Stop the nonsense

“I am sick and tired of reading about people speaking badly about my friend, Ken Moore. Those who do, do not know him. They were not standing by his side when he lived here in 1998 and again in 1999. I was. I was with him when we found his uncle’s airplane, The Life of Riley, off the coast of Alamagan. Rumors today have it that we raised the airplane’s remains and shipped them back to the mainland, also that we spent time on Pagan. None of this is true. Nothing that we found at the wreck was taken out of the CNMI nor did we go to Pagan for any reason. For anyone to suggest otherwise is pure nonsense. When we arrived on Alamagan, we were desperately short of time. We discovered that the boat that Ken rented from the EMO, The Challenger, had ruptured an oil line along the way. Our cameraman was attacked by an eel, and was bleeding profusely. He had gone into shock. Our radios failed, and the volcano on the island exploded while we were pulling away. Yes, many pieces of the aircraft were found like a pilot’s seat and radios but there was no time nor did we have the ability to bring them on board. They were in 80 feet of water, covered in coral and very bulky. There was no winch on The Challenger. These items were photographed and left behind. The machine gun that we did raise—now on display at the Saipan museum—was in such good shape we all agreed it was worth a try. It took five divers more than an hour to raise it. When we finally got it on board the eel attacked and all hell broke loose.

Three CNMI senators and one MPLA board member who this year visited Mr. Moore at his home in Scottsdale honored him for his commitment to provide his mother, now 93, with the truth of how her beloved youngest brother, Ken’s “Uncle Billy,” died during World War II. He died piloting The Life of Riley here in the NMI protecting your rights and mine. Starting with nothing, it took Ken 25 years to piece together his uncle’s military history. When he did, he came to us. How many people would go to such lengths for their mother and to honor an uncle they never met? Ken is not a “millionaire playboy.” He is a good, God-fearing man who made a vow to his mother when he was a teenager to find her brother’s airplane. When he was 49, he did. Ken’s been married to his wife Patt for 25 years. The have two children, Nick and Kelli, and what money his family enjoys they did not inherit. Ken earned it. He came out of retirement to start Azmar International. For more than 10 years, those that have tried to market Pagan’s volcanic ash have failed. Ken believes he can succeed. I say we let him try, and of course with sound commitment. Accusations against my friend are nothing more than flagrant attempts to undermine an economic opportunity that could enrich the lives of people throughout the CNMI for generations to come. To those spreading these false rumors and accusations, I am asking please, “Stop the nonsense!”

Frank G. Cepeda
As Matuis