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Liberation Day Queen Contest
History of Liberation Queen Competition. While there were Liberation Day commemorations since 1945 the first Liberation Day queen contest wasn’t held until 1948. Beatrice Blas Calvo Perez was the first Liberation Day Queen of Guam. The winner was declared based on ticket sales, just as it is today.
WWII Monuments and Sites Map
CHagui’an Memorial, Yigo. The CHagui’an Memorial site, on the north-central plateau of Guam, is where the largest known single act of violence on Guam occurred, just at the end of World War II. Among the thousands of CHamorus held at the Manenggon concentration camp, 45 men were taken and forced to carry supplies to an Imperial Japanese Army command post at Milalak near CHagui’an, Yigo. They were killed by the Japanese to prevent them from providing information to the Americans.
Rebuilding from the Destruction of War
Post War Guam. The atrocities of World War II had a major impact on the CHamoru people. They had suffered much under Japanese rule and, therefore, were largely appreciative and loyal to the Americans for their liberation from the Japanese. However, after the war, many CHamorus were displaced from their ranches and residences.
War Survivor: Jesus Camacho Babauta
Survived by his wits. When the Japanese invaded Guam in 1941 Jesus Camacho Babauta, from Sumai, was just shy of 13 years old. Life in Sumai had always been peaceful for young Babauta. There was an abundance of lemmai (breadfruit), mango, papaya, banana, and other fruit trees as well as vegetables grown at the låncho (ranch). They fished and hunted for their food. He lived with his parents, Antonio Rivera Babauta and Maria Taitano Camacho, and his six siblings.
War Survivor: Cynthia Tenorio Terlaje
Left behind due to illness. Cynthia Tenorio Terlaje (1935 – ) and her family were making their way out of Manenggon at the end of the Japanese occupation of Guam. However, Terlaje grew gravely ill with a virus that rendered her unable to travel and keep up with everyone on foot. Her parents feared for the entire family; they were worried that the Japanese would find them. Because of this fear, the family left Terlaje behind in a cave.
War Survivor: Fidel Toves Blas
Altar server at war’s beginning. Fidel Toves Blas, (1932 – 2019) known to family and friends as “Dek,” was born in Hagåtña. His parents Concepcion Lujan Toves (Familian Capili) and Atanacio Albino Blas (Familian Haniu) had 12 children, and Dek was their third-born child.
War Survivor: Rosario Flores Leon Guerrero
Moved to CHagui’an Yigo. When they learned of the Japanese bombing at Sumai on 8 December 1941, many CHamorus hurried to hide. For most, it was several miles to safety, but for Rosario “Charo” Flores Leon Guerrero (1920 – ), it was just a walk two miles northwest from her home to a well-built and furnished family ranch at CHagui’an, Yigo.
War Survivor: Francisca Quintanilla Franquez
A lover of songs and poetry. A lifelong lover of learning and music, Francisca Quintanilla Franquez (1920 – 2019) often found herself with a song in her heart. Whether she was teaching the parts of the coconut tree or honoring her mother, she loved to sing and recite poetry.
War Survivor: Ana Atoigue Muna
They had God and each other. During the war, Ana “Ann” Anderson Atoigue Muna (1934 – 2022) and her family had two things: God and each other. They knew despite the difficulties of war, God had a reason. He had a plan. Together, through routine, they lived. Together, through prayer, they survived.
War Survivor: Agnes Guzman Duenas Perez
Hid from the bombings in a hole in Toto. Agnes “Neng” Guzman Duenas Perez (1930 – 2022) was 11 years when the war broke out in Guam. Perez is the oldest of the eight children of Jose Duenas (Familian Pepero) and Maria Pangelinan Guzman. Her family had been living in the San Antonio District of Hagåtña on the day of the attack. She recalled being at the Catholic Mass to celebrate Santa Marian Kamalen’s feast day when she saw the Japanese planes and heard the bomb explosions.