KUMANA FAMILY KEEP JFK ALIVE IN MEMORY
There's a photo of Kumana's family in 2017, holding JFK memorabilia in their midst.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if Caroline could visit and join them in a 2022 photo of that gathering
-- with Caroline in the middle.
It's a dream -- let's make it come true.
Greetings Mala Rellysdom,
It has been a long time since we shared emails and news about Solomon Islands but I am working on an article about what's happening there now.
One of the big news events is that on December 16, 2021 Caroline Kennedy was confirmed as the new USA ambassador to Australia.
Long rumored, much anticipated, and strongly welcomed, USA President Joe Biden has announced that Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late President John F Kennedy, as the next USA ambassador to Australia. A lawyer, author, and former ambassador to Japan, the 64-year-old Kennedy's appointment is a cause for celebration in Australia not just due to her strong credentials and famous family name, but chiefly due to the position finally being filled.
I went to your blog while researching and see that you reported about Caroline being appointed Ambassador and posted congratulations on behalf of Eroni Kumana's family.
Eroni Kumana family here in Kongu village are welcoming the president daughter, the only surviving daughter of Late President John F Kennedy to be the next USA ambassador to Australia. She also made tribute to the courage of Solomon Islanders and Australian coast watchers who rescued her father during World War II. She said that if confirmed she will work hard to repay this debt. One of the rescuers, late Eroni Kumana, was laid to rest here in Kongu village. The family has taken note of Caroline's posting and an email was sent to appreciate the new US ambassador to Australia. They are now looking forward to her decision regarding their father, grandfather, or great-great-grandfathers debt.
The sketch of your grandfather and JFK and the canoe is beautiful and I would like to share that with readers and scan and post the link to your article to be seen by the world.
I will be completing my JFK Solomon Islands article soon and will send it to you when it's posted on ORWELL TODAY.
All the best,
Jackie Jura, May 2022
To Orwell Today,
WoW! You're welcome. At the moment we are facing the Covid virus in our community. Though most are not much serious about this because they thought it is a flu-like disease. We did not know that it really affects our livelihood in our community. And one thing people now realize is those with chronic infections have suffered and died.
Thanks again for contacting me.
All the best,
Rellysdom A Malakana
Hello again Mala,
I am still working on the Solomon Islands article. Sorry it's taking so long but I have to complete other projects and am almost ready.
I have been visiting your blog and see that you've posted updates about communicating with Caroline:
Concerning John F Kennedy's "debt" is one word mentioned in media before my grandfather's death. "Now it is frequently a headline in the media after Ambassador Caroline Kennedy was appointed as US ambassador to Australia", said Kumana's grandson Rellysdom A Malakana. He said, "In the past when visitors from the USA and other countries, while seeing his grandfather Eroni (Aaron) Kumana, mentioned the word "JFK Debt" to his grandfather, and he thought and assumed that this was his grandfather's rescue of the future president of America. I explained this "JFK Debt" to my granny. In response, my grandfather said that it seems to him that this was not a debt but a gift from a friend. Rellysdom said that during events to remember those who died during WWII here in Solomon Island, my grandfather spoke to the media that JF Kennedy and America becomes his treasure. "I could not believe saving the future president of America", Kumana said. "Though my uncle wishes that America could recognize the heroics of their father with something special to honor him".
The grandson Rellysdom explained that Kumana's five recommendations was one of his requests to the family of Kennedy. He said that since the frequent visits from tourists and other special visitors from the USA his community and family members thought of them as the source of benefits from benefactors. "Today my grandfather is not here, but concerning the "JFK Debt" to me, it sounds like, my grandfather's idea is of a gift. My grandfather has received a log from a friend. Out of it a dugout canoe was made and named it Vaivana, which means 'a gift'. Rellysdom said that everything he (Eroni Kumana) received from others he call it a GIFT. My grandfather said that joining scout sounds to him like playing games out there. However, during the height of bombing and shelling, really, you are on a mission to protect your country, and work for your Queen. He said that they are not paid but enjoyed meals with the platoons. "Now they see me as one of the rescuers, I am proud to save a future president", was Kumana's statement". Said the grandson of Eroni Kumana "What is it? Might be a promise -- but will always be a gift".
All the best,
Jackie, June 2022
To Orwell Today
Hey Jackie!
I will be ready for it.
All the best
Rellysdom
Greetings Mala Rellysdom,
I have finally completed the article I was working on when we first communicated about it in May. See RED CHINA INVADING JFK SOLOMONS
I've been visiting your blog and see that you've posted updates on a new project you're working on to bring income to your village of Kongu on the island of Rannonga.
The project is to continue planting young coconut palms for their maturity. Coconut planting came to halt (more than 50 years ago) in many villages nearby, and villages continue to produce copra and raw oil; these are the 2 projects that involve producers for their trading. Now the idea was to get the project as a pilot project to motivate others to get the villagers to plant coconut for its nectar. (Organic Coconut Nectar Syrup is a delicious all-natural sweetener made from the sap of the coconut blossom). Rellysdom believes that once the project starts harvesting these nectars, good money will satisfy villagers as it produces money every minute. "We are all copycats, and once we start to make money I believe more will involve planting". He said that the project might need more people involved if there are hundreds of coconut palms to harvest.
Wow, that coconut project looks like nectar from the Gods! And it's so symbolic of JFK whose most cherished possession, or one of them, was his glass-encased coconut he kept on his desk in the Oval Office to remind him, every day, of the people in Solomon Islands -- and the loss of so many lives -- each of which he mourned. Since his death JFK's coconut has been on display in the JFK Library and Museum in Boston.
And displayed beside the coconut at the JFK museum -- and in honour of your grandfather -- is Kumana's "shell-money" heirloom that, in 2008, Kumana arranged to have placed on JFK's grave in Arlington National Cemetery as a formal tribute to his "Chief".
Regarding your article "JOHN F KENNEDY'S DEBT", that you posted on your blog, I agree that the USA owes a debt to not only Kumana, but to all the people of Solomon Islands. As Kumana said, the native scouts were not paid -- except in meals -- for their war service in the Solomons. In reality, they are veterans of the war, as are all the soldiers, sailors and pilots who fought and they should have received veterans' benefits and reparations from UK/USA/AUZ/NZ. I can't imagine living in a war zone and experiencing the devastation and horror your beautiful islands endured from the thousands of bombs dropped from the sky and from mines hidden underwater to explode and blow allied and enemy ships to smithereens. In the seventy-seven years since the war ended nothing has really been done from the Western World to help the people of the Solomon Islands. You've been left to your own limited devices and are an impoverished nation living in third-world status.
I don't think Kumana was expecting financial help from the USA government for his fund-raising plans -- he'd given up on that years ago. Any donations of money or materials that he did receive over the years were from American tourists or business people -- none of it amounting to much. In the end I think Kumana had all his hopes for help pinned on Caroline -- not as a debt to him for saving her father -- but as a gift. In her life Caroline has personally fund-raised and donated millions of dollars to causes she believes in -- as did her father. Not everyone knows that JFK donated his entire presidential salary to charity. See JFK'S RESCUERS FUND RAISING PLANS
In our last email conversation before your grandfather died on August 3, 2014, you passed on a message to me from Kumana and he said, "Tell Jackie to find where is Caroline Kennedy". It was almost a plea for Caroline to come to the rescue of him and his family -- just as he had gone to the rescue of JFK and his crew. I think Kumana sincerely believed -- and rightfully so -- that a financial "gift" -- not a debt -- would be a way of repaying Kumana for saving JFK's life. Money for development and infrastructure is what Kumana and Solomon Islanders need to survive economically. It's different from what JFK and crew needed to survive -- ie food, water and delivery from a war zone -- ie the gift of life. Kumana answered JFK's prayers and now he's asking Caroline to answer his. See JFK RESCUER KUMANA SENDS GREETINGS
If JFK had lived long enough as President we know he would have enacted policies that would have helped the Solomon Islands. He would have sent the Peace Corps there to help clear the war damage and enable resource development until the people could stand on their own. That was JFK's policy all through the third world -- and that is one of the reasons why, on the day he died, the whole world cried. As the logo on my JFK T-shirt says: TRUTH, FREEDOM, PEACE & PROSPERITY DIED WITH JFK
Godcidently, as I write this, it's the first week of August 2022 -- the 79th anniversary of the ramming and sinking of PT-109 by the Japanese destroyer on August 1, 1943. And it's also, godcidently, the 8th anniversary of the death of your grandfather -- JFK's rescuer Kumana. See JFK SOLOMON RESCUER KUMANA DIES
The other huge news is that Caroline arrived in Australia two weeks ago, on July 22nd, and already she's on her way to Solomon Islands this week -- August 6th thru 8th. In her capacity as USA Ambassador she'll be participating in official ceremonies in Honiara commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal on August 7th. Last week, in Australia, she attended memorial ceremonies honouring the Coastwatchers who served in WWII and gave their descendents a gift of a replica JFK coconut. Caroline said the words: "In 1943, my father's boat was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. If not for the help of two Solomon Islanders and an Australian coast watcher, he and his crew would not have survived". See JFK'S CAROLINE VISITING SOLOMON ISLANDS
So far, in any of the news coverage -- local or international -- there's been no mention about whether Caroline will be visiting the families of JFK's native rescuers -- descendents of Kumana and Ben Kevu. It would be good if she travelled to Kumana's village on Ranogga to see museum artifacts and the JFK Shrine erected there:
A ceremony with the rescuers doesn't seem to be on the itinerary. But maybe Caroline would like to visit you in a personal capacity, not as an official. Maybe she's planning or hoping she can literally live up to her pledge "to embrace" her role in the South Pacific, by embracing all of you. If ever anyone needed a hug from people who loved her father as much as she does, it's Caroline. She's been through another great trauma recently -- on July 12th -- when the world-renowned leader of Japan -- America's greatest ally against Communist China -- and Caroline's beloved mentor -- was assassinated while campaigning. They caught the alleged shooter -- another "lone gunman". It must have brought terrifying flashbacks to Caroline of it happening to her father. I'm sure -- if Caroline is allowed to come and visit you -- it would be comforting for her to connect to JFK through you. As Kumana says in his slogan for the blog: "comforting each other, our greatest resources we have".
The travesty of it not happening -- of Caroline not visiting you descendents of the carriers of the coconut -- would be as cruel as when they didn't allow Kumana and Biuku to get on the plane to fly to USA for JFK's inauguration as president. The British -- for whose "protectorate" thousands of USA and Solomon Islanders had died saving -- didn't consider the native scouts worthy to represent their nation.
Remember when Prince William -- future King of England -- visited the Solomon Islands in 2012 we had an email discussion hoping he'd visit your grandfather and pay his respects for service to the Crown during WWII and for saving the life of JFK? William's grandmother, the Queen of England, loved JFK and two years after he died she dedicated a monument to JFK on sacred English ground -- Runnymede -- where, in 1215, King John sealed the Magna Carta. See WILL PRINCE WILL VISIT JFK RESCUER?
It didn't happen but I'm sure the Prince would have loved to have travelled to your island by canoe and visited the JFK museum and the memorials Kumana has created. But it would have been out of his hands. Even though William is British royalty, and Caroline is American royalty, they're used like pawns on the geo-political chess game the powers-that-be are playing. William's mother, Princess Diana, refused to be played like a pawn and she went "off script" whenever she was among the people. That's why the people called her THE PEOPLE'S PRINCESS.
Just a few months before she died on August 31, 1997, Princess Di walked through a field of landmines in protest against their dangers to life and limb for people who lived in "theatres" of war. Godcidently this month, too, is the anniversary of her death 25 years ago. I paid homage to her when in England in 2001. See VISITING PRINCESS DIANA'S PLACES
I hope you and Caroline all get together on this occasion of her first visit to Solomon Islands. I believe it's meant to be.
All the best,
Jackie Jura, August 3, 2022
[Note to readers: Links to the articles referenced in red in this article can be connected from the JFK TRUTHS & UNTRUTHS section of the website]
PS -- Speaking of gifts, there's a gift I would like to send to you. It's a DVD of the much cherished and loved -- and sought after -- made-for-TV movie that came out in 1977. It's JOHNNY WE HARDLY KNEW YE and it accurately depicts JFK's life from 1945 onwards and how what he experienced in the Solomon Islands -- the test of courage, strength and leadership -- led to his decision to enter politics to work toward the betterment of humankind. He knew it was his destiny. See JFK WE HARDLY KNEW YE DVDs
The DVD that was gifted to me was recorded in PAL format, which is what they use in the United Kingdom but here in America we use NTSC format. My computer whiz converted it from PAL to NTSC so I could play it on my DVD machine and I had several copies made. Please let me know which format you prefer and I'll mail the DVD to you ASAP.
To Orwell Today,
Hey! After looking through, Wow! -- a nice article! Congratulations for extending the information around. Thanks for sharing!
At the moment we are looking forward to seeing her. Luckily our representative of the family is in Honiara.
May God continue to inspire you with all that you have done.
Regards,
Rellysdom Aaron Malakana
Greetings again Mala,
Whenever Kumana would talk about "the gift" -- what some people call "the debt" -- he would explain that it was something that works both ways. He said that it was a "gift" that he, Kumana, had been the one who was there to save JFK. Kumana always wanted to show his love and appreciation for JFK by giving gifts in his memory -- and making shrines -- and through his love for JFK Kumana loved the USA. To Kumana, because of JFK, it seems he still believed that America was good -- he hadn't realized that since the day JFK died, America, like the Solomon Islands, has lost its anchor and is drifting perilously on the surface of the ocean and seeing nothing in the dark depths below.
Another thing I always think about when Kumana talks about "the gift" (and whether it's owed "to" or "by" JFK) is the poem THE GIFT OUTRIGHT that the poet Robert Frost recited at JFK's Inauguration. JFK often recited poetry, from memory, in his speeches. See JFK'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS and FROST DEDICATES GIFT OUTRIGHT TO JFK and FOCUS ON STAR OF JFK
I have a feeling that one of the most painful experiences of Kumana's life was being deprived of "the gift" of attending JFK's Inauguration and seeing and being with his "chief" again.
All the best,
Jackie Jura
PPS -- In these past few days I've been reading stories about JFK and godcidently came upon one written from Australia. Here was the question: "I am a senior high school student in Australia. I am about to commence research on the Camelot allusion, related historical perspectives, and effectively analyse a number of different opinions about whether or not the John Kennedy Camelot allusion is justified, or correct..." See JFK'S CASTLE WAS CAMELOT
JFK SOLOMONS PROTEST RED CHINA
watch PT-109 SONG listen
KUMANA SON JFK's LETTER TO CAROLINE
JFK'S CAROLINE VISITING SOLOMON ISLANDS
(79 years after rescue of PT-109 crew)
JFK SAY KEVU SPOKE BRIT ENGLISH
KUMANA FAMILY KEEP JFK ALIVE IN MEMORY
(will Caroline visit JFK native scout rescuers?)
August 1-8, 1943-2022
watch Put the Lime in the Coconut by 5th Beatle listen
RED CHINA INVADING JFK'S SOLOMONS
(China leasing strategic island of Tulagi)
July 31, 2022
VISITING PRINCESS DIANA PLACES & WILL PRINCE WILL VISIT JFK RESCUER?
AARON (ERONI) KUMANA BLOG ("...comforting each other, our greatest resources we have...")
JFK TRUTHS & UNTRUTHS and JFK ASSASSINATION PUZZLE PIECES
Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~
email: orwelltoday@gmail.com
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