my last days in the Northern Marianas,” Halloran shared in a recent e-mail to Saipan friend Jerry Facey.

“I met Hap during the Commemoration activities in 1994. Since that time he has returned to Saipan and Tinian several times because of his genuine love of the islands and their people,” said Facey. “During these visits he always insists we visit the B-29 parking places (hardstands) on the South side of the runway as he remembers his last flight for Japan on Jan. 27, 1945. In particular, he recalls the chaplain’s standing by the end of the runway blessing each plane as it lifted off the tarmac. I am sure he includes a prayer for his crew who did not make it at the other end of the bomb run.”