Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana

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Biuku Gasa was a Solomon Islands native who discovered John F. Kennedy and the rest of PT-109 crew following the ship's collision with Japanese destroyer Amagiri near Plum Pudding Island on August 2, 1943.

Google Earth view, Olasana near left, Nauru near right, Plum Pudding mid left, Blackett Strait in front of volcanic Kolombangara, Fergeson Passage is to right of Nauru, Rendova is 35 miles to below and right

During WWII, Biuku Gasa and a fellow islander, Eroni Kumana, were tasked with patrolling Australian coastal waters. On August 2, both were ordered by Lt. Arthur Reginald Evans to scout for possible PT-109 survivors. Kennedy and his men survived for six days on coconuts before they were found by the two men. Their dugout canoes couldn't accommodate all the crew members safely; and perhaps more importantly, the islanders had a hard time communicating with the English-speaking crew. In absence of writing utensils, Biuku suggested that Kennedy should inscribe a message on a coconut plucked from a nearby tree. This message was then delivered by rowing 35 miles to the nearest allied base, and a successful American rescue operation ensued.

Kennedy later invited Gasa to attend his presidential inauguration. But the pair was duped en route in Honiara, the capital, by colonial officials. They sent other Solomons' representatives.^[1] Another version of the story is that they were turned back by officials at the airport. ^[2] As far as is known, no one has since offered them a visit to the president or the United States.

Lt. Arthur Reginald Evans, Gasa and Kumana would have looked similar to this photo of Captain Martin Clemens, Australian Coastwatcher on Guadalcanal, rendered services to Allied forces during the battle for the island. The natives were members of the Solomon Islands police force.

[edit] Recognition

When Alesasa Bisili, another scout wrote of his experiences experiences as a scout during the Japanese landing at Munda in 1942 in 'Scouting in Western Solomons'. He expressed sadness and anger over the unjust lack of recognition and award given to Solomon Islanders for their services during the war.

TV program showing the coconut picked by Eroni Kumana still at the JFK library

However, Biuku Gasa lived in a house paid for by the Kennedy family, in recognition of his help. ^[3]

In 2003, a swim was organized to raise money for Gasa's community.

Contemporary Solomons Island canoe Solomon Islands dugout canoe
Career Solomon Islands
Ordered:	1940s
Laid down:	1940s
Launched:	1940s
Christened:	1940s
Commissioned:	1940s
Decommissioned:	unknown
In service:	1940s
Out of service:	unknown
Status:	probably discarded
Homeport:	Solomon Islands
General Characteristics
Displacement:	2 islanders
Length:	15 feet
Beam:	2 feet
Draft:	inches
Propulsion:	2 paddlers
Speed:	3 knots
Endurance:	hours
Complement:	2 scouts
Armament:	2 scouts
Armour:	low visual and noise signature
Nickname:	The canoe that saved the PT-109
Honours and awards:	Crew found stranded crew of John F. Kennedy's PT-109. Smallest and lowest technology transportation employed by allies.

[edit] Life

Gasa was born July 27, 1923 in Madou, Solomon Islands. He would have been 20 when he met the young skipper. Biuku Gasa lived in Vavudu Village, Kauvi Is.^[4] After the war Gasa and his wife Nelma had six children. They lived off of coconuts and crops. They also caught fish in Vonavona lagoon. Gasa is the local patriarch as most of the residents are descendents of the "old man" as he is known, and he rarely left the island. Most roads are unpaved, and most of the huts do not have electricity even today. Gasa was still alive in August 2005 when the Pacific edition of Time magazine wrote that he was sick in the hospital. His children built a canoe just like the old man had made, to send to the United States "so they would not forget". It is not known where this canoe is today, though the National Geographic has a museum.

Eroni Kumana, said he was 78 in 2003, and would have been 18 in 1943. He still lives in Konqu Village, Ranongga Island. He is seen in National Geographic photographs with a hat and a T-shirt that said "I saved JFK". Kumana created a shrine with an obelisk to JFK, and appointed him honorary chief.

Max Kennedy presents bust to Buiku and Eroni in 2002 on National Geographic special

Gasa and Kumana were interviewed by National Geographic in 2002, and can be seen on the DVD of the television special. They were presented a bust by Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy. The National Geographic had come there as part of an expedition by the Titanic hunter Ballard, who did find the wreck of the PT-109.

[edit] Death

This is the closest to an authoritative source on the death of Biuki Gasa written by a living relative. The Solomon Islands embassy in the United States also confirms this. There appear to be no press accounts of his death anywhere else on the internet.

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"

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.

Kennedy ordered Biuku and Gasa to go and look for a man called John Kari. He was a local head-man during the colonial era. John Kari was born in 1900 and was hailed from Hopongo Village, Rendova Island. Rendova Harbour is located in Rendova Island where the USA marine base was located during then. Biuku and Gasa approached John Kari (he was in Vonavona langoon during then) with the coconut husk on which Kennedy scribed onto his request for help. However, John Kari then got the coconut husk and passed it on to the other marine personnels. However, according to John Kari, he was also assisting the other natives to paddle Kennedy in a dug out local canoe during the night to the marine base in Rendova Island. John Kari was recognised for that part of the rescue and he even carved a stone carving as a token of friendship to the Kennedy family. John Kari's daughter got married to an American, who then lead John Kari's dauther (Effie McAdams) to present the stone carving to Bush (one of the bible translators visiting Solomon Islands in early 80s) who then presented the stone carving to be laid in Kennedy's grave yeard or to his library I supose. John Kari was also presented with the model of the PT109 and USA flag and still at his home village to date.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ From TIME pacific Magazine, issue dated August 15, 2005 / No. 32 Monday, Aug. 08, 2005 A Friend in Deed]
2. ^ The Islanders who saved Kennedy - National Geographic
3. ^ BBC news 30 July, 2003
4. ^ [1] PT-109 swim results

[edit] External links

• [2] National Geographic News "JFK's Island Rescuers Honored at Emotional Reunion" Ted Chamberlain November 20, 2002
• Taem Blong Faet: World War Two in Melanesia Journal article by Franz Broswimmer; Oceania, Vol. 64, 1993

"Alesasa Bisili's narrative 'Scouting in Western Solomons', describes his experiences as a scout during the Japanese landing at Munda in 1942. Like Zoleveke, he too expresses sadness and anger over the unjust lack of recognition and award given to Solomon Islanders for their services during the war... The contributions are by Biku Gasa, Aron Kumana, (the two Solomon Islanders principally responsible for Kennedy's rescue), John Kari and Andrew Langabaea"