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The only airplanes that I've ever seen on the range at Kadena were the mortal remains of a few T-33s and one F-104. I'm too scared of getting blowed up to spend any time roaming around out there. The Munitions Storage Area (MUNS) is where I'd like to spend a little more time. I know for a fact that in the early 90's there was the remains of a Hellcat(rear spar forwar to the prop) sitting back in the bushes. I saw pictures of it. Most of the MUNS area, not necessarily where the ammo and other assorted things are stored, is swamp. The only fresh water lake on the island (as far as I know) is located in the same area. At least one or two Japanese fighters are said to still be in there. When you fly over the base, much of this area is obscured by trees so you can't see anything except for most of the storage bunkers that are out in the open. I'm not sure what the measurements of the area are, but it's big. The grass on the chain link fence is left high so you can't see through it. I can tell you that in one area of the MUNS (definately off limits) is 4 or 5 semi complete type 97 tanks. At one time, you could stand on top of the crew bus and see them. Now the area is too grown up. There's a good reason why this area has airplane remains. The original runway that the Japanese used before we invaded was located there. The main road through the base goes by the original concrete bunkers where the Japanese stored the Baka bombs. A couple of the Bakas on display in museums today came out of these very bunkers. Some came from other fields as well. Back behind the bunkers, in what is now a drainage area, is the semi-remains of the road that the Japanese used to tow the Bakas out to the runway. Not far from the bunkers is where one of the fences starts.
I agree with Lex, you probably won't find a complete plane out there. But I'm sure you could find "significant chunks". Just a little way from Kadena is a Marine radar station. I can't remember the name of it right off hand. During the war, it was some sort of repair facility. Parts of an airplane (don't know what they were) were found in a tunnel around 1995 or so. The area that was once Yomitan airfield is now mostly sugar cane fields. A guy my brother worked with was driving through there to go four wheeling in 99 or 2000. Laying by the side of the road was a fifty cal machine gun with a very rusty few links of ammo. The farmers dig this sort of stuff up and lay it by the road for the American's to collect. The gun was laying on a back porch at Camp Foster Marine Base, last I saw.... Yomitan airfield is where the Japanese belly landed two bombers and the passengers jumped out with explosives tied to them. They were able to destroy at least five US planes before the Marines managed to kill the rest of them. Could be that this gun came out of one of those American planes.
My brother found a box of japanese grenades in a cave. Not fifty yards from his back door on Camp Foster, he found a Japanese light machine gun half buried in a fox hole. A guy that worked at the flight surgeons office found a cave that was still booby trappped. Over off of Tori Station, we pulled up a stack of japanese helmets. There were several of them down there, but only one could be broken free. Apparantly they were all stacked up and pushed off a boat when the fighting ended. Of course they are all rusted together. I think they are still on the back porch over at Camp Foster also....
Somewhere in the Olympic Flight Museum is a section of tank tread. I picked it up off of White beach. Five thousand people roaming around that area and nobody picked it up. It was originally about three feet long, but after it was divided up I only got a small piece. Over in the Kerama islands, just off the coast of Okinawa, is the remains of a TBM.
There's lots of stuff to find over there. Just not all of it's airplanes.
Side story about Okinawa: A good friend of my daddy was a Marine during WWII. He somehow came up on a Japanese officer that tried to commit hari kari. Running his sword through his own stomach didn't kill him. Raymond pulled the sword out of him and kept it. I asked what he did about the Japanese and Raymond said "I let him bleed". The sword sat in the corner of the living room for many years. Now that Raymond is dead and gone, one of his sons plans to find the family of the officer if possible and give the sword back Wherever Raymond is, I can assure you that he isn't happy about that!
To answer your question Chris, it's not any kind of politics that stop people from recovering stuff out of the MUNS. Getting blown up isn't an issue either. Lets say it's........a security issue.
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Brad
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