“Asan memorial pays respects to fallen soldiers, residents”
By John I. Borja
The Asan-Maina Mayor's Office and the Office of the Governor Friday held a Guam Liberation memorial ceremony by the beach where American soldiers arrived to free Guam from the Japanese during World War II.
The ceremony paid respect to the nearly 1,900 American soldiers and two dozen Asan residents who died during the fight for liberation, which began July 21,1944.
It's one in a series of memorials to remember the suffering of the Chamorro people during the Japanese occupation.
Representatives of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the consul-general of Japan were present at the ceremony and participated in the laying of wreaths on the Asan Memorial Monument.
"These many events all show the complicated dimensions of Guam in the summer of '44, and ultimately our liberation," Gov. Eddie Calvo said at the ceremony. "I don't think any time before, in the thousands of years of human habitation on Guam, ... there had ever been so much destruction and so much death in such a short period of time."
Calvo expressed his appreciation for U.S. servicemen and the Chamorros who died during World War II, and encouraged attendees to strive for a continued peace.
Asan war survivor
Domingo Santos, 85, was among the war survivors in attendance who joined in remembrance of loved ones who died during the war. Santos lived in Asan at the time of the Japanese invasion.
Santos said the Japanese soldiers moved Asan and Piti residents to a concentration camp in Asinan, located near the Lonfit River. It was a camp that isn't always remembered, as a majority of Guam residents at the time were forced to march to Manengon, he said.
While he didn't witness the Americans landing on Liberation Day, Santos recounted the day a U.S. plane was shooting down at the camp, where Japanese soldiers were keeping the residents.
Santos said he was unharmed, but his sister and another woman were in the line of fire. His sister suffered a wound to her leg and was later treated by an American soldier, but the other woman died, Santos said.
"I'm very fortunate I was never hit," Santos said.
Despite what happened to his sister, Santos said he's thankful for the sacrifices U.S. servicemen made to liberate the Chamorros.
News report published in the Pacific Daily News (Hagåtña, Guam) on July 14, 2017.
By John I. Borja
The Asan-Maina Mayor's Office and the Office of the Governor Friday held a Guam Liberation memorial ceremony by the beach where American soldiers arrived to free Guam from the Japanese during World War II.
The ceremony paid respect to the nearly 1,900 American soldiers and two dozen Asan residents who died during the fight for liberation, which began July 21,1944.
It's one in a series of memorials to remember the suffering of the Chamorro people during the Japanese occupation.
Representatives of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the consul-general of Japan were present at the ceremony and participated in the laying of wreaths on the Asan Memorial Monument.
"These many events all show the complicated dimensions of Guam in the summer of '44, and ultimately our liberation," Gov. Eddie Calvo said at the ceremony. "I don't think any time before, in the thousands of years of human habitation on Guam, ... there had ever been so much destruction and so much death in such a short period of time."
Calvo expressed his appreciation for U.S. servicemen and the Chamorros who died during World War II, and encouraged attendees to strive for a continued peace.
Asan war survivor
Domingo Santos, 85, was among the war survivors in attendance who joined in remembrance of loved ones who died during the war. Santos lived in Asan at the time of the Japanese invasion.
Santos said the Japanese soldiers moved Asan and Piti residents to a concentration camp in Asinan, located near the Lonfit River. It was a camp that isn't always remembered, as a majority of Guam residents at the time were forced to march to Manengon, he said.
While he didn't witness the Americans landing on Liberation Day, Santos recounted the day a U.S. plane was shooting down at the camp, where Japanese soldiers were keeping the residents.
Santos said he was unharmed, but his sister and another woman were in the line of fire. His sister suffered a wound to her leg and was later treated by an American soldier, but the other woman died, Santos said.
"I'm very fortunate I was never hit," Santos said.
Despite what happened to his sister, Santos said he's thankful for the sacrifices U.S. servicemen made to liberate the Chamorros.
News report published in the Pacific Daily News (Hagåtña, Guam) on July 14, 2017.
“Asan memorial pays respects to fallen soldiers, residents”
By John I. Borja
The Asan-Maina Mayor's Office and the Office of the Governor Friday held a Guam Liberation memorial ceremony by the beach where American soldiers arrived to free Guam from the Japanese during World War II.
The ceremony paid respect to the nearly 1,900 American soldiers and two dozen Asan residents who died during the fight for liberation, which began July 21,1944.
It's one in a series of memorials to remember the suffering of the Chamorro people during the Japanese occupation.
Representatives of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the consul-general of Japan were present at the ceremony and participated in the laying of wreaths on the Asan Memorial Monument.
"These many events all show the complicated dimensions of Guam in the summer of '44, and ultimately our liberation," Gov. Eddie Calvo said at the ceremony. "I don't think any time before, in the thousands of years of human habitation on Guam, ... there had ever been so much destruction and so much death in such a short period of time."
Calvo expressed his appreciation for U.S. servicemen and the Chamorros who died during World War II, and encouraged attendees to strive for a continued peace.
Asan war survivor
Domingo Santos, 85, was among the war survivors in attendance who joined in remembrance of loved ones who died during the war. Santos lived in Asan at the time of the Japanese invasion.
Santos said the Japanese soldiers moved Asan and Piti residents to a concentration camp in Asinan, located near the Lonfit River. It was a camp that isn't always remembered, as a majority of Guam residents at the time were forced to march to Manengon, he said.
While he didn't witness the Americans landing on Liberation Day, Santos recounted the day a U.S. plane was shooting down at the camp, where Japanese soldiers were keeping the residents.
Santos said he was unharmed, but his sister and another woman were in the line of fire. His sister suffered a wound to her leg and was later treated by an American soldier, but the other woman died, Santos said.
"I'm very fortunate I was never hit," Santos said.
Despite what happened to his sister, Santos said he's thankful for the sacrifices U.S. servicemen made to liberate the Chamorros.
News report published in the Pacific Daily News (Hagåtña, Guam) on July 14, 2017.
By John I. Borja
The Asan-Maina Mayor's Office and the Office of the Governor Friday held a Guam Liberation memorial ceremony by the beach where American soldiers arrived to free Guam from the Japanese during World War II.
The ceremony paid respect to the nearly 1,900 American soldiers and two dozen Asan residents who died during the fight for liberation, which began July 21,1944.
It's one in a series of memorials to remember the suffering of the Chamorro people during the Japanese occupation.
Representatives of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the consul-general of Japan were present at the ceremony and participated in the laying of wreaths on the Asan Memorial Monument.
"These many events all show the complicated dimensions of Guam in the summer of '44, and ultimately our liberation," Gov. Eddie Calvo said at the ceremony. "I don't think any time before, in the thousands of years of human habitation on Guam, ... there had ever been so much destruction and so much death in such a short period of time."
Calvo expressed his appreciation for U.S. servicemen and the Chamorros who died during World War II, and encouraged attendees to strive for a continued peace.
Asan war survivor
Domingo Santos, 85, was among the war survivors in attendance who joined in remembrance of loved ones who died during the war. Santos lived in Asan at the time of the Japanese invasion.
Santos said the Japanese soldiers moved Asan and Piti residents to a concentration camp in Asinan, located near the Lonfit River. It was a camp that isn't always remembered, as a majority of Guam residents at the time were forced to march to Manengon, he said.
While he didn't witness the Americans landing on Liberation Day, Santos recounted the day a U.S. plane was shooting down at the camp, where Japanese soldiers were keeping the residents.
Santos said he was unharmed, but his sister and another woman were in the line of fire. His sister suffered a wound to her leg and was later treated by an American soldier, but the other woman died, Santos said.
"I'm very fortunate I was never hit," Santos said.
Despite what happened to his sister, Santos said he's thankful for the sacrifices U.S. servicemen made to liberate the Chamorros.
News report published in the Pacific Daily News (Hagåtña, Guam) on July 14, 2017.
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