This photo is from the book “History of the Northern Mariana Islands,” first edition, 1991, by Don A. Farrell and published by the Public School System, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
These were children that were brought to Camp Susupe following the battle of Saipan. Nearly half of them became orphans after losing both parents during the war. Their orphanage was quickly constructed to address their needs and situation. Prior to the closing of Camp Susupe all the children had been adopted by their own fellow country people.
Note: The population count on Saipan in April 1945, which did not include military personnel, was 17,974. Of that amount only 2,426 were Chamorro. The remainder consisted of 810 Carolinians, 13,373 were a combination of Japanese and Okinawan, and 1,365 were Korean.
