Ngaahi talanoa mei he Kau Māʻoniʻoní, Voliume 3

Niila A. Mekisuele ʻi he Tau Lahi Hono II ʻa Māmaní

ʻŪ taá ʻi he angalelei ʻa e fāmili Mekisuelé

Naʻe hoko e talanoa ko ʻení ʻi he 1945 ʻi ʻOkinaua, Siapani, ʻa ia naʻe ngāue fakakautau ai ʻa e [talavou] taʻu 18 ko Niila A. Mekisuelé. Naʻe ngāue kimui ʻa ʻEletā Mekisuele ʻi he Kōlomu ʻo e Kau ʻAposetolo ʻe Toko Hongofulu Mā Uá mei he 1981 ki he 2004.

Naʻe fakafiefiaʻi ʻe he Kau Taú ʻa e “ʻAho Ikunaʻi ʻo ʻIulopé” ʻi he ʻaho 8 ʻo Mē 1945. Naʻe fiefia ʻa Niila Mekisuele ʻi he taimi naʻá ne fanongo ai ki he ongoongó, ʻo hangē ko e kau sōtia ʻAmelika kehe ne nau tau ke kapa e motu Siapani ko ʻOkinauá. Ka naʻe motuhi ʻenau ngaahi fakafiefiá ʻi he tuʻunga moʻoni ʻo honau tūkungá. ʻI hono ʻohofi ʻe he kau pailate kamikasé ʻa e taulanga ʻOkinauá mo e vela ʻa e ʻotu moʻunga ʻo e motú, naʻe ʻiloʻi ʻe he kau sōtia ʻAmeliká ʻoku kei toe lahi honau fatongia ke fakahoko ʻi he taú.

Naʻe fakakaukau ʻa Niila, “Ko ha tau moʻoni ʻeni.” Naʻe mātuʻaki fakalilifu ange e malaʻe taú ʻi he meʻa naʻá ne faʻa lau ʻi he nusipepá mo sio ai he ngaahi faiva heleʻuhilá. Naʻá ne ongoʻi taʻeoliʻia mo taʻelata.

Naʻe ngāue fakakautau ʻa ʻEletā Mekisuele (toʻohemá) ʻi he kau sōtia tau ʻa ʻAmeliká ʻi he faiʻanga tau ʻo e Pasifikí ʻi he Tau Lahi Hono II ʻa Māmaní.

Naʻe vahe ʻa Niila mo e kau sōtia ne fakataha mo iá ke nau fetongi ha niʻihi ʻi ha vaʻa ʻe taha. ʻI he ʻaho 13 ʻo Meé, naʻá ne faitohi ki ʻapi ki ʻIutā. Naʻe ʻikai ngofua ke ne fakahā ki heʻene ongomātuʻá ʻa e fakaikiiki ʻo ʻene ngāué, ka naʻá ne fakapapauʻi ange kiate kinaua ʻokú ne moʻui lelei pē. Naʻá ne tohi ʻo pehē, “ʻOku ou tuenoa ʻo ʻikai haku hoa fakalaumālie tukukehe pē ha Tokotaha. ʻOku ou ʻilo ʻokú Ne nofoʻia maʻu pē au.”¹

Naʻe vahe ʻa Niila ki ha kulupu fana pomu ke nau fana e ʻū pomu fakaʻauhá ki he ngaahi nofoʻanga fufū ʻo e filí ʻi he loto fonuá. Naʻá ne toi ʻi ha luo-malumu ʻo e kolotaú, pea hili ha ngaahi ʻaho lahi ʻo e fetauʻakí, naʻe fakatupu ʻe he ʻuha lahí ha anoano ʻi he funga ‘o e fonuá. Ne fonu pelepela e luo-malumu ʻa Nīlá, naʻe mātuʻaki faingataʻa ai ke ne mālōlō ʻi heʻene feinga ke mohe-tuʻu peé. Naʻe siʻi e meʻatokoni he taú ke fakatōliʻa ʻenau fiekaiá, pea ko e vai naʻá ne inú ne ‘ohake ia mei he moʻungá ʻi ha ngaahi tangikē lita ʻe 19 pea naʻe namu lolo maʻu pē ia. Naʻe inu kofi ha kau tangata tokolahi ke fakapuliki e nanamu ʻo e vaí, ka naʻe fie talangofua ʻa Niila ki he Lea ʻo e Potó pea ʻikai ke ne fie inu kofi. Naʻá ne fai hono lelei tahá ke tānaki e vai ʻuhá, pea ʻi he ʻaho Sāpaté, naʻá ne fakaʻaongaʻi e vai naʻá ne tānakí mo ha laʻi pisikete mei heʻene meʻakaí ki he sākalamēnití.²

ʻI ha pō ʻe taha ʻi he konga kimui ʻo Meé, naʻe pā ai ha foʻi fana ʻe tolu ʻo ofi ki he nofoʻanga tau ne ʻi ai ʻa Nīlá. Naʻa mo e taimi ko iá, ne teʻeki pē ke ‘ilo ʻe he kau Siapaní e toiʻanga ʻo ʻene kulupú. Ka ʻoku hangē kuo fakafuofuaʻi ʻeni ʻe he kau tangata faná honau toiʻangá pea kuo nau fakaofi mai. ʻI he taimi naʻe toe fanaʻi mai ai ha foʻi mahafu ʻe taha ʻo pā ʻi ha ngaahi fute siʻi pē meiate kinautolú, naʻe manavasiʻi ʻa Niila ko e pā hokó ʻe ʻi he feituʻu totonu ia ʻoku fakataumuʻa ki aí.

Naʻá ne puna fakavave ki tuʻa mei he luo-malumú ʻo toi ʻi ha kiʻi tafungofunga. ʻI heʻene fakatokangaʻi naʻá ne kei ʻi ha tuʻunga fakatuʻutāmaki peé, naʻá ne toe foki fakavave ki he luó ke tatali pe ko e hā pē ʻa e meʻa ʻe hoko maí.

Tā fakatātāʻi ʻe Greg Newbold

Naʻe tūʻulutui ʻa Niila ʻi he pelepelá mo e fakapoʻulí ʻo kamata ke ne lotu. Naʻá ne ʻiloʻi naʻe ʻikai totonu ke ne maʻu ha faʻahinga ʻofa makehe mei he ʻOtuá pea kuo pekia ha kau tangata angatonu tokolahi hili ʻenau fai ha ngaahi lotu fakamātoato lolotonga e taú. Ka, naʻá ne kei tautapa pē ki he ʻEikí ke fakahaofi ʻene moʻuí, ʻo palōmesi te ne līʻoa ia ki he ngāue ʻa e ʻOtuá kapau ʻe moʻui. Naʻe faʻo ʻi hono kató ha tatau ʻo hono tāpuaki fakapēteliaké, pea naʻá ne fakakaukau ki ha palōmesi naʻe ʻi ai.

Naʻe pehē ʻe hono tāpuakí, “ʻOku ou fakamaʻu koe ke ke hao mei he mālohi ʻo e faifakaʻauhá ke ʻoua naʻa fakanounouʻi hoʻo moʻuí, pea ke ʻoua naʻa taʻofi koe mei hono fakahoko e ngāue kotoa pē naʻe tuku kiate koe ʻi he maama fakalaumālié.”

Naʻe fakaʻosi ʻe Niila ʻene lotú peá ne hanga hake ki he langí ʻi he poʻulí. Kuo longo e ngaahi faná, pea lōngonoa ʻa e meʻa kotoa pē. ʻI he ʻikai toe hoko atu e faná, naʻá ne ongoʻi ʻi hono laumālié kuo fakahaofi ʻe he ʻEikí ʻene moʻuí.³

Ne ʻikai fuoloa mei ai, kuo fai ʻe Niila ha ngaahi tohi ki hono fāmilí. Naʻá ne pehē, “ʻOku ou fuʻu taʻelata mo ʻofa lahi atu kiate kimoutolu, taimi ʻe niʻihi ʻoku ou ongoʻi te u tangi. Ko e meʻa pē ʻoku ou faí ko ʻeku moʻui taau mo hoku tāpuaki fakapēteliaké, ko hoʻomou ngaahi lotú mo e tui fakalotu ʻoku ou maʻú. Ka ʻoku hoko ʻa e taimí mo e lahi e ngāue fakakautaú ke faʻa ongosia ai e laumālie ʻo ha tangata.”

Naʻá ne tohi ʻo pehē, “ʻOku ou ʻilo pau kuo tā tuʻo lahi hono fakahaofi ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻeku moʻuí.” “ʻOku ou maʻu ha fakamoʻoni he ʻikai lava ke toʻo ia ʻe ha taha.”⁴

Maʻuʻanga Fakamatalá

1. Maxwell, Personal History, box 1, folder 3, 10; Hafen, Disciple’s Life, 102, 105. Naʻe fakatonutonu ʻa e konga leá ke laungofua; ʻoku ʻi he maʻuʻanga fakamatala totonú ʻa e “ko e tau moʻoní ʻeni.”

2. Maxwell, Oral History Interview [1976–77], 117; Maxwell, Personal History, box 1, folder 3, 11–12; Hafen, Disciple’s Life, 107–9, 112; Freeman and Wright, Saints at War, 358.

3. Hafen, Disciple’s Life, 109–10; Maxwell, Personal History, box 1, folder 3, 10, 12; Maxwell, Dictation, 3.

4. Hafen, Disciple’s Life, 112; Neal A. Maxwell to Clarence Maxwell and Emma Ash Maxwell, June 1, [1945], Neal A. Maxwell World War II Correspondence, CHL.