WWII vet ‘more than overwhelmed’ by plaque, medallion

World War II veteran Richard Caldwell Urie said yesterday that the plaque and medallion presented him on Saturday by CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) and Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) in Peabody, Massachusetts, were not only an honor for himself but for all who served in the Pacific theater during the war and especially those who participated in the liberation of Saipan and Tinian.

“Overwhelmed is not even a big enough word to express the feeling I had, upon receiving the plaque and the medallion,” said the 86-year-old Urie in an email to Saipan Tribune.

Urie said one important fact for all the veterans is that the liberation of Saipan eventually resulted in the Northern Marianas becoming a part of the United States.

“What better conclusion could we ask for,” said Urie, who served as a radio operator with the U.S. Marines during the war.

Urie’s identification tag, which was lost during the war and found in a yam field on Saipan in 1981, was flown from the island to Massachusetts where it was finally returned to him last month.

Mike Villagomez, a PE teacher at ChaCha Junior High, found the tag in 1981. Randy Kruid, a U.S. special investigator deputy marshal assigned at the Saipan office, was the one who traced Urui through the Internet in November 2011. Villagomez and his wife, Erlinda, handed the dog tag to assistant U.S. attorney Timothy E. Moran, who was then going back to Boston after a vacation on Saipan. Moran and his family gave the dog tag to Urie on Jan. 9 (Saipan time) at Urie’s retirement compound, Brooksby Village in Peabody.

The Saipan VFW Post 3457 and the 60th Anniversary Commemoration Committee bestowed the plaque and medallion on Urie.

About 60 of Urie’s fellow veterans were on hand at Brooksby Retirement Village, when Sablan and Tierney delivered the plaque and medallion to Urie on Saturday.

For himself and his family, Urie said this honor will be cherished and passed on to later generations as part of their heritage.

“Your history is now a part of my history. I take great pride in being part of The Saipan Legend,” he said.

Urie would love to come back to Saipan but his age and medical disabilities prohibit him to do so. He conveyed his gratitude to all the people responsible for the award, especially the VFW.

“You all have brought much happiness to an 86-year-old ex-Marine who in his wildest imagination would never have envisioned what has transpired,” Urie said.

He said the presentation made by Reps. Sablan and Tierney was particularly fitting as it took place at Brooksby Village Retirement Community, where there are many retired servicemen, some of which fought in the battle of Saipan.

“The pride this ceremony brought to them was very evident. The ceremony brought back memories long forgotten over the years and more cherished now than they ever were,” Urie said.