Talk:Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana

message: Here is the story from the guy's nephew!
http://thricehanged.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!CDB442DDCE5C376A!252.entry
August 02
PT109 revisted
August 2nd 2006 is the 63rd anniversary of the sinking of the torpedo patrol boat PT109, and that reminds me of Uncle Biuku Gaza's story. 
Biuku was my wife’s uncle, and a kindly old man. 
Sadly, Biuku died late last year. Coincidentally we were told of his death on the anniversary of John F Kennedy’s assassination.  That is November 22nd, which also happens to be my younger daughter's birthday.  
For a very long time little was known about the role that Biuku and Eroni played in world events. Only very late in his life did uncle Biuku got a little of the fame he deserved. For a long time, though famous in Solomon Islands, the world knew nothing of him. 
I am pleased that at last thanks to National Geographic, the world knows a little more about Biuku, Eroni, J F K and the coconut. 
John F. Kennedy was assigned to PT 109 in April of 1943. 
I don’t know what it says about JFK’s navigation skills, but PT 109 was cut in two by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri on August 2, 1943 in SOLOMON ISLANDS. Two crew members died, and others were injured, mainly by fire. 
The survivors first came ashore on a small island known locally as Kasolo, or Plum Pudding island, nowadays often referred to as Kennedy island. Later Kennedy swam his men over to Naru island, which was larger, and provided more shelter and cover from the eyes of Japanese patrols, as well as coconuts for sustenance. 
Kennedy personally assisted many of the wounded men across, making several trips. A heroic deed in shark infested waters.
Kennedy and his crew were rescued after Biuku came paddling by with his friend Eroni Kumana. 
Kennedy called the two ashore and asked them to deliver a note to the nearest coastwatcher. Biuku refused to carry anything incriminating that might be connected to Americans, in case the Japanese searched him. 
Instead, he offered Kennedy a green coconut and suggested that he scratch a message on that. He could hide it amongst a pile of other coconuts in the canoe and it would probably go unnoticed. 
Biuku says that Kennedy patted his head, said he had a good brain in there and took the coconut. On it he carved the following: 
NAURO ISL 
COMMANDER... NATIVE KNOWS POS'IT... 
HE CAN PILOT... 11 ALIVE 
NEED SMALL BOAT... KENNEDY 
Biuku and Eroni delivered the coconut and the rest is history. The coconut was kept in the oval office all through JFK's presidency and was then for a time in the Smithsonian. I understand it is now kept in the JF Kennedy Library in Boston. 
What most of the world has never heard is the way it all seemed from the point of view of Biuku and his friends. Biuku was invited to JFK's inauguration but the bureaucrats in Honiara decided that such a junket was too good to waste on an ignorant local and sent someone else instead. 
Kennedy wrote later to Biuku expressing his disappointment that they did not meet again. Until he died, Biuku keenly felt the injustice of it. 
He received a medal. It was "borrowed" and never returned. The correspondence from JFK to Biuku was "borrowed" and never returned. 
Biuku told us to whom he gave them but that person has not responded to our enquiries. If those items ever turn up on E-Bay or anywhere else, be aware that they should be considered stolen! They belong to Biuku’s family. 
Whether you liked or disliked Kennedy, and his presidency, there is no denying that the world we live in might have been very different indeed had a certain Melanesian native not delivered a scratched green coconut. 
Ils sont ces circonstances qui font les héros 
There is a nice article, with pictures, here: 
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pt109 
There was a movie about Kennedy’s adventure made in 1963, titled, reasonably enough,  PT109.
Read about it here. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057393/
It does not mention in the credits, who were the actors who portrayed the two natives, Biuku and Eroni.
If anyone can tell me I will send the first to do so a full size print of their choice of one of my photos. 
No, I am not conceited, I just can’t afford to offer anything else. 
Email me at babbacombe-lee@ihug.co.nz
That is now freshh2o@ihug.co.nzFreshh2o (talk) 20:54, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Untitled

message: I'm the guy offering to send these guys to the US to get their just recognition. Contact me for more info. I can afford the airfare and putting these guys up in my house. Sending them to see the President and Disneyland will take a big letter writing campaign and fundraising. Watch the National Georgraphic DVD to see who these guys were. --Sugarcaddy 16:08, 9 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: SEND ERONI AND GASA'S SON TO THE UNITED STATES

message: Not only does the whole "Death" section need to have all that first-person stuff removed, but a) the source probably isn't authoritative (an unverified blog post?) and b) what the hell is up with that dugout canoe sidebar? It's a canoe! "Displacement: two islanders?" What? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by S. Ugarte (talk • contribs) 18:19, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Cleanup

message: I really don't see how this part of the article can be included without bias, "This was a sad outcome for the two heroes, who had willingly helped U.S. forces with disregard to their own safety or wellbeing, and who had known full well what the retributions would have been if they had been discovered by the Japanese." I believe it should be removed since it doesn't provide any information except for the person who keeps adding it into the article's opinion.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bab1147 (talk • contribs) 01:49, 24 January 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bias within the article 

message: Who are they? The article never says
2601:600:A37F:F111:3547:4999:2681:D029 (talk) 06:54, 18 April 2020 (UTC)
thread_title: Brian and Sue Mitchell