High power cost shuts down WWII displays at AMP center

Saipan’s high power costs are keeping away from the public eye some of the most precious war and pre-war artifacts in the Northern Marianas, including an aviator helmet and goggles, a U.S. M1 Garand rifle, a Japanese type 94 pistol, watercolor paintings of the war, a dog tag, language books, and standard military gear.

These war relics are no longer displayed in glass cases at the American Memorial Park’s Visitor Center and World War II Exhibit Hall in Garapan because the air conditioner is now turned off at night as part of cost-cutting measures.

Also gone were the light and sound effects in the museum to reduce costs.

The artifacts are now being kept at the CNMI Museum of History and Culture in Garapan and the War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Guam where the climate controlled environment protects them from damage.

“Due to the increased cost of electricity, American Memorial Park has raised the temperature in the Visitor Center, and turns off the air conditioners at night. Our artifacts have to be kept at a certain temperature and relative humidity range that, with these saving cuts, we cannot maintain,” the American Memorial Park said in a notice to Visitor Center visitors.

The notice added that the artifacts “will be returned to the exhibit once the power situation on Saipan improves.”

Visitors to the exhibit hall would now see at least seven empty glass cases that previously contained war and pre-war artifacts.

One of the glass cases, for example, used to contain a U.S. standard issue gear and the dog tag of deceased U.S. Marine Virgil Adams which, according to the museum, “serve as reminders of the battles that raged long ago—and the cost of war.”

Another glass case used to contain a U.S. M1 Garand rifle and a watercolor by battlefield artist Robert Benny, and a Japanese Arisaka Meiji 44 carbine, a Japanese saber, and Japanese watercolor.

The Visitor Center and museum is also now closed during Mondays and Tuesdays “until further notice.”

Between Wednesdays and Sundays, the center and museum are open to visitors from 10am to 5pm.

Robert Hunter, executive director of the CNMI Museum of History and Culture, yesterday said the artifacts previously displayed at the WWII Exhibit Hall are now in their “vault.”

Hunter said the artifacts are the property of the CNMI Museum, but they were on a three-year loan to the WWII Exhibit Hall for display until the Visitor Center decided to return them to the local museum for safekeeping.

“As of today, there’s no word whether they will still put them on display at the visitor center,” Hunter told Saipan Tribune.

The CNMI museum also does not have plans at the moment to put some of the precious artifacts on display.

“Right now we don’t have much display of war materials because there’s already a World War II museum. But in the future, we may put them on display if we have special exhibits or if we know it would take much longer for them to be back in the war museum,” Hunter added.

He said he has been told that the physical displays at the Visitor Center are beginning to show signs of “bubbling,” which may be caused by a higher temperature in the area. “If that’s true, that’ a concern. If after two or three years with that kind of temperature, then other displays may be damaged,” he said.

Kevin Guinto, 14, an 8th grader at Hopwood Junior High School, said he “feels bad” that new visitors can no longer see the artifacts.

Another student, 13-year-old Bryan Daria, echoed the sentiment. He said it is unfair that Saipan—a major battle place during the war—isn’t able to showcase war artifacts. “We need something to remember the war by through these displays,” he said.

The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, from June 15, 1944 to July 9, 1944. The invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on June 5, 1944—the very same day the allies launched Operation Overlord and the cross-channel invasion of Normandy. The Normandy landings were the larger amphibious landing, but the Marianas invasion fielded the larger fleet.