Full Circle Moment in Saipan

People who have visited the Freedom Museum have seen the panel on Richard Bean.  He was a person from Bradley Forest area who joined the Army and fought and died on the Japanese held island of Saipan in 1944.  His remains were not found until 2013 when the Japanese nongovernmental agency, Kuentai went to Saipan to try to recover Japanese soldiers remains and return them to Japan.  They discovered Richard Bean by chance and notified the American government and helped ensure Richard returned to his family who buried him in Quantico National Cemetery.    Today, at the museum, you can see pictures of the dig where he was found and artifacts in a glass case of the things from the place where he was killed.

Imagine my surprise when on Thursday, I found a message on my answering machine in the museum office that said, “Hi, my name is Jarae, I am the guy who dug up Richard Bean. I would like to come by and see what you did with his story.”

Freedom Museum President Jim Porter stands next to Jarae, who is dressed in a full Japanese Naval Infantry Petty Officer First Class uniform.

I called Jerae back and we arranged to meet at the museum on Saturday.  We met, and Jarae was younger than I thought he would be, (25yrs old), incredibly interesting and very charming.  Jarae told me he was raised in Saipan amongst the relics of war.  From since he could remember he was obsessed with the tanks and cannons across the island.  He would love to hike and find bullets left from the war.  When he was 12 yrs. old , he had the chance to accompany a family friend to an archeological dig, Jarae took to digging in the mud for relics immediately.  He worked closely with Kuentai, uncovering a grave of about 300 Japanese soldiers.  Kuentai trusted him and from that point whenever they would go on digs or explorations, He would go with them. He was only 14 yrs. old when he helped discover Richard Bean.  When he was 16, he made my own organization, Historic Restoration and Preservation Division dedicated to preserving the relics of Saipan.  “So far, we have repainted and preserved a Japanese medium tank and Japanese anti-tank gun.  For several years, my grandparents have wanted to move back to the East Coast to be closer to their family.  In 2018 I was able to move with them from my tiny island to the town of Manassas.”

Jarae said he loved the museum, “seeing the work that my hands helped uncover was an amazing experience.”  The freedom Museum has an excellent collection, detailing the events of history that should not be forgotten, he said.  “I loved seeing the rusted tools form the war on display, and not just sitting in storage, to be forgotten.  I am so honored to be a part of the Freedom Museum as a re-enactor.”  Jarae went home and changed into his authentic Japanese uniform of a Naval Infantry Petty Officer First Class.  His uniform is complete with some interesting shoes and rifle.  He looked like he just stepped out of a time machine.  You never know what you might find at the Freedom Museum.