Buildup Angers Guam

On Guam, planned Marine base raises anger, infrastructure concerns
By Blaine Harden
Washington Post
March 22, 2010

HAGATNA, GUAM -- This remote Pacific island is home to U.S. citizens who are fervent supporters of the military, as measured by their record of fighting and dying in America's recent wars.

But they are angry about a major military buildup here, which the government of Guam and many residents say is being grossly underfunded. They fear that the construction of a new Marine Corps base will overwhelm the island's already inadequate water and sewage systems, as well as its port, power grid, hospital, highways and social services.

"Our nation knows how to find us when it comes to war and fighting for war," said Michael W. Cruz, lieutenant governor of Guam and an Army National Guard colonel who recently returned from a four-month tour as a surgeon in Afghanistan. "But when it comes to war preparations -- which is what the military buildup essentially is -- nobody seems to know where Guam is."

The federal government has given powerful reasons to worry to the 180,000 residents of Guam, a balmy tropical island whose military importance derives from its location as by far the closest U.S. territory to China and North Korea.

The Environmental Protection Agency said last month that the military buildup, as described in Pentagon documents, could trigger island-wide water shortages that would "fall disproportionately on a low income medically underserved population." It also said the buildup would overload sewage-treatment systems in a way that "may result in significant adverse public health impacts."

A report by the Government Accountability Office last year came to similar conclusions, saying the buildup would "substantially" tax Guam's infrastructure.

President Obama had planned to visit Guam on Monday as the brief first stop of an Asia trip, but he delayed his travel because of Sunday's health-care vote in the House. Obama is aware of the problems here and had planned to promise some federal help, White House officials said.

"We're trying to identify and understand the current conditions on Guam and the potential impact of the relocation," said Nancy Sutley, head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, who on Tuesday will lead a delegation to the island. "There's no question that the environmental conditions on Guam are not ideal."

Besides a new Marine base and airfield, the buildup includes port dredging for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a project that would cause what the EPA describes as an "unacceptable" impact on 71 acres of a vibrant coral reef. The military, which owns 27 percent of the island, also wants to build a Marine firing range on land that includes one of the last undeveloped beachfront forests on Guam.

'Should not proceed'

In a highly unusual move, the EPA graded the buildup plan as "environmentally unsatisfactory" and said it "should not proceed as proposed."

"The government of Guam and the Guam Waterworks cannot by themselves accommodate the military expansion," said Nancy Woo, associate director of the EPA's western regional water division. She said Guam would need about $550 million to upgrade its water and sewage systems. White House officials said the EPA findings are preliminary.

Guam government officials put the total direct and indirect costs of coping with the buildup at about $3 billion, including $1.7 billion to improve roads and $100 million to expand the already overburdened public hospital. On this island -- where a third of the population receives food stamps and about 25 percent lives below the U.S. poverty level -- that price tag cannot be paid with local tax revenue.

"It is not possible and it is not fair that the island bear the cost," Woo said.

At the peak of construction, the buildup would increase Guam's population by 79,000 people, or about 45 percent. The EPA said the military plans, so far, to pay for public services for about 23,000 of the new arrivals, mostly Marines and their dependents who are relocating from the Japanese island of Okinawa. Ceded to the United States by Spain in 1898, Guam is a U.S. territory. Its residents are American citizens, but they cannot vote in presidential elections and have no voting representative in Congress.

The Marine Corps is sensing a populist backlash on Guam, which is three times the size of the District of Columbia and more than 6,000 miles west of Los Angeles.

"I see a rising level of concern about how we are going to manage this," Lt. Gen. Keith J. Stalder, the Hawaii-based commander of Marine forces in the Pacific, said in a telephone interview. "I think it is becoming clearer every day that they need outside assistance."

The White House said Obama included $750 million in his budget to address the civilian impact of the relocation and has asked Congress for $1 billion next year, but Guam officials say they have received no assurances from the federal government that the money is headed their way.

No input in decision

Guam was not consulted in the decision to move 8,000 Marines -- about half those based in Okinawa -- to the island. The $13 billion move was negotiated in 2006 between the Bush administration and a previous Japanese government, with Japan paying about $6 billion of the non-civilian cost, as a way of reducing the large U.S. military footprint in Okinawa.

But in the past year, with new leadership in Tokyo, the Japanese role in the move has become complicated. Anti-military sentiment is growing in Okinawa; Japan's new leaders have yet to decide if they will allow a Marine air station to remain anywhere in the country. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has expressed irritation with Japan, even as the Pentagon presses ahead with its plan to shift the Marines to Guam by 2014.

The government of Guam and most of its residents initially welcomed the buildup. It was viewed as good for business, and the military enjoys deep respect here. Many families have members serving in the armed forces; among the 50 states and four territories, this island regularly ranks first in recruiting success. Guam's killed-in-action rate is about four times as high as on the mainland.

Guam is the only American soil with a sizable population to have been occupied by a foreign military power. During World War II, the Japanese held the island for 2 1/2 brutal years, building concentration camps and forcing the indigenous Chamorro people to provide slave labor and sex. Beheadings were common.

Led by the Marines, American forces liberated the island in 1944, and people here say they still feel a debt to the United States. To repay it, they proudly call their island the "tip of the spear" for projecting U.S. military power in the Far East. Guam already has Navy and Air Force bases that can handle many of the most potent weapons in the U.S. arsenal. Nuclear-powered attack submarines, F-22 fighter jets and B-2 stealth bombers frequent the island, which will soon be protected by its own anti-missile system.

"We don't mind being the tip of spear, but we don't want to get the shaft," said Simon A. Sanchez II, chairman of Guam's commission on public utilities. "We have been asking for help from Day One, but we have not got any meaningful appropriations."

'Not being listened to'

The governor of Guam, Felix Camacho, asked the military last month to slow down the deployment of Marines until sufficient federal money arrives. But as a territory, and without a vote in Congress, the island has negligible lobbying power and no legal means of halting the buildup.

Many residents have hoped that Obama -- a fellow Pacific islander, who was born in Hawaii and lived in Indonesia -- might understand their anxieties and unlock federal resources. The White House said Obama will visit Guam when his Asia trip is rescheduled, perhaps in June.

I just want to remind President Obama that his story is our story," said Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero, an English instructor at the University of Guam and a leader of a group opposing the buildup. She said her students read Obama's autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," focusing on a coming-of-age passage from his years in Hawaii, in which he describes his realization that he was "utterly alone."

"That's how we feel here," she said. "We feel like we are not being listened to, like we are not being respected."

The federal government's push to further militarize this island -- combined with its heel-dragging in paying for the impact on civilians -- has led many Guam residents to doubt the value of their relationship with the United States.

"This is old-school colonialism all over again," said LisaLinda Natividad, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Guam and an activist opposing the buildup. "It boils down to our political status -- we are occupied territory."

Staff writer Michael D. Shear in Washington contributed to this report.

Another Chamorro Killed in the War on Terror

Another casualty from Guam
Friday, 21 August 2009
by Therese Hart | Variety News Staff

FIRST Sgt. Joe San Nicolas Crisostomo, formerly of Inarajan, was killed Aug. 18—11 days before his 59th birthday—while deployed in Afghanistan.
FIRST Sgt. Joe San Nicolas Crisostomo. Photo courtesy by chamorro roots

Of the familian “Sinbad,” Crisostomo’s death added to the growing list of servicemen and women killed in the war-ravaged nation as U.S. military officials get set to mark August as the deadliest month for American forces since the war began.

Crisostomo, who has been living on the U.S. mainland in recent years, left his native home after joining the Army in 1969 and served in the U.S. Army for 40 years. He was in the war-torn country since June 2008.

Crisostomo was the president of a Chamorro club in Washington. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Leon Guerrero Crisostomo.

No details have been released from the Department of Defense yet on the circumstances leading to the dedicated soldier’s death, but violence in Afghanistan is at an all-time high as the resurgent Taliban fighters have ramped up attacks as the country prepared for its second presidential vote since ousting the Islamic extremist group from power eight years ago.

Mass will start tonight night at the San Miguel Church in Talofofo at 7 p.m. for the next nine days or Aug. 29, which would have been Crisostomo’s 59th birthday.

War Stories from the Tip of the Spear

War Stories and the Chamorus: journalism and militarization on the tip of the spear.
By Beau Hodai
Special to News From Indian Country 7-09
The weight of occupation and corporate media self-censorship

It was a typical day in the jungle, though more overcast than the constant island diet of endless blue skies and fluffy white clouds; humid-- drizzling rain that would materialize from the sticky mist in the air, a breeze stirring through breadfruit and banana leaves.

I was at the family home of Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Anthony Carbullido, Jr., whom the Department of Defense had recently listed among the dead to be routed back from Afghanistan to Guam through Dover, Delaware-- the victim of an improvised explosive device.

Family and friends of the corpsman were seated in rows of folding chairs under a glowing green fiberglass awning reciting the rosary, “may eternal peace and rest be unto Tony…” a dull, sleepy drone mixed with the static rain.

I was seated in one of the chairs, as were my photographer and his girlfriend. To the side of the house, under a separate awning, large tables were being set with large trays of traditional Chamorro food. A pit-bull puppy pawed at the kitchen door, leaving streaks of red clay as more family members prepared food inside.

I had arrived on Guam less than a month before to work for the island’s largest newspaper, the Gannett-owned Pacific Daily News. My assigned beat was “health and environment,” and while the Carbullido rosary service did not exactly fall under the banner of that beat, it was assigned to me as one of my co-workers, who was usually assigned to rosaries and military funerals, had said he needed a break from covering such functions, as the process of extracting a story from a grieving mother is-- at best-- draining.

In the darkened living room of the family home I was made to understand this sentiment all too well as I held my little recorder in the mother’s face and asked her how she felt about her son’s death.

Aurora Carbuliido, the sailor’s mother, said that her son’s death was the realization of her fears as a mother of a sailor involved in active duty.

“I’ve seen past pictures and past articles (of troops who have died in combat) and it scared me because my son is over there,” she said.

“This is a hard situation to be in,” his father said. “It’s hard to believe that this is happening to us.” (From: “Family, friends mourn sailor: Acting governor orders flags to half-staff,” Pacific Daily News, August 9, 2008).

It should be noted that the idea that what a person is quoted as saying in a newspaper is accurate is not necessarily accurate; as the photographer haggled with the father about his desire not to be photographed, Mrs. Carbuillido spoke of her son and her fears in the present-tense… “and it scares me because my son is over there.” The idea that they would be shoveling clay into their son’s face sometime in the weeks to come had not yet hit home.

There had been a steady succession of these stories, as Cabullido was the 17th casualty from Guam and the 29th from the northern Marianas region since the outset of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001.

This succession has given Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, with a population of under 300,000, the dubious honor of being the region of the United States with the highest number per capita of such casualties.

This is comparable to a city the size of Spokane taking the same blow in the “War on Terror,” but with one large difference: in the insular world of Micronesia, everybody is related in one way or another to everyone else. Few get out. It is because of this that one family’s pain ripples out through the entire community.

A brief history of Guam to bring you to this point:

Guam, the northern-most island of the Marianas Archipelago, known to the Chamorus who occupied it as Guahan, was dubbed the “Island of Thieves” by Ferdinand Magellan when a group of natives attempted to steal one of his ships during his 1521 landing.

In 1668, the Jesuit Padre San Vitores, began colonization of the island for the Spanish crown.

San Vitores was promptly killed in 1672 by a Chamoru chief named Matapang for baptizing his daughter without permission. Matapang was eventually killed in turn.

At the time of Spanish colonization, there were 175,000 Chamorus on Guahan; 100 years into colonization, the population had dwindled to 1,500.

Following the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded the island to U.S. forces in 1898, at which time it served as a small military outpost.

In 1941, Japanese forces invaded the island. Fortunately, U.S. citizens on the island were evacuated prior to the occupation. Unfortunately, all Chamorus were left behind to face three years of forced labor and life in concentration camps around the island. A further 300 Chamorus died during this period. Scars from this period can be found throughout the island in the form of old munitions and tunnels bored though hillsides by Chamoru slave labor for the Japanese.

On July 21, 1944, the U.S. Marines retook the island in the bloody Battle of Guam. Today, Liberation Day warrants a week-long barbeque party along the island’s main drag, Marine Corps Drive, in the capital of Hagatna.

In 1950 the Guam Legislature passed the Organic Act, which laid the foundation for local government as it is now and established Guam as an unincorporated territory of the United States.

Today, Catholicism extends to every facet of life on-island and the Archdiocese of Hagatna holds heavy political sway. The word “Matapang,” which, at the time of San Vitores’ death meant “to be made pure by cleansing,” means “silly” or “foolish” in modern Chamorro, which is a polyglot of English, Spanish and Chamoru.

The word Guahan, which meant “we have”, has long since been replaced by the bastardized “Guam,” which means nothing; and every day the most mournful cacophony I have ever heard rings out of the synth bells atop the Basilica of the Archdiocese of Hagatna, echoing off the cliffs and out into the Philippine Sea like a funereal music box opened for a dead child.

At present, a full third of the island’s land mass of 209 square miles is occupied by either Andersen Air Force base or U.S. Naval Base Guam. Guam is often proudly referred to as the “tip of the spear” for U.S. military operations, as it is the furthest military outpost from the U.S. mainland. Many bumper stickers also proclaim: “Guam: where America’s day begins,” or “SPAM!”

Guam has no exports, virtually no agricultural production (due in large part to military contamination of the land and water—much of this contamination has been attributed to nuclear weapons testing that took place in the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1962, the effects of which were documented in a 2005 report filed by the National Research Council under the National Academies of Science. Because of this, legislation has been introduced repeatedly—and with little success—by Guam Congressional Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo to include the territory in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act) and no other line of production. Outside of federal subsidies, the main source of revenue on-island is in the trade of Japanese tourist dollars—a revenue stream that has been dwindling in recent years.

This dead-end environment leaves the military as the only viable option for many young people looking to get out.

Following the recitation of the rosary, while waiting to interview Carbullido’s parents, I spoke with several of his friends, his siblings and some of his cousins.

As I was speaking to his teenage brother, one of his cousins joined us.

“What do you think? Still planning on joining up?” the brother asked the cousin, a man in his early twenties clutching a pale blue Bud Lite can.

“Yeah,” he said, raising the can and tilting his head.

“This doesn’t change your mind at all?” asked the brother.

No, the cousin replied; there really wasn’t much other choice for him—no other way out, or up-- even if it meant coming back in a box.

Unfortunately for those whose families could not afford private school tuition or cannot afford higher education and who are products of the Guam Public School System, even the military option appears to be closing on them.

A recruiter for the Guam Army National Guard told me in an interview at the time that, while he has seen an increase in interest in military service in the region, increasing numbers of young people educated on the island have been unable to pass the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Test.

GPSS is, by far, the GovGuam line agency beset by the most demons—which is considerable, given that GovGuam could be likened to a boondoggle of contemptuous, incompetent snakes, each trying to bight the other’s head off in the perennial battle over the territory’s small annual budget.

Last year the office of the Guam Attorney General closed down several of the system’s schools, citing exposure of students to raw sewage, asbestos and fire hazards.


All but one of the schools have been reopened to date, but the department has still been unable to fill its staffing needs, students still continue to perform well below national standards and at a 2008 budget hearing a GPSS employee told the Guam Legislature that teachers in the system actually had a higher absenteeism rate than students.

But, even if enlistment is not an option, many still see the Department of Defense as Guam’s Savior.

In 2006, the DoD announced plans to relocate some 5,000 Marines and their dependents from the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa to a new to-be-built base on Guam.

The estimated impact of the shift, or “military buildup,” as it is commonly referred to, when considering the number of workers to fill jobs created by the need to expand both civilian and military infrastructure, translates to at least a twenty percent population boom over the course of a few years, set to begin (tentatively) in 2010. Some believe that a twenty percent population increase is a conservative estimate and set the number much higher.

Many members of the Guam business community and government are bedazzled by what they anticipate to be a cornucopia of new possibilities in profit and employment offered through the expansion.

Many of these dazzled individuals are the same ones who advertize in, and thereby underwrite, the island’s news media, chief of which is the same Gannett-owned Pacific Daily News that I covered the Carbullido rosary for.

When my editor changed Aurora Carbullido’s quote, he also buried it at the back of the article. He had placed canned statements from the island’s acting governor and congressional representative before not just statements from the grieving mother, but of all the corpsman’s family members.

“We extend our sympathies and prayers to all his family, friends and loved ones,” said Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo…

“Anthony will rest in the hearts and minds of a grateful people humbled by his ultimate sacrifice,” said Acting Governor Mike Cruz in a statement yesterday. “I have ordered all government… agencies to fly flags at half-staff in honor of…”

This same editor had lectured me on previous occasions about putting the statements of “real people” above whatever hollow canned crap you may get from the desk of a politician. This rule apparently did not apply to cases involving a military death.

Cases when the rule did apply, by PDN/Gannett standards, were when you’d be handed a press release on some banal item, such as “Healthy Snack Food Month,” or “Infant Automobile Safety Awareness Month,” from some ad hoc task force. You’d then be given your orders to go over to the shopping center down the block, get three “reactions” from “real people,” then march back to the newsroom and churn out six to eight inches of copy by combining all or parts of the press release with the quotes.

That is Gannett journalism: the best in fast food, bulleted coverage—as pioneered by U.S.A Today.

My theory then, as this editor in the most gently condescending tones, explained the role of “real people” to me, is the same as it is now in hindsight; Aurora Carbullido’s reaction was too real. It was the visceral reaction of a shocked mind to an inconceivable pain. And this pain was brought about by involvement with the Department of Defense, the same DoD that so many underwriters looked on as a messiah that would finally put them on the map. This is why the quote of a grieving mother was altered and buried.

The statement that journalism at such a paper is only an incidental byproduct that suffers from this ad-driven editorial policy could be considered libelous if—for one, it was not true—or if it was not the Gannett modus operandi by definition:

The company was started by Frank Ernest Gannett, who in 1906 began buying small newspapers in New York state...

... These newspapers were usually the only ones published in their city and so could be run very profitably. The company’s growth was further spurred by the attention it paid to advertising and circulation and by its tight control of costs...

…This pattern of buying up all the newspapers in an area, slashing subscription rates to levels which (according to critics) only a national conglomerate could sustain, and then raising advertising rates once control over the local market had been secured brought Gannett severe criticism as well as lawsuits. Smaller community and privately owned newspapers have charged the media giant with predatory practices and violations of antitrust laws. Not helping Gannett’s image was the frank admission of brash business tactics by former Gannett chairman Allen Neuharth in his autobiography, Confessions of an S.O.B. (1989). (From, “Gannett Co., Inc.” as defined by Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009).

So it should have been no surprise when the PDN refused to cover any story outlining the long shadow of rape and assault allegations that accompanied the history of Marines stationed in Okinawa and whose arrival was being staged on Guam.

The same co-worker who had declined to cover the rosary and myself had been pressing our editors to do a story on this history, as there had been virtually no coverage of it in Guam media to that point.

Nothing ever came of it; each day we logged on to the program that contained the daily budget and found that the item had either been pushed back or removed entirely.

Eventually, unable to stomach their editorial policy any longer, I jumped ship and went to work for the PDN’s only competition, the Marianas Variety.

One day my old co-worker said he had given up trying to get the story into the PDN following an especially heated exchange between himself and the managing editor on the subject of the Okinawa Marines story in which he said the editor had indignantly exclaimed, “I have friends and family in the military!”

Military censorship

I had been holding the story up to that point out of respect for my friend, but on hearing that he had given up trying to run it in the PDN, I decided to run with it.

I set out to get some information on the allegations from the Navy and the Joint Guam Program Office, which had been set up by the DoD to act as a civilian-military liaison to pave the way for the Marines. It seemed that once the Navy had figured out I was going to write a critical article, my phone calls and emails went unanswered.

The Variety finally ran an article—despite lack of cooperation on the part of the Navy—in November highlighting the grave concerns of many Guam senators over the violent history of the Marines in Okinawa.

At about that time the Navy’s public information officer met with the Variety’s general operations manager, saying that I was harassing him and that he thought I didn’t know what I was talking about. He said the Navy did not keep any records of allegations against its service members and suspected that I had not done my research.

Given the Navy’s reticence on the issue, I cited numbers directly from the Okinawa prefecture government website, as well as data compiled by Japanese activist groups:

“A report filed this year by an activist group, Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence, documented over 400 alleged cases of rape, abduction, assault, murder and other forms of abuse committed by U.S. forces in Japan from the period of their post-war occupation to the present.”(“Concerns raised over Okinawa incidents: part 1” Marianas Variety, October 30, 2008)

“(T)here have been more than 5,076 cases of crime caused by the SOFA (Service of Forces Agreement) status people since the reversion of Okinawa to mainland Japan (1972). This number includes 531 cases of brutal crimes and 955 cases of assaults. Thus, there is fear amongst the people of Okinawa as to whether or not security for their daily lives can be maintained and whether their property can be preserved."(From “Concerns raised over Okinawa incidents: part 2,” Marianas Variety, November 7, 2008—as quoted directly from the website of the government of the Okinawa Prefecture.)

In December, following the story on the Okinawa Marines, I wrote an article for the Variety entitled “DoD’s ‘mystery’ project puzzles Guam officials,” which examined a tip I had received that JGPO was looking to convert about 650 acres currently belonging to the Chamorro Land Trust Commission and 250 acres belonging to the Ancestral Lands Commission—which was currently occupied by Guam International Raceway-- into a firing range.

On January 15, Variety reporter and editor, Mar-Vic Cagurangan, wrote a follow-up article, based on a written statement from JGPO Operations Director, Lt. Col. Rudy Kube, confirming the suspicions.

On April 28, the Variety received payment from JGPO for their role as a ‘watchdog’ paper when Variety reporters were barred from attending the “Guam Industry Forum III,” while all other media outlets on-island were granted access.

Variety reporter, Jennifer Naylor Gesick, wrote:

Onsite industry forum personnel notified the reporting staff that the ban was on a “federal level” and was issued as a “government order” from U.S. Marine Corp Capt. Neil Ruggiero with the Joint Guam Project Office...”

The ban was in effect in all venues, as confirmed by Variety reporters in the field. Press passes were printed for every media company on island, except for the Variety...

... Ruggiero argued that Variety could have attended the event as a business if the publishers had registered with the forum.

“Marianas Variety was given the same opportunity as anyone else, they just chose not to be paying registrants, [Pacific Daily News] chose to pay and they were allowed access,” he said...

...However, any media covering the event was allowed in free.

In response to claims of a violation of the freedom of the press in restricting access to the forum, Ruggiero responded that “the press who only stays one session is allowed in free.” That accommodation was not extended to the Variety.

Ruggiero also said that a Variety columnist was given access to represent the paper.

Variety columnist Jayne Flores confirmed that she was given a pass, but Ruggiero later said, “I told her she could not come as Marianas Variety or write any news for them.”

(From “Variety banned by JGPO,” Marianas Variety, April 29, 2009)

Gesick went on to quote Ruggiero, who is the public information officer for JGPO, as saying that the ban on Variety reporters was in effect because he felt part of Kube’s statement had been published out of context, although he did not challenge the veracity of the story.

Despite this lack of cooperation with media outlets willing to report any story critical of the DoD’s plans for the island, events in which the public have been able to ask questions of those involved with the proposed buildup or voice their concerns have drawn large crowds.

The large turnout at such forums suggests that those who are concerned for their island’s future in light of such weighty developments are not marginal or fringe groups as the dismissive attitudes of the DoD and the PDN would suggest.

At a forum held in November at the University of Guam, panellists from both the Civilian-Military Task Force, which works under the auspices of the Office of the Governor with JGPO, as well as members of the community working toward Guam’s self-determination stated both their progress and concerns with the buildup.

Panelist Mike Bevacqua of Famoksaiyan said every resident of Guam—regardless of their position on the buildup—needs to realize that the buildup will affect them personally. He encouraged residents to take a more proactive role in the course of their and Guam’s future.

“It is taking place because we are America, and it’s taking place because we’re not. It is not only something that takes place because of our geographic position, but our colonial status as well...”

“...It is also taking place because we are one of the few American communities where a unilateral announcement by the DOD that it intends to drastically affect life in your community and cause a population increase of 34 percent is met with excitement, celebration and a frightening lack of questioning...”

“...and this military buildup is predicated on the fact that you live in a colony and you can be treated as an object for the subject of the United States, as a weapon of the warrior of the United States military. This is the United States military sharpening the tip of its spear.”

(“Military buildup forum draws huge crowd,” Marianas Variety, November 20, 2008)

Fallen Soldier's Diary: Jonathan Santos

Fallen soldier's diary: Santos' words speak profoundly of life and war
By Brett Kelman
Pacific Daily News
December 6, 2008

Hunkered down in a desert and surrounded by killers, U.S. Army Spc. Jonathan Santos scribbled in a worn journal he'd carried since he flew into Iraq excited and woozy on Dramamine. He wrote about wanting to live so he could go on to accomplish "great" things.

"I will write the great American novel and get hired as a professor at a prestigious university," he wrote on Oct. 10, 2004. "But first I have to make it out of this war alive ... And I will go to college and move on to do great things with my life. Look out world. I'm almost free."

The 22-year-old Guam native recorded intimate details about his 38 days in Iraq -- both in the journal and in a video diary. He was killed on day 38.

A documentary titled "The Corporal's Diary" -- created from Santos' journal and home videos -- has made headlines nationwide. It includes details about his squad mates' and his family's struggle to cope with their loss.

Yesterday, Santos' mother, Doris Pangelinan Kent, said she always keeps a copy of her son's journal by her side, so that when she misses her son, she can hear him.

"For those of us who know Jonathan, you can hear his voice in what he wrote and hear everything he hoped to do," she said. "I know it was a dream of Jonathan's to go back to Guam. He wanted to go. And so I want for the film to come to Guam so people can see who they can be proud of. Jonathan has given us so much to be proud of as a people."

Santos most recently lived in Guam from 1992 to 1997, between his father's tours of duty in Germany. He graduated from Piti Middle School in 1997, Kent wrote in an e-mail.

Santos' father, Staff Sgt. Les Santos is in active duty in the Guam Army Reserves.

Santos was recruited into the Army out of high school in 2001. He was deployed to Haiti on a mission of peace, Kent said. He was shifted from Haiti to Fort Bragg in North Carolina for training before heading to Iraq in 2004.

On some pages of his journal, Santos' tall looping letters spill into the margins of the pages. He cursed. He left exclamation points everywhere. And when he felt strongly about something, he capitalized everything.

After his layover in Germany, Santos poured jokes, musings and fears into his journal. He wrote daily right up to the end -- 38 days, 37 pages -- and injected his humor into every page.

"Tomorrow is the first day of Ramidon, the Muslim equivalent of Lent, or equive-Lent," Santos wrote in his journal on Oct. 14, 2004. The following day he was killed.

His family now lives in Bellingham, Wash., a coastal town about 50 miles south of the Canadian border. Kent and her two other sons live in a house coated with photos of their fallen hero.

Kent said without Justin and Jared, she would be lost.

"If it wasn't for them, I wanted to die, you know. I missed Jonathan so much," Kent said yesterday. "I miss him every day."

Santos became the seventh son of Micronesia to die in the War on Terror when a suicide bomber attacked a military vehicle and killed him and two others on Oct. 15, 2004.

His story is reminiscent of other fallen soldiers. He was young and aspiring. He went to fight a war in a faraway place, and he didn't come back. He missed home and home still misses him.

But unlike so many other soldiers' stories, Santos' has been preserved.

It was at that Bellingham home where Kent received Santos' military trunk containing the belongings he left behind when he died. Inside were his gear, books, his combat boots -- and his memories.

"I had never known Jonathan to keep a journal," Kent said yesterday. "I had anticipated the video cassettes and a video camera coming back. He had just bought it and he took it everywhere and videotaped everything in his life. He was just so enamored with it, I knew the tapes would be there. But when I went through the box, I found the little book."

Santos' journal comes packed with details about his deployment. His brother narrated the documentary by reading the journal over footage from Santos' camera. Together they paint a picture of an undeniably likable young man.

He was a bit of a goof. He liked video games, movies and boozy birthday parties. When the barracuda eats all the clownfish in beginning of "Finding Nemo," Santos gets angry. And like many people, he read "The DaVinci Code" in two days. It was the last book he finished, according to his journal.

Theater showings of the documentary sold out in Santos' home town when the movie was released in October, according to the Bellingham Herald. The film made waves in the nearby city of Seattle.

On Nov. 27, Good Morning America profiled the documentary and its story about Santos and another soldier, Pfc. Matthew Drake, whom he befriended in Iraq. Drake survived the attack that killed Santos, but was left physically and mentally disabled.

In the aftermath of her son's death, Kent reached out to the soldier who lived. Kent said she met with Drake and his mother so they could bond over their sons' friendship. She found Drake on a long road to recovery, with his mother suffering from survivors' guilt. When they parted, everyone had healed a little, she said.

This year was especially hard, Kent said, because as the U.S. presidential election dragged on, the deadly war in Iraq was always under debate. The casualties on the nightly news were a constant reminder of her son. She feels each loss as if it were her own.

"Every day was like reliving Jonathan being killed again and again and realizing that other mothers were hearing it for the first time that their son was gone. It was just relentless," she said, sobbing a little.

Guam Sailor Killed in Afghanistan

Guam sailor, 25, killed: Corpsman 29th casualty from region
By William B. Martin Jr. • Pacific Sunday News • August 10, 2008

A 25-year-old son of Guam was killed in Afghanistan recently, bringing the island's casualties to five this year.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony "Tony" Carbullido, who was a Navy hospital corpsman, is the 29th death from the region since the War on Terror began in 2001.

Carbullido was married to Summer Carbullido, who lives in the couple's home in Chicago. The couple have no children.

Carbullido's father, Anthony Carbullido, said the family was notified early yesterday morning.
Carbullido's father said he was told by a Navy chaplain that an improvised explosive device was involved in his son's death. He said he couldn't recall the exact date the incident happened.
Carbullido was on his second tour of duty. He had previously been deployed to Iraq.

Kevin Diego, a friend to the sailor, said he will always remember Carbullido's upbeat demeanor, especially at social functions.

"Tony is the kind of guy that never had a bad day," he said. "Not a care in the world. Everyone has their ups and downs; Tony's were almost always up."

More than 4,100 U.S. service members have been killed since 2001.

Lt. Donnell Evans, public affairs director for Naval Forces Marianas, yesterday said he couldn't release any information until 24 hours after the family has been notified, in accordance with Navy policy. Evans said information will be released today.

The sailor was last in Guam -- where he was born and raised -- in March, his father said.
Mass said

A special Mass was said for the fallen son of Guam last night at Mount Carmel Church in Agat. Services will be announced later, according to the family.

There were 10 regional casualties -- five from Guam -- last year. To date, 17 sons of Guam have died in the War on Terror -- the highest number of casualties from the region. All deaths this year have been from Guam.

Fallen Soldiers Mourned

Fallen soldiers mourned: Injured Guardsman now in stable condition
By William B. Martin Jr.
Pacific Sunday News • July 13, 2008


Friends and family are mourning the loss of two Guam Guardsmen killed serving our country.

Sgt. Brian S. Leon Guerrero, 34, a father of three from Tamuning; and Spc. Samson A. Mora, 28, a car-show enthusiast from Dededo who was engaged to be married, died of injuries sustained when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan Thursday.

The explosion also seriously injured another Guam Guardsman, Spc. Kalani Echang, 25, from Mangilao.

Leon Guerrero's wife, Emely, said her husband was a fine man.

"He was a great soldier, a great father and a great husband," she said. "I'm very proud of him and his children are very proud."

Emely Leon Guerrero also said she sends her love and prayers to the Mora and Echang families.

Brian Leon Guerrero's mother, Rose Pangelinan, said her son told her after his first deployment that he would never come back the same. "That was his third deployment," she said. "It's breaking my heart so much."

Mora family
Agnes Mora said Samson Mora, her brother-in-law, would be missed.

"He was a good guy," she said, unable to hold back her emotions. "We love him very much and we miss him."

Samson Mora's father, Abraham Mora, said he hasn't had the chance to fully process his son's untimely death.

Sheila Indalecio of Mangilao -- who's son Jaeden is godson to Samson Mora -- said that upon Samson Mora's return, he was set to marry her friend, Rosanna Castro of Ordot, who she said is currently off island with family.

"(Rosanna) was his high-school sweetheart, so you're talking about a very long relationship," she said. "She was anticipating his return so they could get married."

The deaths of the two Guardsmen bring the number of sons of Micronesia killed since the War on Terror began in 2001 to 28. More than 4,100 U.S. servicemen have been killed since the start of the war.

Guam Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo said she, like the rest of Guam, is mourning the deaths of two of the island's sons.

"I join the people of Guam in mourning the deaths of Sgt. Brian Leon Guerrero and Spc. Samson Mora," Bordallo said. "We also pray for Spc. Kalani Echang, who was seriously injured in the same incident in Afghanistan."

On Friday, Gov. Felix Camacho and acting Gov. Mike Cruz said the two fallen soldiers "are heroes of our nation whose memory will live on in the hearts and minds of a grateful people."

Bordallo spoke with the families of both Brian Leon Guerrero and Samson Mora to offer her condolences, according to a news release from her office. She also spoke to Echang's family. "Our island mourns the loss of life and we honor their service to our nation. Their ultimate sacrifice for our freedom is a debt that we can never fully repay," Bordallo said. "We will remember them as heroes and we will do whatever we can to help ease the burden on their families."

'Prestigious'
Mora was featured in a 2004 Pacific Daily News "Cruising" article, having transformed his 1997 Toyota Tacoma into a car-show winner.

Samson Mora's cousin, Charlita Harper, wanted the people of Guam to know that Samson Mora was also a member of the Honor Guard, those responsible for giving fallen soldiers a proper military burial.

"That was very prestigious to him," she said.

Pangelinan said she will pray for all the sons of both Guam and the nation who remain in areas where conflict is taking place.

"I hope and pray that all the soldiers come back safe," she said. "I know Brian belongs to God. Right now he is safer than we are. I love him so much."

The three soldiers left for Afghanistan in January as members of the Guam Army National Guard 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1/294th Infantry Battalion. About 180 soldiers from Alpha Company of the Guam Army National Guard are serving in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Stable
According to a release from the Guam National Guard, Echang was in stable condition and responsive at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, after suffering injuries to his lower body.

The wounded soldier called his wife, Helory Echang, yesterday morning. He awaits transport to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the release stated.

The families of Brian Leon Guerrero and Samson Mora have been assigned casualty assistance officers, said Maj. Gen. Donald Goldhorn, adjutant general for the Guam National Guard. He and other Guard officials yesterday visited the families.

Quitugua Remembered

Quitugua remembered: Family, friends mourn son of Guam killed in Iraq
By Bryan C. Sualog
Pacific Daily News
June 23, 2008

Christopher Albert Quitugua was set to start a new stage in his life when his life ended in Iraq, said his father, Victor Quitugua.

The former Mangilao resident, who was working for a civilian security company, was killed in Iraq during a non-combat accident June 19, according to his family.

He was 28.

According to Christopher Quitugua's grandparents, Albert A. Quitugua and Maria C. Quitugua, their grandson and three others were in a vehicle in a convoy when a tire blowout caused the vehicle to flip.

He was working for a civilian company that protected military VIPs in Iraq.

"He is a very dedicated boy who had a lot of energy and was starting another phase of his life with his wife."

Christopher Quitugua was married in March.

He's the 26th son of Micronesia to be killed since the War on Terror began in 2001. More than 4,100 American service members have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in the war.

His grandparents said Quitugua grew up on Guam and attended George Washington High School, but moved to the U.S. mainland to join his father in Los Angeles to finish out his senior year.

Maria Quitugua said her grandson loved to cook and attended culinary school for two years.
"When he got tired of that, he told his dad he was going to join the Army," she said.

4 years in the Army
Quitugua served four years in the Army. During his tour of duty, he went to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Before leaving for Iraq, he was living in Miami with his father.

Maria Quitugua said she raised her grandson, so his death is especially difficult for her.

She said when her grandson was in middle school, he went to live with his parents in Arizona, but would call and ask to come back to Guam because he missed his grandmother and grandfather. She said he would call her and say, "Grandma, send me a ticket. I want to go to Guam. I don't like it here."

Maria Quitugua said it had been almost two years since she had seen her grandson. She spoke to him on Father's Day.

Christopher Quitugua was due to visit Guam this week.

Victor Quitugua said funeral arrangements for his son were still being made.

Gov. Felix Camacho expressed his condolences to the Quitugua family on Saturday. Delegate Madeleine Bordallo issued a statement yesterday.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the late Christopher Quitugua, most especially to his wife, Cari, during this very difficult time," Bordallo said. "Christopher's service to our nation and our island will be honored and remembered always."

Guam Honors War Dead

Guam honors war dead
By Brett Kelman
Pacific Daily News
May 27, 2008

Guam Remembers.

Yesterday, several hundred people gathered at the Piti Veterans Cemetery for a Memorial Day ceremony held to honor American servicemen who have fallen in the many military conflicts since World War I.

Military personnel, veterans and community leaders laid wreaths on bone-white graves to mourn the men and women who have died for their country. Tears, song and prayers marked the occasion.

"We acknowledge today the debt and incredible sacrifices made by many who have served throughout our nation's history," said Maj. Gen. Donald Goldhorn, Guam National Guard adjutant general. "Throughout America and in many parts of the world, the debt of our wars will be honored with recollections of heroes' valor and sacrifices. ... Many that we honor here today rest their souls on Guam."

Twenty-five sons of Micronesia have been killed in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa since the War on Terror began in 2001. Many more were killed in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the first Persian Gulf War.

A large factor is the high level of patriotism in Guam and the region, which is reflected in high enlistment rates, which in turn have led to a high per-capita rate of combat deaths in every U.S. conflict. In the War on Terror, the death toll per capita for Guam and Micronesia is among the highest in the United States, according to the Washington Post.

Goldhorn said none of those killed were lost in vain.

"They believed that what we have, the freedoms that we enjoy, are worth fighting for -- and yes -- they believed the freedoms that we have were worth dying for," he said.

According to Pacific Daily News files, 13 servicemen from Guam were killed in Korea, 70 were killed in Vietnam and two were killed in the first Persian Gulf War.

Families remember
At yesterday's ceremony, Agnes San Nicolas Rillera, mother of Army Maj. Henry Ofeciar, said she found solace in the knowledge that her family didn't mourn alone. Ofeciar was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 27, 2007, by enemy fire.

"It is not only comforting, but it is a remembrance and it is a very nice turnout," she said. Rillera thanked those who came to the ceremony and those who kept soldiers in their thoughts and prayers.

Ofeciar's sister, Orlene Ofeciar Arriola, said yesterday's ceremony would have pleased her brother.

"He really took these kind of things seriously," she said. "He would have been here. And I think he would have liked it."

Veterans remember
Joe Moore, president of the Guam Veterans Motorcycle Group, said he found himself surrounded by his fellow soldiers -- both the living and the dead. The cemetery was filled with mourning servicemen and civilians, who withstood a daunting rain to honor those who had died.

"This rain doesn't compare to what these guys gave," he said, pointing to the surrounding graves. "I know a lot of these people that are in here. Over there sits all the Vietnam guys. Some of my friends are down there. Up there sits my son-in-law. Over here sits my pari's son."

Moore said the ceremony was overwhelming, but he expected nothing less from his fellow Chamorros.

"This is tremendous. I mean this hits the heart," he said. "Guam is very patriotic island. ... If you join the service, regardless of what service, and you tell these people you're from Guam and you're a Chamorro, they expect 110 percent more than what everyone else is giving. That's just the way it is."

Yesterday, local veteran Joe Taitano remembered a particular fallen soldier. Taitano and his friend spent a month on military leave on Guam before being deployed to Vietnam. Only Taitano came back.

In April, Taitano ventured all the way to England to visit the grave of his fallen comrade on the 40th anniversary of his death. He found the grave in a small haven outside of Liverpool.

Taitano said he mourns on Memorial Day and Veterans Day for every fallen friend. Yesterday was no exception.

"Every year I do this and it's just to remember. It's not much comfort because you always wonder why it wasn't you," he said. "Why did they make the ultimate sacrifice and why did I come back? ... As I grew older, I thought maybe this was my purpose -- to ensure that everyone remembers them."

State of Mourning for Fallen Soldier

State of mourning declared for fallen soldier
by Sabrina Salas Matanane, KUAM News
Friday, March 28, 2008

Governor Felix Camacho has declared a state of mourning and has ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the late U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Joseph Gamboa. The serviceman passed away earlier this week while on deployment in Iraq. The governor wrote of Gamboa, "He was a brave soldier who fought for our freedom and made the ultimate sacrifice. Our heartfelt condolences are with the Gamboa family and all those who mourn this great loss."

Nightly rosaries are being said at 127 Chalan Saligao in Astumbo, Dededo located across from Astumbo Elementary School.

Island Mourns Another Dead Solider

Article published Mar 28, 2008
Guam son killed in Iraq: Family, island mourn fallen Malesso soldier
By Stephanie Godlewski
Pacific Daily News
smgodlewski@guampdn.com

In two weeks, Staff Sgt. Joseph Gamboa would have been heading home to see the face of his 1-year-old baby girl, loving wife and four other children, who are stationed in Germany.

Instead, the island is mourning after the soldier was killed while fighting the war on terror in Iraq.

The Malesso man is the first regional casualty of the war in Iraq this year. His death brings the number of casualties to 25 since the war began in 2001.

According to The Associated Press, more than 4,000 U.S. service members have been killed in Iraq.

The United States has about 31,000 troops in Afghanistan and 156,000 in Iraq.

U.S. forces in Iraq peaked at 20 brigades last year and are to be cut to 15 brigades, with a total of about 140,000 combat and support troops, by the end of July. A key question facing Bush is whether security conditions are improved enough to justify more reductions.

Gamboa's eldest brother, Frank Gamboa Jr., said Joseph Gamboa had called the day before and expressed his excitement about heading back to Germany and the arms of his family. The next day, the family received word that Joseph Gamboa was killed.

Frank Gamboa Jr. said the family knew only a few details of what happened.

"I know he had an injury to the head from metal shooting into his head from an explosion. They said he tried to hang in there, but I think he couldn't fight it. My brother was a fighter," Frank Gamboa Jr. said.

Waiting for family
Funeral arrangements have not been made because the family is awaiting the arrival of Gamboa's wife, Michelle Gamboa, and their five children from Germany, Frank Gamboa Jr. said. In the meantime, the family will be holding nightly rosaries at their house in Dededo.

Joseph Gamboa's father-in-law, Pete Guerrero, said both sides of the family are pulling together to support each other in this difficult time.

"Our culture makes us busy, so we don't grieve much until the day (of the funeral), so what we do is prep. It's a team effort," Pete Guerrero said. "It's culture that makes it hard to grieve. I would not trade it for anything else."

Frank Gamboa Jr. said it was his brother's second tour in Iraq and he had narrowly missed disaster before by staying in the barracks when he should have been eating and the mess hall was attacked.

Frank Gamboa Jr. said his brother was an adventurous soul out to better his life for his family.

"He was an adventurous person who liked to have a lot of fun," Frank Gamboa Jr. said. "He left Guam to get his life going better."

The brother said he got to see Joseph Gamboa last year. During the visit, Joseph Gamboa gave his dog tags to his father.

"At least we got to say, 'We're proud of you. You're doing a good thing,'" Frank Gamboa Jr. said.

Condolences
Other branches of the military are offering their sympathies to the family and offering to help them with anything they might require.

Guam Army and Air Guard spokeswoman Officer Candidate Christine Martinez said everyone in the service stands with the family in their time of grief.

"On behalf of Maj. Gen. Donald J. Goldhorn and the Guam Army and Air National Guard family, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Staff Sgt. Joseph Gamboa," Martinez said. "He gave the ultimate sacrifice defending our nation and its people. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Staff Sergeant Gamboa's family and we stand ready to help them should they need our assistance."

Gov. Felix Camacho also sent his condolences to Joseph Gamboa's friends and family.

"The lieutenant governor and I are deeply saddened by the loss of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Joseph Gamboa. He was a brave soldier who fought for our freedom and made the ultimate sacrifice. Our heartfelt condolences are with the Gamboa family and all those who mourn this great loss. I have declared a state of mourning and ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff in his honor. I ask the people of Guam to pray for the Gamboa family and all the men and women who protect our great nation."

Guam's Young Steeped in History, Line Up to Enlist

Guam's Young, Steeped in History, Line Up to Enlist
U.S. Territory Pays High Cost in War Deaths
By Blaine Harden
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, January 27, 2008; Page A15

BARRIGADA, Guam -- As a recruiter for the Guam Army National Guard, Staff Sgt. Gonzalo Fernandez has oodles of time for golf. In the past two years, he has taken 18 strokes off his handicap.

Slipping away to the links, however, has done nothing to dull his rising star at the office. Thanks to the eagerness of young Americans on this remote Pacific island to join the military, Fernandez is a two-time winner of the Guard's recruiter of the year award for a seven-state western region that includes Colorado, Utah and California.

"I'll win it again this year," said Fernandez, who also expects to have time for a lot more midweek golf. "I have a very relaxing life."

On the U.S. mainland, long-running wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made life miserable for military recruiters. The armed forces have repeatedly missed enlistment targets, and standards have been lowered in response. More recruits with criminal records and histories of drug abuse have been allowed to enlist. And recruiters, pressured to meet quotas, have increasingly been accused of unethical and criminal misconduct.

Nothing of the sort is happening here.

Part of the reason is economic. Poverty rates and unemployment on Guam -- a U.S. territory located more than 7,500 miles west of Los Angeles -- are historically much higher than on the mainland, and wages are low. Schools are poor, and technical training is hard to find. There is not much for young people to do.

But those are not the most important reasons, according to enlistees and recruiters, families of soldiers killed in action and veterans of the Iraq war.

The key factor, they agree, is the island's unique status in American history. People here grow up with war ringing in their ears -- as described by their grandparents.

Guam, a U.S. possession since it was taken in 1898 from the Spanish, is the only American soil with a sizable population to have been occupied by a foreign military power.

During World War II, the Japanese held the island for almost three years and brutalized nearly everyone on it. They created concentration camps, forcing the indigenous Chamorro people to provide slave labor and sex.

"If there is a group of Americans who understand the price of freedom, we do," said Michael W. Cruz, lieutenant governor of Guam and a colonel in the Army National Guard.

Cruz's grandmother told him awful stories: She was held in a concentration camp. She was forced to watch as Japanese soldiers chopped off the heads of her brother and her eldest son. Her eldest daughters were forced into prostitution.

Today, Guam is a haven for Japanese tourists, who account for most of the visitors to the island and whose spending powers much of the economy. But people haven't forgotten.

"We saw war in color -- the beaches were splattered with blood," said Cruz, referring to the 1944 liberation of Guam by U.S. forces, in which 3,000 Americans and 18,000 Japanese were killed.
"When our nation calls us to serve, it is for us to answer it," Cruz said.

So military recruiters on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, also administered by the United States, have an embarrassment of riches. Standards have not been lowered. Targets are routinely exceeded. At his Army National Guard office, Fernandez meets potential recruits only if they call ahead and make an appointment.

With a population of 173,000, Guam ranked No. 1 in 2007 for recruiting success in the Army National Guard's assessment of 54 states and territories. (Maryland ranked last, the District second to last, and Virginia was 30th.)

"I have got 12 people who want to join up this month," Fernandez said. "But I can only process three of them because of lack of doctors to give them physicals. We can afford to be picky."
Roshjun Aguon, 19, plans to join the Army when he finishes his agriculture studies at the University of Guam, where he is in ROTC.

Serving in the military, he said, is in his family's blood. His father, his two uncles and most of his cousins have joined. His cousin Richard Junior D. Naputi, 24, was killed two years ago in Iraq by an improvised explosive device.

"Of course the unpopularity of this war affects us," Aguon said. "Mothers and sisters do not want to see us go off to war. But it is a tradition for my family."

And for the entire population. Liberation Day, July 21, is far and away the most important of Guam's holidays -- and is celebrated for the better part of a month, with speeches, parades and wild parties.

During the Vietnam War, at least 70 servicemen from Guam were killed, a death rate nearly three times the national average. That war was not viewed on Guam as misguided or a failure, many residents here say.

In the current wars, Micronesia is absorbing an exceptionally high death toll -- 10 from Guam, 14 from the rest of Micronesia. On a per capita basis, various parts of Micronesia have killed-in-action rates up to five times as high as on the mainland.

But that has not hurt recruiting. In fact, commanders here limit the number of war-zone duty tours for which soldiers can volunteer -- so that other soldiers can get a chance to see action, according to Lt. Col. Marvin R. Manibusan, commander of the Guam Army National Guard's recruiting and retention division.

Poster-size pictures of the dead are displayed at the international airport.

One photograph is of Army Maj. Henry San Nicolas Ofeciar, who was killed in an ambush in Afghanistan in August. He was a 37-year-old career officer and had volunteered for duty in a combat zone.

His mother is Agnes Rillera.

"The pain of his death I will take to the grave," she said. "But I respect my son's decision to serve. You tell Washington that we support what he did."

When Ofeciar's remains were flown back to Guam, hundreds of people showed up at the airport to pay their respects -- even though the coffin arrived on a flight that landed in the middle of the night, Rillera said.

The governor and lieutenant governor of Guam have gone to the airport to receive the bodies of most of the fatalities.

When a hearse carrying the coffin of a war casualty leaves the airport and travels across the island, which is about three times the size of the District of Columbia, residents here often line the streets in silence, holding up candles.

The people of Guam are very much aware of the failings of U.S. policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Ofeciar's sister, Orlene Ofeciar Arriola.

"One thing about Guam, as compared to the mainland, we are not as fickle," she said. "Our loved ones made a commitment. We are not going to dishonor their service because the policy is not correct."

Body of John Flores Returns

Body of fallen soldier John Flores returning Wednesday
by Sabrina Salas Matanane, KUAM News
Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The body of U.S. Army Private First Class John D. Flores of Barrigada will arrive home early Wednesday morning. He is the latest casualty from the Marianas identified by the Department of Defense to have died while serving in Iraq. Flores was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division in Germany and died on May 3 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire.

Flores is survived by his wife Charlene and daughter Chloe.

Flores' death marks the eighth volunteer serviceman to make the ultimate sacrifice to defend freedom since the war in Iraq began in 2003. In 2006 Kasper Dudkiewicz and Jesse Joel Jesus Castro, both 23, were lost - Dudkiewicz, 23, was killed in Mosul when his humvee was involved in a collision; Castro and four soldiers from his combat unit was killed by an improvised explosive while on patrol in Kirkuk.

Two Chamorros Killed in the Horn of Africa

National Guard confirms two killed, one injured in Horn of Africa
by Jason Salas, KUAM News
Tuesday, March 06, 2007

The Guam Army National Guard has confirmed that two soldiers were killed in the Horn of Africa, with another being injured in an accident involving a military vehicle. Specialist Gregory Fejeran, Specialist Christopher Fernandez and Sergeant Robert Balajadia were in a military SUV that rolled over; Fejeran and Fernandez were killed in the incident while Balajadia sustained injuries.

SGT Balajadia was reportedly listed as being in stable condition and was medically evacuated to Landstuhl Military Hospital in Germany. The military confirmed that the accident was not the result of hostile action. The soldiers are part of Team Charlie, 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry, currently deployed to the Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Major General Donald Goldhorn, Adjutant General of the Guam National Guard, expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers. He also offered his prayers to SGT Balajadia and to his family for a speedy recovery. The deaths of Fejeran and Fernandez are the 17th and 18th from Micronesia since 2003, respectively, due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Adam Emul Killed in Iraq

Cpl. Adam Emul, who sister says wanted to serve, is killed in Iraq at age 19
By Brian Alexander
Seattle Times
2/2/07

Lance Cpl. Adam Emul was a quiet and very independent teen, yet it still surprised his family when he came home from school one day and said he had signed up for the armed services.

"He was proud; it was something that he wanted to do," his sister, Maryann Mendiola, said Thursday. "We didn't like his decision at the time, but he just kept telling us that it was something that he wanted to do."

Cpl. Emul died in Iraq on Monday during operations in the Al Anbar province, the Department of Defense announced Thursday. Though the department didn't release the details of his death, his sister said he was hit by a bomb's explosion while on foot patrol.

Cpl. Emul, 19, graduated in 2005 from Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Clark County, and went into basic training, his sister said.

He then went on to more advanced training and was only reunited with his family for about a month before he shipped out for Iraq in September.

Cpl. Emul was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif., according to the Department of Defense.

Cpl. Emul moved to Vancouver from Saipan in 2003 with his sister, her family and his mother, Mendiola said.

"Me and my husband, we have kids of our own, and we wanted to expose our kids to what was outside of the islands. And we wanted Adam to be part of that," Mendiola said. "Living here is way, way different from living back home. Adam pretty much adjusted real well and made friends real fast."

Cpl. Emul loved playing basketball, listening to music and doing "other teenager things," his sister said. "He was still young."

While he was in Iraq, the family kept in touch mainly via e-mail and Cpl. Emul's MySpace page. He would ask for the family to send things, particularly chocolate, for himself, and big bags of candy for the kids in Iraq he met on patrol, Mendiola said.

Mendiola expected her brother to come home in March — he was looking forward to taking a vacation to Saipan to visit family and friends who still live there, she said.

"We just saw how happy he was, and we just supported him from there. But we constantly told him: 'Please be careful,' " Mendiola said. "He was always assuring us not to worry about him, and things were going fine."

In addition to Mendiola, Cpl. Emul is survived by four brothers and sisters: Frankie Quitugua, of Saipan; Clarissa Mendiola, of Vancouver; Mindy Quitugua, of Vancouver; and Christopher Quitugua of Saipan. His parents are Angelica Quitugua, of Vancouver, and Wayne Emul of Saipan. He was preceded in death by a brother, Roger Mendiola.

Gone But Never Forgotten

Gone, but never forgotten - Dudkiewicz & Castro are forever heroes
by Clynt Ridgell, KUAM News
Monday, January 01, 2007

Among the noblest pursuits a person can undertake is defense of one's homeland. And although scores of local young men and women volunteer their time and take up arms to preserve freedom with all of the United States armed forces, anytime these brave citizens pay a price for their commitment the hurt and pain of their loss is felt throughout our tightly-knit island community. This year, Guam laid to rest two of its own, with a pair of servicemen losing their lives in Iraq.

Kasper Dudkiewicz and Jesse Joel Jesus Castro were both lost, but certainly will never be forgotten. In January, Dudckiezicz, 23, was killed in Mosul when his humvee was involved in a collision. The military police officer had just married his sweetheart Katie three months earlier, and had only been deployed to the Middle East that past November.

Then in December we reported the death of our island's seventh causality of war, as we learned of Castro's passing. Just a week away from his twenty-fourth birthday, he and four soldiers from his combat unit was killed by an improvised explosive while on patrol in Kirkuk. He leaves behind a young wife, and a month-old son he had never met, who he looked forward to christen upon his return.

2006 ended with the memory of yet another fallen hero, as Richard Naputi, Jr. had the baseball field in Talofofo on which he starred for so many years as a youngster renamed in his honor exactly one year to the day he was killed in Iraq.

Remembering Jesse

Remembering Jesse: local hero honored by community
by Mindy Aguon, KUAM News
Friday, December 08, 2006

U.S. Army Sergeant Jesse Castro is being remembered by friends and family. An inspiration to the men and women in our country's armed forces, Castro's legacy will never be forgotten. In three weeks Jesse Castro, affectionately known as "Chu" by those who knew him best would have turned 24. Instead, he paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving his country during his second tour in Iraq.

The lives of Castro and four other members of the Hawaii-based 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division were tragically cut short when an improvised explosive device detonated while they were conducting mountain patrol near Kirkuk. A large crowd of loved ones attended a mass this morning to honor young Jesse's life. "You gave me a wonderful son, for twenty-three years, he was my blessing," said Dorothea "Doreen" Jesus, Jesse's mother.

She cradled her grandson, attempting to find solace in the legacy her son left behind in his own offspring. "He is going to live his life just like Daddy," she said proudly, "he is going to be respectful to everyone, and play sports, just like Daddy."

On Thursday night Jesse's wife Theresa received a phone call that would forever change her life. Joe Moore, Jesse's father-in-law, described his family's strength in this most unbearable of times by saying honestly, "Life is too short, freedom is not free, so don't ever take it for granted. The other thing is to keep everybody in your prayers. Faith is probably the strongest thing that anybody could ever give another person. We just thought it would never happen to us, but it did. Now you're being tested, now you're being challenged, and I'm sure that everyone will get through this."

Castro had the ability to touch the hearts of all he encountered and had a genuine zest for life. He strived for success in all he did from playing baseball to grappling with mixed martial arts groups, to serving his country and being awarded two Purple Hearts for injuries he suffered while in battle. "He left behind a legacy," continued Moore, "he left his son, his wife, his mom and his sister. And life will go on, it just takes time to heal from then on we can go on with life."

So if variety is the spice of life, then Castro undoubtedly enriched the lives of all he met. This proud son of Guam will forever be remembered in the hearts and minds of all who knew him as a hero - an inspiration to all. Nightly rosaries are being said at the Castro residence in Chalan Pago at 7pm. In the meantime the Castro and Moore families are preparing to have Sergeant Jesse Castro's body brought back so he can be laid to rest here at home.

Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo issued the following statement after learning of Castro's death, "I am deeply saddened by the loss of Jesse Castro and I extend my heartfelt sympathy to his family. We should all keep Jesse, his wife Theresa, his son Jesse, Jr., and the rest of his family in our prayers during this time of loss and sorrow. I pray every day for the safe return of our men and women who are deployed in harm's way for our freedom. God bless Jesse Castro and his family."

And following suit, Governor Felix Camacho extended his own condolences, writing, "Today is a sad day for the people of Guam. First Lady Joann and I extend our deepest condolences to the Castro Family on the loss of their son, husband and father. Jesse died in defense of our great nation and we all must remember that he paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms that we all enjoy today."

Fallen Soldier Returns Home

Fallen soldier Richard Naputi returns home
by Sonya Artero, KUAM News
Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Army Specialist Richard Junior Degracia Naputi marks the fourth son of Micronesia to die by being killed in action while serving his country during the war in Iraq. Along with the Naputi family, about 200 mourners that included friends, members of the community and government officials were present during last night's solemn ceremony held at the old Guam International Airport Terminal.

The 24-year-old Naputi was welcomed back home to be laid to rest. In ceremonial honor, members of the Army carried the native son's flag-draped casket to the center of attention. The fallen soldier's wife Brianne Naputi, and his mother Elena Naputi laid their heads on the casket and began crying in anguish.

"Thank you so much for being here tonight. Your presence will help ease their pain and suffering. On behalf of the entire Naputi family, Si Yu'os Ma'ase and todos hamyu," said William Naputi Reyes, a family spokesman. Governor Felix Camacho announced, "Richard was a jolly boy. He was always happy. He was always the one in a conversation making jokes. He grew up to become a very dedicated and loyal man who put his heart and soul into everything he put his mind to. This included taking care of his family and of course, his wife."

Richard Naputi was one of two soldiers killed by a homemade explosive in Tali, Iraq, just five days before Christmas. The other soldier was Lieutenant Michael J. Cleary of Pennsylvania. The two men died after a bomb detonated near the Humvee they were driving during. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th infantry Regiment, 3rd brigade, 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Benning, Georgia.

In the final three months of 2005, three lives from Micronesia were lost in the war. The two other soldiers were from Derence Jack, 31, and Wilgene Lieto, 28, were killed in another roadside bombing in Iraq. Both were from Saipan. Earlier last year, Army Staff Sergeant Steven Bayow of Yap died in Iraq. Bayow, 42, was killed with two others when a bomb hit their vehicle in February.

To date, the U.S. military death toll in the war in the Middle East stands at 2,179. On January 9, mourners can pay their last respects at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Pope (the late Naputi's in-laws), located in Talofofo. Naputi's funeral mass will take place Tuesday, January 10 at 11am at the Talofofo Church followed by his burial ceremony at the Veterans Cemetery.