[Transcription]
Saipanese Returns After 35 Year Exile
From MNA press release
SAIPAN – Daniel Manibusan Aldan has returned to Saipan from a 35-year absence from his home island. Drafted into the Imperial forces in 1942, Aldan remains as a sprightly 62-year-old, and not surprisingly, things have changed in his absence.
Aldan's wartime career under the Japanese took him to New Guinea in February of 1942, leaving behind on Saipan his wife and three small children.
It was not easy to refuse the orders of the Japanese military at that time, he says, because resistance would have meant severe punishment.
On reaching New Guinea, he was assigned to the Japanese Navy where he remained for six months, but was transferred to Halmania, Indonesia for hospitalization when he became ill. It was there he convalesced for a period of time during 1943.
From 1943 until the end of hostilities in 1945, Aldan spent time on various Japanese projects, mainly because of his technical abilities. He spent 3 months in Makasar, Indonesia as a foreman technician in the construction of homes after recuperating from his illness.
He was later sent to Java to head a project involving teaching Indonesians in certain construction projects, and was commended by the Japanese commander in Java for his successful direction of operations.
After the war, Aldan requested repatriation to Saipan but his request was denied because of American control of the island. He then requested repatriation to Japan but was denied on the grounds he was not a Japanese national.
During these years, Aldan said he wrote letters to Saipan expressing his anxiety about his family but received no replies. It was not until 1952 that he received a letter from his sister, Maria Babauta, telling him of conditions at that time.
In these ensuing years, his wife and family presumed him dead: possibly killed during the war. When the war ended in 1945 and no news of him was received from either the Americans or Japanese, it was difficult for his relatives to believe that he might still be alive. During this time, his wife remarried.
The letter from his sister in 1952 gave Aldan hopes of returning to Saipan but the turmoil developing in Indonesia for independence from the Netherlands (Holland) delayed any plans for leaving. In the meantime, he too had remarried, to an Indonesian woman from Surabaja, from which marriage he has five children.
Aldan said that after the ware, because of indifference shown him by the Japanese to repatriating him either to Saipan or Japan he had to survive by finding jobs in Jakarta.
However, because his desire to return to Saipan was still strong, he and his sister Maria Babauta kept up their established communication and it was Maria who was instrumental in effecting his return by requesting assistance from the Resident Commissioner’s office. Through their contact with the State Department and the American Embassy in Jakarta, Aldan was granted a visa which brought about his homecoming on May 10.
Now he has returned, Aldan has plenty of plans for the future. He is looking forward to bringing his Indonesian family to Saipan where, he said, he can then work in whatever field his talents could be of assistance in the development of Saipan and the Northern Mariana Islands.
He is happy that his first wife has remarried and is anxious to re-establish a relationship with his three children by their marriage and develop a sphere of friendship with them and his present family.
Aldan has three sisters: Rose Babauta (Rota), Trinidad Indalecio, and Lucia Duenas of Saipan, and two brothers, Dr. Manuel Aldan of Saipan and Jose Aldan of Guam.
Because Aldan has [cut-off] spoken his native Ch[cut-off] for 35 years, he is ha[cut-off] little difficulty in [cut-off]municating, further agg[cut-off]ted by the seven Indo[cut-off] dialects and Japanese he speaks fluently. He has however, not lost his [cut-off] for his Chamorro plans to write a book [cut-off] his experiences durin[cut-off] 35-year exile.
Sources:
[Unnamed]. Circa 1976. Saipanese Returns After 35 Year Exile (MNA press release).
Mark Goniwiecha. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169155934/daniel-manibusan-aldan
Bruce Petty. 2009. Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War. McFarland & Company.
