Japan attacks the island. Saburu Kurusu, diplomatic pouch in hand, stepped off the Pan American Airways Clipper at Sumai while rumors persisted in Guam that war with Japan was imminent. But news reports elsewhere were saying that the Washington-bound Kurusu, special envoy for Emperor Hirohito appointed by the Japanese imperial government, was enroute to peace talks with high American officials.
WWII: Rising Sun Dawns on Guam Read Post »
All Micronesian islands under Japan’s rule except Guam. In the US Naval Era of Guam (1898-1941), life was generally as it had been for decades. Except for the presence of a small Navy contingent, the PanAm Clipper Service and the Cable Station at Sumai, Guam was basically a land of farmers and fishermen, with people living a simple lifestyle.
WWII: Guam an Obstacle to Japan’s Ocean Empire Read Post »
Killed 117 Japanese stragglers, captured five. Although Guam was liberated from Japan by the US military on 21 July 1944, and declared secured on 10 August, efforts continued until 1948 to ferret Japanese troops who were hiding out. Too proud to dishonor their country or their emperor, some Japanese soldiers chose not to surrender but instead took to the caves, jungles, and swamps of Guam.
WWII: Guam Combat Patrol Hunted Japanese Stragglers Read Post »
Hiding in the jungle. After the US declared the WWII invasion of Guam to be over on August 10, 1944, two companies of approximately 60 Japanese infantry, each still under military command, were ordered by their officers to conduct guerilla warfare against American forces. These Japanese troops followed smaller groups of stragglers who had already escaped into the rugged interior of the island to avoid combat.
Japanese Stragglers on Guam Read Post »
Conquest of the Marianas. A well-born Spaniard, José de Quiroga y Losada, was a major figure in the subjugation of the Chamorro/ CHamoru people, dedicated to their Christianization, killing many of them in the process.
José de Quiroga y Losada Read Post »
Cecilia Cruz Bamba (1934 – 1986) was a community organizer, senator, businesswoman and mother of 10 whose legacy is manifested in her involvement in numerous civic organizations that remain active today.
Cecilia Cruz Bamba Read Post »
Beatrice Peredo Flores Emsley (1929-1995) is best remembered as a survivor of the Japanese Occupation on Guam during World War II, and subsequently, as the voice of fellow Chamorro survivors with her powerful testimonies for the Guam War Reparations Commission in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Beatrice Flores Emsley Read Post »
The nature of warfare. In any human society, there are different reasons and circumstances in which people might engage in warfare. Warfare, by definition, is when violence occurs between political entities, such as communities, districts or nations.
Ancient CHamoru/Chamorro Warfare Read Post »
Prelude to war. For the ancient CHamorus warfare was sporadic and functioned primarily to resolve political, economic, and social conflicts among different clans or villages. Although these confrontations were not large in scale, nor extremely violent, the ancient CHamorus took warfare seriously.
Cultural Aspects of Ancient CHamoru/Chamorro Warfare Read Post »
After nearly 8 decades, a resolution. The war remains a sensitive issue for the Chamorros, in no small part, because, for decades, payment of war reparations by the US, for wartime atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Forces, was delayed as the number of Chamorro survivors from the war continued to diminish.
Guam World War II War Claims: A Legislative History Read Post »
