‘Saipan was key to strategy to defeat Japan in WWII’

  A retired U.S. Marine Corps official said that Saipan was instrumental in the nation’s strategy to defeat Japan during World War II.

Lt. Gen. Lawrence F. Snowden quoted one senior Japanese admiral who said that “a war was lost with the loss of Saipan” during his brief presentation sponsored by the NMI Humanities Council at the American Memorial Park last Thursday.

Born in Virginia, Snowden enlisted in the Marine Corps after Pearl Harbor and was commissioned a second lieutenant in July 1942. During the war, he served as a platoon leader and company commander in combat in the Marshall Islands, Saipan, and Tinian and as a company commander during the assault landing on Iwo Jima.

Snowden was accompanied on this trip by Pam Marvin, the wife of Saipan veteran and late actor Lee Marvin.

Snowden underscored that the U.S. military bases on Saipan and Tinian were used by American forces to bring an end to the war with Japan.

“But it didn’t just mean bringing an end in the war with Japan,” he explained. “It meant a guarantee of freedom for those here and millions of others around the world who benefited from the fact that we had stopped Japan in its tracks.”

“We sealed the deal for freedom that you enjoy today, no matter what your age is,” said Snowden.

This freedom, Snowden emphasized, was bought “at a high cost in human lives.” Snowden said the “tragic part” of the war was the carnage it caused to more than 3,500 U.S. soldiers, almost 30,000 members of the Japanese forces, and over 20,000 civilians composed of Chamorros, Japanese, Koreans, and others who were caught between the warring nations.

According to Snowden, these civilian losses were “forced” on them by the Japanese people who either directly caused their death by killing them or by giving them “terrifying” information as to what would happen to them if captured by the American troops.

Snowden, who answered questions from the audience, said the Saipan everyone know today does not compare to the island he saw about 68 years ago. “It was all black and gray.”

He also recounted a story about a crying baby girl that they found among a pile of dead bodies that they came across a public square during the war. “It had an emotional impact on me,” said Snowden, adding that professors at the University of Guam are trying to look for and identify the baby.

Snowden maintained that God has continued to bless America, providing her with generation after generation of young men and women who continue to volunteer in the fight against war and terror.

As for his advice to today’s generation in relation to the war, Snowden said he doesn’t think that young people want any advice but they are able to receive information regarding what he did during his time.

“I will also say that for the young people, I do want them to understand that they have what they have today because of the young men of my generation and others who put their lives on the line and without hesitation to get that freedom,” he added.