Remember those who died for us

Letters

ALLOW me to make comment on Remembrance Day.
When I was a kid growing up, my grandfather used to tell me stories about World War II and the battle of Buna/Sanananda,
He coluldn’t recall his age at that time and the only thing he could remember was running for safety with his big brother when the Japanese forces landed on the beach of Sanananda.
Buna/Sanananda was where the heaviest battle took place between the Australian and American forces on one side and the Japanese forces on the other.
The famous Huggins roadblock at Sanananda by the United States 126th Infantry Regiment forced the Japanese to retreat towards the beach.
A large number of Japanese, Australia and American soldiers died during the Buna/Sanananda campaign.
Buna was also where a local by the name of Raphael Oimbari helped an injured Australian soldier and became a hero.
After 70 years, Buna/Sanananda has been left to decay.
There have been no new development and services taking place, in terms of building infrastructure for health and education. School children walk 11 kilometres from Sanananda to Buna for classes and on the way they encounter prob
lems crossing rivers and rough waves and also face the risk of being attacked by crocodiles.
I suggest that a statue of Raphael
Oimbari be put up at Buna and a
war museum built at Sanananda to honour the fallen soldiers.
If Kokoda is recognised, why can’t Buna/Sanananda be recognised alsotoo

Owen Mongagi