Local Featured Story - Northern Wasco County PUD

Northern Wasco PUD
Retracing Difficult Steps
Local woman visits Guam
and meets the descendants
of those who protected her
father during World War II
By Nancy Fine
In the “cave” where her father hid, Lolly extends her
leg to offer perspective of its narrow confines.
Photo courtesy of the Artero family
4
M A R C H 2 0 10 It was the culmination of a dream. An
ocean and decades of wishing had stood
between Lolly Tweed of The Dalles and
her pilgrimage to the island of Guam.
A grateful smile graces her face as she
recounts her journey in 2008 to see the
places and meet the decendants of those
who befriended and helped save her
father more than 60 years ago.
It was December 8, 1941. Bombs fell as
the Japanese invaded Guam. Lolly’s father,
George Tweed, a 39-year-old U.S. Navy
radio operator, faced a decision: stay with
the troops and surrender, or flee to the
jungle and try to evade capture.
George and five others chose the jungle.
Japanese soldiers slashed vegetation,
relentlessly searching the island for the
missing Americans. Eventually, they captured and executed the other five, but
thanks to the help of brave Guamanians,
George survived 31 months on the run.
George—who the Navy presumed had
been killed—remained in hiding until he
saw a U.S. destroyer approaching. He signaled the ship and was taken aboard.
Learning the Hard Part of the Story
As a youngster, Lolly heard her dad’s
story of war-time heroics many times.
The Legion of Merit recipient was the
subject of a Life magazine article and the
inspiration for a Hollywood movie, “No
Man is an Island,” starring Jeffrey Hunter.
But Lolly says she realized later that
she had seen and heard just 10 percent of
the story—“the easy part.”
She discovered “the hard parts” of her
father’s ordeal as she read a book he coauthored, “Robinson Crusoe, USN.”
Tears well up in Lolly’s eyes as she
recalls reading about “the grief experienced on Dad’s account.”
Natives provided George with food
and shelter. Some suffered torture rather
than reveal his whereabouts.
Lolly Tweed and her husband, Brad Mulvihill, in
Guam, where they retraced her father’s 31 months
evading capture by the Japanese in World War II.
Photo courtesy of the Artero family
Among those who kept George alive
was Antonio Artero and his wife, Josefa.
For his efforts, Artero was honored
with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Experiencing Her Father’s History
Six decades have passed since the war.
George and Antonio have died.
But Lolly longed to trek to the cave
where Antonio hid her father. She knew
she needed to make the strenuous journey while she still was physically strong.
Retired, and with money saved, Lolly
and her husband, Brad Mulvihill, decided
the time was right to go to Guam.
When they arrived at the airport, they
found four people with large smiles and a
sign reading, “Lolly and Brad.” The welcome party included three of Antonio’s
grown children, Carmen, Pascual and
Margaret, and a grandchild, Jessica—all
huggers and cheek kissers, Lolly says.
“It was amazing, gracious, kind—
beyond anything I’ve experienced,” Lolly
says of the reception.
The family presented Brad and Lolly
with “mar-mars”—flowered head wreaths,
Antonio Artero, left, and George Tweed in the “cave” where he hid. The men are shown with hand-woven
bags made by Artero’s wife, Josefa, who prepared food and mended clothing for Tweed.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy
designating them “very honored guests.”
One of Antonio’s sons, Pascual, a
major with the national guard, took a
week off work and served as driver and
guide during their visit.
“He is a wonderful man,” Lolly says.
“He went above and beyond for us. After
the second day, he felt like a brother.”
Connected family histories unfurled
as Lolly visited with other descendants of
the World War II experience.
Lolly’s meeting with Guam’s governor,
Felix Comacho, stretched from a scheduled 15 minutes to an hour. The governor’s aide grew tense as he watched the
day’s schedule dissolve while the two
shared family stories about the occupation.
Lolly says the high point of her trip
was the trek to the “cave” where her
father, aided by Antonio, had stayed hidden during most of the occupation.
Travel to the location was so
treacherous Pascual and his brother,
Frankie, had gone there three times, cutting back vegetation, hanging ropes for
safety-holds and flagging the trail.
Wearing gloves to prevent cuts from
sharp limestone formations, Lolly, Brad
and 16 members of the Artero family and
friends made the journey to the remote
jungle hideout.
“The cave was so difficult to find and
access,” Lolly says. “I finally understood
the gift Antonio had given my dad: a safe
place to hide, which meant he gave him
his life. I felt very proud of my dad and
his strong will to survive, and so grateful
to Antonino Artero and the others who
said ‘yes’ to helping my dad, even when it
was a terrible risk.” n
Tweed proudly donned his uniform as
grand marshal in a 1987 Veterans Day
parade in Brookings.
Photo by George Peredo
Lolly and Brad hope to revisit Guam with their
adult children to share the brave deeds and
friendships forged in war—which joined cultures
and now links generations.
MARCH 2010
5