I was a freshman at Kubasaki Junior High School in 1967-68. During that year we were visited by Fess Parker (Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett). Also, one of my favorite teachers was John Chapman (Civics teacher). He would organize host nation partnerships with local schools that we would visit on Saturdays and spend overnights at local hostels with Okinawa students. Mr. Fatarosi (so?) was a wonderful teacher as well.
The quonset classrooms were outfitted with huge fans at each end. My bus ride was about an hour each way, which included stops at Koza gates where protesters would gather to protest the B-52’s. We would have to stay out of sight on our military buses while passing through the protests, because they would often shake our school bus. On the way to our bus stop, it was difficult to avoid all the snails on the sidewalks. We also explored the local caves and find skeletons or bones of soldiers who had died during the war. Usually, they were displayed in a sacred manner. Can you tell, my experiences in Okinawa are lifelong!
