(left) Prince William's great grand-mother and great-grandfather King George VI with JFK's parents
(right) Prince William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II with First Lady Jackie and President JFK
WILL PRINCE WILL VISIT JFK RESCUER?
To Orwell Today,
Happy New Year!
Thank you for sending the email from Bob Beck -- I know he knew my grandfather and he has responded that he will help out.
Check the Aaron Kumana Website -- I uploaded some of Kumana's wife's funeral.
All the best,
Mala Rellysdom
Greetings Mala,
Thanks for news that your grandfather's website has been updated with family photos, including of your grandmother's funeral:
I wonder if you've heard the news that the future king of England, Prince William and his wife, are going on tour to the Solomon Islands soon?
Prince William & Kate to visit Solomon Islands
Solomon Times, Dec 16, 2011
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will up their royal duties ahead of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next year, taking part in their second official oversees visit, Clarence House has confirmed. Officials have revealed Prince William and Kate Middleton will be visiting Solomon Islands on a state visit on behalf of the Queen. Prince William and Kate will also visit Malaysia, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. After the success of their trip to Canada and North America earlier this year, William and Kate will join the rest of the royal family, who between them will visit every Commonwealth realm next year. The date of their visits are yet to be confirmed, but it's thought the trip will be part of an increasing schedule of official engagements, as the newlywed royal couple step up their royal duties ahead of a permanent move to Kensington Palace in 2013....
I'm thinking it would be wonderful if your grandfather could be included in some way with their visit -- perhaps the Royals would go to the island where Kumana lives, and they could see his Shrine to JFK.
JFK met Prince William's great-grandfather, King George VI when JFK's father was Ambassador to England in 1939: THE KENNEDYS AT THE COURT OF ST JAMES: On May 4, 1939, Ambassador Kennedy and his family sat for a formal photographic portrait before dining with the king and Queen. JFK, on leave from Harvard for an independent study project, was present on this occasion.
Then in 1961, when JFK was president, he met Prince William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II: PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE: The President and First Lady were guests of honor at a banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. It was the first time an American president had dined at the Palace since 1918...
JFK was very good friends with many British people before, during and after World War II, and probably Prince William would appreciate meeting Aaron Kumana, the Solomon Islander who saved JFK's life.
I can't help but think JFK would be happy if such a godcidental event could come true.
All the best,
Jackie Jura
PS - I have a thick book full of World War II stories written by various writers, and one of them is SURVIVAL by John Hersey:
...With the help of the natives, the PT made its way to Bird Island. A skiff went in and picked up the men. In the deep of the night, the PT and its happy cargo roared back toward base. The squadron medic had sent some brandy along to revive the weakened men. Johnston felt the need of a little revival. In fact, he felt he needed quite a bit of revival. After taking care of that, he retired topside and sat with his arms around a couple of roly-poly, mission-trained natives. And in the fresh breeze on the way home they sang together a hymn all three happened to know:
Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me...
Hersey's story, in its entirety, is transcribed elsewhere on ORWELL TODAY under the heading SURVIVAL: THE STORY OF PT-109* but above I scanned opening pages (516-517) and the last page (526) telling about Kumana singing -- just like he does in the recent video you sent from his website.
To Orwell Today,
Thanks JJ for your continuous support. I will still continue to upload.
My grandfather will be very happy for the visitation of the prince.
Regards,
Mala
Hello again Mala,
In May 1965 -- four years after President Kennedy and the First Lady visited Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in 1961, and two years after JFK's death in 1963 -- Jackie, Caroline and John-John accompanied the Queen to the dedication of the JFK Memorial in England.
The Queen greets John John, Jackie, and Caroline at the dedication of the John F Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede, England, May 14, 1965. David Ormsby-Gore (by then Lord Harlech), the former British ambassador to Washington and Kennedy friend, stands alongside Queen Elizabeth. In the ceremony the Queen gave an acre of British ground over to the USA, marked by a white stone monument, and both Jackie and Prime Minister Harold Macmillian delivered speeches.
John F Kennedy Memorial Runnymede: The inscription reads: 'This acre of English ground was given to the United States of America by the people of Britain in memory of John F Kennedy, born 19th May, 1917: President of the United States 1961-1963: died by an assassin's hand 22nd November 1963.
Also a statue of JFK was erected in London.
Made of bronze, this Kennedy Memorial bust stands in the forecourt of the International Students House in Park Crescent, London. More than 50,000 readers of the Sunday Telegraph newspaper subscribed to pay for it. It was unveiled May 16, 1965 by the late Senator Robert Kennedy. Senator Edward Kennedy was also present at the unveiling ceremony, which took place shortly after the unveiling of the Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede by the Queen. This Memorial in Park Crescent was the first public statue of President Kennedy in London.
All the best,
Jackie Jura, 2012
PS: UPDATE August 2022: KUMANA FAMILY KEEP JFK ALIVE IN MEMORY
...Remember when Prince William -- future King of England -- visited the Solomon Islands in 2012 we had a conversation 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'S RESCUER?
It didn't happen but I'm sure the Prince would have loved to have travelled to your island -- by canoe as seen above -- 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
WONDERING WAS BROTHER ON PT-109?
HEADHUNTING SOLOMON ISLANDS MUSEUM
watch PT 109 MOVIE
listen PT 109 SONG
SOLOMON RESCUER KUMANA HONORS JFK
JFK SOLOMON SWIMS SAVED SURVIVORS
JFK FRIEND FAY FONDLY REMEMBERS
*SURVIVAL: THE STORY OF PT-109
JFK TRUTH & UNTRUTH and JFK ASSASSINATION PUZZLE PIECES
Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~
email: orwelltoday@gmail.com
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