After 75 years, this story presents archaeological evidence, archival records, and respected elders’ accounts from WWII and the most catastrophic period in Pacific Basin history, and then into modern times on Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. On June 15, 1944, Afetna Point was called ‘Yellow Beach 2’ by the U.S. Marines and Army infantry braving Japanese resistance to establish a beachhead before capturing As Lito airfield the following days. The beachhead then served as a resupply landing for the next two weeks or more as U.S. forces slowly cleared the island of enemy strongpoints, and removed wounded Americans and battle weary civilians to off-shore medical treatment. At the end of the battle Chamorro, Carolinian, Okinawan, and Korean residents were relocated into stockades for their separation from Japanese soldiers until liberation on July 4, 1946. American military and eventual civilian administration of the San Antonio area transformed the agrarian landscape into a busy corridor of residential, industrial, and then tourist development. Once again in the 21st century, competition for regional tourism and investment makes Saipan a nexus of geopolitical intrigue and economic speculation where the past is not forgotten.

Boyd Dixon is Senior Archaeologist for the Cardno GS office in Guam and the CNMI.
Brenda Y. Tenorio has played a role in shaping US/CNMI relations, has worked with, represented and advised leadership in the CNMI executive and legislative branches of government in negotiations with the U.S. and in the process developed public policy on a variety of issues locally.
Cherie Walth is a Project Manager, Principal Investigator, and Bioarchaeologist for SWCA Environmental Consultant’s Albuquerque Office. Cherie has worked in such diverse regions as the Rocky Mountains, the U.S. Southwest, the Pacific West, Micronesia, and North Africa.
Kathy Mowrer is an Archaeologist and Bioarchaeologist for SWCA Environmental Consultant’s Albuquerque Office.