Oral History Interview with Manual Sablan, July 8, 1997

Oral History Interview with Manual Sablan, July 8, 1997

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Track One 1:50:28

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Manual Sablan. Sablan was born in Saipan and became a messenger for the Japanese police when he was a teenager. Japanese troops had occupied his family home by that time. To remain safe during bombardments, Sablan lived in a manmade cave behind the police station. He recalls seeing six American prisoners of war in the jail. When the bombing became very heavy, Sablan went to look for his mother, but fires blocked his way. Without caves to hide in, he used a machete to fashion wooden shovels for … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 50 min., 27 sec.)

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Manual Sablan. Sablan was born in Saipan and became a messenger for the Japanese police when he was a teenager. Japanese troops had occupied his family home by that time. To remain safe during bombardments, Sablan lived in a manmade cave behind the police station. He recalls seeing six American prisoners of war in the jail. When the bombing became very heavy, Sablan went to look for his mother, but fires blocked his way. Without caves to hide in, he used a machete to fashion wooden shovels for digging foxholes. He was hiding near Talofofo, having eaten nothing but sugar cane for two weeks, when he surrendered to Americans. Sablan was sent to Camp Susupe, where conditions were terrible. Eventually he was given a job at the 369th Station Hospital in San Vicente, where badly wounded soldiers from Iwo Jima and Okinawa were given medical treatment. He became a police officer in 1951 and participated in the capture of a Japanese soldier who was discovered in a cave in 1952. He became the sheriff of Saipan and then the director of public safety for the Trust Territory.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 50 min., 27 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH00578
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1607865

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Manual Sablan, July 8, 1997, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604053

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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