Martial arts isn't the only thing we have in our karate center. We also have an Okinawa cultural center. On dispay, we have Okinawa Hawksbill Sea Turtles courtesy of Mrs. Anne (Freimuth) Stratland, who grew up in Okinawa and donated 2 Sea Turtles to the cultural center here in Chantilly, VA. I has the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Stratland and the transcript of her story about the Sea Turtles follows.
Interview Notes with Anne (Freimuth) Statland
about Okinawa Hawksbill Sea Turtles
by Nestor Folta
5-14-2024
I have two turtles from Okinawa that were presented to my dad before we moved to the US in 1966. One hung in our family room in Annandale, Virginia, for 35 years until his death, and the other resided at my grandparents' home in Pottstown, PA.
My father, Edward Freimuth, arrived in Okinawa in 1946 as an army captain. He was supposed to be stationed in Tokyo, and my mother had her orders to meet him there (he even found a house for them there). Then, Dad got orders for Okinawa, and my mother’s orders were changed to meet him there. She arrived in August 1946, and they lived in a Quonset home in Bucknerville. When they arrived, the house was still being painted by Japanese prisoners of war. Dad left the service and worked for the United States Civil Administration as a civilian. Then, he was offered a job at the Pentagon. It was time to return after more than 20 years in Okinawa to get his kids to live in the USA for the first time. So, he did, and we moved back to Annandale, Virginia.
Before Dad left Okinawa in 1966, he received a gift of two sea turtles. I don't know from whom, but they were Okinawan. Dad was friendly with many Okinawa bankers and businessmen for 20 years. Anyhow, somebody presented him with the tortoise. I don't believe you can do that with the tortoise anymore. After Dad passed away, it was like, “I can't keep these.” But I never knew what to do with the tortoise. So, they were in storage in my basement.
I was so excited when you (Master Folta) opened the Okinawa Karate and Cultural Center (OKCC) in Chantilly, VA. I thought, “Maybe the tortoises will find a new home!” I didn't know what to do with them in the house, but I couldn't get rid of them. I'm happy they're now at the OKCC and being preserved. I believe the tortoises were usually mounted on the wall of an Okinawan home or business.
I wish I had kept the Okinawa lobster we had in the house. Yes, it was a big one in a made-to-order box, but I knew I couldn't keep it. I gave the box to a friend.
My dad was Director of the Liaison Office at USCAR (United Civil Administration of the Ryukyu) when we left Okinawa in 1966. My dad had an extensive library about Okinawa in our home, and when he passed away in 2001, my brother and I decided to donate it to the Okinawa Prefectural Archives (OPA). My dad’s friend, Kazuhiko Nakamoto (who worked for OPA), had been stationed in the US for quite a few years, working out of our National Archives, and he took on the cataloging project and having the library packed to be sent to Okinawa. It ended up being 93 boxes shipped to Okinawa, and in 2003, we were invited to the opening of the Freimuth Collection at OPA.
I told you about donating my Dad’s Okinawa 2003 to the Okinawa archives. The archives put on a reception. If somebody wants to come, they advertise in the newspaper, basically come, and give us 50 bucks and you’ll be part of the reception. A gentleman came, and I cannot think of his name, of course, and he said, “You know your dad was undercover and stuff.” Our housekeeper would say, “You know they come pick him (your dad) up at the house, and he'd be handcuffed with his briefcase.” So, it's like Dad did not talk about work. We knew he was a direct liaison. Apparently, there were some other shenanigans. Also, Dad somehow had access to unlimited money at work. So, that's another clue that his job was unusual.
