Back years ago, I started writing a book about my experiences over the years of research on the Strong project. I had much accomplished until the COVID pandemic happened in 2020, when I lost my chance to get the memorial plaque into the water. Four years went by, and I finally got to put the plaque in a place of honor at the South Pacific WWII Museum on Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, home of the largest American military base in WWII in July of 2024. I came home and over the months have finally written the manuscript. My friend Stephen Harding (author of The Castaway's War and former editor in chief of Military History magazine) was kind enough to edit the book for me. He shared a document with me, a blank book proposal that turned out to be harder to write than the book - very intimidating and longer than I expected! Steve believes though, that the book is very much worth publishing and is making some minor editorial changes to the proposal. Once done, he will introduce me to a literary agent who, if he likes what he sees he will help me find a publisher. If he doesn't, I have other options. So, we will see. I hope to report sometime this year that my book has been picked up. Either way, I will update the blog as necessary!

Hello all! I'm so pleased that the Tin Can Sailor magazine published my third article on the project. This article will most likely be my last, and the project is winding down. I don't feel the need to close it just yet, and Steve Harding and I are holding out hopes for The Castaway's War being offered a third film option. Third times the charm, right? I will have some more great news about Steve to share soon, so stay tuned! Click on the images below to read the article. 

I've also been heavily editing my book manuscript. Steve took it and marked it up with suggestions that I could use if I felt they were relevant. In all, I probably used about 70% of his suggestions and after a second edit on my part I ended up finding other things that needed changing or re-writing. We will soon begin the process of putting together a proposal form to submit to an agent. If the agent likes what he sees, he may find me a publisher. If publishing does not work out, then sometime before the end of the year I will put everything in a neat package and offer the manuscript to anyone who wants to read it. I'm hoping for enough interest for publishing, Steve thinks it's got what it takes. But, I'm not going to hold my breath. 

Thank you all for your continued interest, and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

​Tammi

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​     A couple of you have sent me messages expressing concern for the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that happened in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu a couple days ago. First of all, thank you, and I appreciate that you have learned about Vanuatu from my posts and have concern for the people there. The quake occurred off the west coast of the island of Efate and devastated the town of Port Vila on the east coast. Efate is over 170 miles south of the island I spent 8 days on of Espiritu Santo. The folks in Santo definitely felt the tremors, but there was no damage reported there. I spent my first night in the Holiday Inn of Port Vila, and then did fly out of the airport there on my journey home. On that journey I met and made buddies with an American woman who lives in Port Vila with her Australian husband. In checking with her, she reports damage to her home and their business, no water, electricity or internet, but they are far better off than most on the island. I have also been texting back and forth with my friend Jimmy Carter in Melbourne as to the status of help coming their way. The Australian Navy has access to carriers that can get helicopters in to bring supplies and rescue crews, so that is one option. The airport is damaged, but evidently they will still be able to land planes there to bring in personnel and relief. I've attached their wish list of what they plan to coordinate. Below is my latest message from Jimmy:

     "This from the Queensland Fire Department: Supporting our Pacific neighbors. More than 60 personnel from QFD's AUS-1 Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) are traveling to Vanuatu in the wake of the country's devastating earthquake. The DART team, made up o experienced Queensland Fire and Rescue personnel and canine teams, doctors, engineers, communications technicians, as well as Queensland Ambulance Service Paramedics will conduct search and rescue operations to support the local government's ongoing earthquake response efforts."

     I've also learned from Liz at Port Vila that Starlink is being deployed to get communications back up soon. This island chain is right on top of the ring of fire zone. This is one of the worst quakes to hit them in many years and it will take time to recover and rebuild. Having been to this island country now, and having friends there, people I value, it's hard to see them go through this. Santo will be taking a lot of the burden of the capital city responsibilities until they are back up and running. The people there are strong, happy and fierce. They will make it through! 

     I'm not sure what website to go to if anyone wants to send money to the relief fund, or if they are even asking. Australia and New Zealand will do a good job of helping to rebuild and take care of the injured. If I learn of a fund link, I will post it on the website blog page. I will also post updates there. 

-Tammi

12/20/2024 Update: ​For those interested, an update from Jimmy Carter in Melbourne. I had asked him if there were yet boots on the ground on Efate and his response as of last night:

"Many, many boots! Australia has sent so many plane loads up via the RAAF and then they're flying the tourists stuck there back to Brisbane in the empty Hercs and C-17 aircraft. The French have also arrived and so have the New Zealanders. So many specialist people there in search and rescue, which is great. Water is back on and so is power, which is pretty amazing."

And from my contact in Port Vila who lives there, American gal Liz Hobbs:

"We have Starlink at trade and farm (their store) as of now. So more connected. Vila is absolutely devastated and massive destruction, with lots of loss of life. So more will be found out as recovery continues. We have water back at our house. Business has water, power and now Starling, so all slowly coming on. We are seeing more and more Australian and NZ forces on the ground working with Vanuatu teams for recovery and humanitarian efforts. Reparation efforts underway to get as many that don't live here home that were here. Yet lots still trying to get out. It's going to be a long road to recover and rebuild but Vanuatu is resilient. Our teams were at work the next day to start cleanup and we've had our business opened day after and on as everyone needs stuff to start their recovery."

It's great to be able to hear directly from someone who lives there and I appreciate her taking the time to share her updates. Thanks Liz!

I'm very sad to report the loss of Mr. James Lewis Long of Longwood, Florida passed away on August 4th, 2004. Mr. Long was a F2c on Strong when she went down in the Kula Gulf on July 5th, 1943. His grandson Andy Brown was kind enough to let me know of his passing, and just gifted me with his obituary and a couple of photos of the handsome Mr. Long as a young sailor, and him with his lovely wife, Betty. My condolences to the Brown/Long families and smooth seas and a loving transition to Mr. Long. See below to visit his obituary. 

James Lewis Long obituary

Tammi

     A couple of months ago I did 2 local podcasts, one for a site called Grace, Grits and Hope and this one posted below, Tales from the Kentucky Room for our local public library. Both can be found on Spotify or any major carrier of podcasts. I'm posting a link below for this one released yesterday. Both are about my trip overseas to Vanuatu and the project I've worked on for 26 years. It's been an absolute pleasure all around and I'm not done yet. I really want to help the South Pacific WW2 Museum find the money to build the museum of their dreams. If you know a way to help, please advise!

​Tales from the Kentucky Room Podcast, Tammi Johnson

​The latest newsletter from the museum on Santo is pretty cool, too. They feature the plaque ceremony and other history of Strong, including a previously posted story about Lt. Hugh Barr Miller, Jr. and another about the sinking of the IJN Niizuki, the ship that took credit for the type 93 torpedo that struck our ship. Read it here: July Newsletter

An unfortunate sad note.....Andy Brown, the grandson of one of the last survivors, James Lewis Long, F2c on the ship passed away this past Sunday, August 4th at his home in Florida. He was 99 years old. If Andy provides me with an obituary I will share it with the group. 

Tammi

    I’ve finally sat down long enough to put my thoughts about my time on Santo Island in Vanuatu in words. There is no way in a blog that I can cover the feelings, emotions and experiences of June 30th – July 9th adequately, so most of this will have to wait for the book (and that means I need to finish the final chapters). So, I will touch on the highlights and include some gallery photos at the end.
     Just getting there became a challenge. The airline that was to ferry me from Efate Island, Port Vila, Vanuatu up to Luganville on Santo went bust a few weeks prior to my trip. Then it became a merry task to see when I could get an air taxi charter off Efate and up to Santo. This date changed several times, I lost money on non-refundable hotel bookings due to changes, but we finally got things resolved. I arrived on Efate on July 2nd and on the 3rd I was flown up to Santo-Pekoa Airport and picked up by Jimmy Carter, my museum contact. We headed straight to my hotel, The Espiritu on Main Street (otherwise known by locals as “The Tu”) and had a great meal and a bit of a rest.
     After retrieving the plaque from my very heavy suitcase we headed up to the South Pacific WW2 Museum. How can I truly describe my feelings here? Standing on the grounds leased by the museum folks I was able to look out onto Segond Channel. This is where hundreds, thousands of ships and men spent time, right here between missions. The naval base, then known as “Base Button” was situated right here. The naval Officer’s Club was just across the street and down a block or so from the building that houses the museum. My uncle Billy and his shipmates were here. Right here, in these Pacific Islands that he exclaimed in his last letter home, “are a gall to us”. This was the last place he and 45 others were alive, and I was here. There are no words.
     Moving on….July 3rd, at the museum I met for the first time Marina, a Ni-Vanuatu lady sweet as can be and very proficient in putting together spreadsheets. I had brought some candy from a store here in Lexington to share with the ladies and got a big hug from Marina. Also there were Lynn who I met briefly, and Gabby, a student intern from a Presbyterian college in South Carolina. Another American! I had my hard drive with me and sat in the office sharing some of my documents with Jimmy and Gabby, some of which I will share with Jimmy for the museum archives. We had a discussion about the program for the unveiling of the plaque and my part in this. A bit nervous, but truly excited to see how it all goes off. A fellow from Santo Hardware, Danielo would be coming by to mount the plaque within the display window. Jimmy was very happy with the plaque and it will look impactful within the window.
     July 4th, Jimmy met me at the Tu for breakfast and coffee. Bill Widup of Up and Up Ministries (another American and the fellow responsible for helping me get my flight from Efate to Santo) met with us. Back down the street I got a tour of the area around the museum, the former naval and PT base. Kennedy would have been here. All that remains are lots of concrete slabs, foundations and steel barrier walls that helped support the harbor and jetty. Ships would anchor in the channel and boats would head out to them to bring men ashore. After the tour and chatting more with the folks at the museum, Marina walked with me back to the hotel. Jet lag was really taking its toll and all I wanted to do was lie down and try to get sleep, rest for the following day. She saw me safely back to my temporary home and even shared some information about her own grandfather and his role in the war under MacArthur. Perhaps I can talk more about that later. That evening I was invited to dinner with the Australian couple that Jimmy was staying with, Wendy and Stephen Turner. The company before dinner consisted of another couple from Australia who live next door to them on Barrier Beach, and a couple from New Zealand. Dinner by Wendy along with Stephen’s pork roast was super delicious and very welcome! Across the bay from their home was the faint image of Ambae Island, the volcanic island that inspired James Michener’s “Bali Hai”. He was on Santo while writing Tales of the South Pacific and in a bungalow just a few miles up the coast from where I currently sat. We could see a faint smoke trail coming from the crater through the mist. It’s easy to see how he became enthralled. A few minutes later, the haze completely obscured the view of the volcano. Gone in the mists.
    One other amazing thing meeting Stephen and Wendy. I mentioned David Mearns and Wendy gasped. Seems her grandfather, James William Birch was on board the HMAS Sydney, one of the casualties. They were both at the memorial for the ship shortly after David discovered the wreck and met him. How cool to make that connection!
      July 5th, the 81st anniversary of the sinking of the DD467. The ceremony for the unveiling was live streamed on Facebook. Evidently there were some audio drops, but Jimmy had an extra GoPro camera running and will fix these issues when he gets home to his own equipment. A link will be posted that I can share soon as possible. I really thought I’d be more nervous about this. I had a speech prepared on index cards, delivered it and ad-libbed a bit, and Bill Widup also spoke. We both got choked up on camera and it hit me – this plaque and its placement at the museum has great meaning for the people here, for those who live and work here. There is much emotion attached to this plaque, much meaning and context to the area and with Bill being retired military it resonates. My hope is that others who come through here over the years will have similar feelings regardless of their military affiliation. Most everyone who had family in WW2 experienced some sort of loss. This plaque keeps our men alive for as long as their names are out there. They are not truly gone. Amazing refreshments were served by Marina, Gabby, Lynn and others. After the event, I returned to my hotel and had a major crash.
     July 6th, a tour with Rick Wood, son of Bradley Wood of the museum, Jimmy, Gabby and myself to the site of Hospital Hill. This was a high point on the island with a view of the bay that housed a hospital and several large gun mounts aimed out toward the water in case the Japanese got bold enough to come around. Now, just more foundations, slabs and lots of cattle peaved that we were disturbing their peace. From there we visited a beautiful blue hole at Matevulu, the former site of the Black Sheep Squadron base where the famous Pappy Boyington reigned supreme. The road we drove down was the former airstrip. Next stop was Port Olry, a small French settlement with a purely Catholic population – and one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. A couple of small beachside restaurants are there and we ate at Chez Louis in an open atmosphere with nothing but blue sky, blue water and sand in our toes. On the way back to town we visited another blue hole that Rick and the islanders frequent, then back to the hotel for me. One note, these blue holes – the water was clear as glass and blue as blue can be. Just stunning.
     July 7th, a quiet day of rest. I’ve felt rough through the week and on this day was starting to feel a bit better. I began to wonder if I’m too old or settled for this kind of travel. Geez, but the jet lag was rough.
     July 8th, my last full day here was again a bit rough starting out. Our guide this time was Mayumi Green, a Japanese national who along with her Australian hubby has lived on the island for 36 years. They run dive operation out near the site of the sinking of the SS President Coolidge and Million Dollar Point. In her trusty steed of a 4-wheel drive truck were myself, Jimmy, Gabby and Mayumi. To say the road system there needs work is the understatement of the century. However, we managed to get in the sites of the 1st and 3rd Bomber airfields; a river with the remains of a WW2 era pontoon bridge built by Seabees; the temporary cemetery on Santo where the remains of US dead were interred until being claimed and sent off to Finschaffen, Manila or the Punchbowl; a large concrete structure of unknown function; many bunkers up in the hills left behind and some repurposed by the natives for storage; the site of the wreck of the SS President Coolidge and Million Dollar Point. Never in my life did I imagine I’d be on a beach so strewn with metal wreckage from machinery dumped offshore after the war. Do not walk around here in bare feet.
     Lunch time in between all the sights was at Turtle Bay Resort, a place of true beauty and great food. Mayumi treated us to a beautiful lunch and later in the day bought each of us a WW2 era Coke bottle found on the beach by local children. All in all, a very full day topped off with several coconuts gifted to us by men who hitched a ride up the road in the back of Mayumi’s truck.
     July 9th and I headed home. My travel agent booked me 1st class all the way and to say I enjoyed it would just be too easy. I’m spoiled, but I needed it. I’ve never been able to sleep on a plane, but when you are reclined and have a pillow and blanket on a 10.5 hour flight, it’s much easier. I got home on the 10th and began my recovery from major jet lag. There is so much more I could write about, but this is the longest blog ever. The book will reveal more, and even then I may have to just relegate some things to pleasant personal memories.

    Home now, and getting my thoughts together. The Facebook posts by the museum are showing much interest in the new display and the plaque, just as I hoped. This is why this little museum is the right fit – it has a dedicated spot within the museum where it will get the attention it deserves right on the old naval base where these men last lived. I couldn’t be happier with the decision and am so happy that you, the families were on board with it. A forever huge thank you to the folks at the South Pacific WW2 Museum and Long live Strong DD467!
-Tammi
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In less than 4 days I will be on my way to Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu! To say arranging all this has been challenging with a capital "C", but I've had amazing help from people with boots on the ground there. Thank you Jimmy and Bill, and the folks from Santo Hardware (you to Bradley!) for getting the big heavy door display into the museum! It took six burly guys to move the door into place. Because of somewhat frequent earthquakes they had to bolt it to the floor. Below are photos that show the progress of the door being harvested from a ship that's being scrapped and turned into a lovely and meaningful display of our ship that will be seen literally by people from all over the world. Now, I just need to overcome the very large butterflies that are living in my gut and brave 2 days of travel to get there! 

​Tammi

Hello everyone,

I finally have some great updates to share! Last night I had a WhatsApp conversation with our South Pacific WW2 Museum friend, Jimmy Carter. I love that app. Jimmy lives in Brisbane, Australia and I can video chat with him from Kentucky like he was next door for free. So, anyway here’s some of the stuff we discussed about the upcoming visit to Vanuatu.

We discussed the plans for the display that will be the new home for the plaque. The plan all along had been to use part of a salvaged ship for building the stand to hold the plaque. There is a small merchant ship that is coming in to port soon to be scrapped, and the museum director Bradley Wood is going to obtain a portion of this vessel to use. I asked Jimmy about the age of this ship and it appears it could be a WW2 era vessel, so appropriate for the stand. The chosen piece will be stripped and aged to appear vintage, and the plaque will be secured safely within it. He will share design plans with me soon. Also, they will somehow attach a monitor to the stand that will run the films of the wreck site along side the plaque. Jimmy is in the process of editing these films right now, thanks to Lone Wolf Media releasing the rights. Thank you Tracy and Adam Costa!

I asked him if we could either film or live broadcast the installation ceremony so family and friends could either watch live or view later on Facebook or YouTube. Yes! This can be done, so everyone will have access. I have no idea right now what will be planned, but am looking forward to it. Jimmy said we can invite the Lord Mayor of Luganville to be present at the ceremony. It will be nice to have an official from the town there.

One little recent hitch in the giddy-up – the airline I will be taking from Port Vila, Vanuatu to Luganville on Espiritu Santo, Air Vanuatu, has gone financially “belly up” as of last Friday. So while that is initially alarming, Jimmy says it won’t last long. Administrators are gathering and people stepping up to get it back and working. This is the only domestic airline that services Vanuatu. They rely on it for supplies like food, medicine, and transportation between islands for business and doctor visits from island to island. It’s too important to not be up and flying, so by the time I am due to make my trip all should be well.

Jimmy plans to arrive about a week before I do in order to see that all the arrangements with the display of the plaque are up to date and on schedule. I arrive on July 3rd and will get the plaque to them ASAP. On the 4th we will probably do the planning for the ceremony, and on the 5th, the 81st anniversary of the sinking we will settle the plaque into its new home. The rest of my days there will be used to do a bit of research and I hope a tour of some of the places Billy and the other men spent time. I plan on taking lots of pictures. When I get home I will save them all on Google Drive and share links with anyone who wants to see them.
I have a couple of local podcast interviews about all this coming up. When they are due to broadcast I will post up links on the website and in emails. As of today I have 47 days until my trip. Little by little it’s all coming together. Still a bit overwhelming, but in a good way.

Thanks again to everyone who has been so supportive in so many ways over the past 26 years of building to this point. I could NOT have done it without you all!
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-Tammi