[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 90 (Wednesday, July 13, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF GUAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from Guam [Mr. 
Underwood] is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority 
leader.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I am taking this opportunity for a 1-hour 
special order to pay honor and respect to the veterans of the Pacific 
Theater during World War II and especially those who participated in 
the Battles of Guam, Saipan, and the ``Marianas Turkey Shoot,'' one of 
the greatest naval victories during that conflict.
  I also want to take the opportunity to tell the Guam story; a story 
not fully understood and appreciated, but a story which demands to be 
told.
  This session of Congress which is broadcast live by C-SPAN across 
America, will be rebroadcast on a delayed basis on Guam next week on 
July 20, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Guam 
which will be commemorated on July 21. Therefore, I wish to send my 
greetings to the people of Guam, to the hundreds of veterans who have 
returned to our island for the golden salute commemoration, and to the 
veterans of World War II--especially the Pacific veterans--watching 
this broadcast all across America on this most auspicious occasion. And 
this occasion is honoring and remembering the landing of American 
forces to liberate Guam from Japanese occupiers. Japanese troops had 
earlier bombed and invaded Guam on December 8 and 10, 1941, as part of 
Japan's attacks on United States Forces, the most famous having taken 
place at Pearl Harbor.
  This commemoration will honor the American veterans, remember the 
sacrifices of the people of Guam and will serve as a tribute to the 
necessity for peace; for it is only in the remembrance of the horrors 
of war do we remain vigilant in our quest for peace.
  My purpose tonight is to give a historical perspective to the events 
we are commemorating on Guam and to enhance the understanding among all 
Americans of the wartime experience of the people of Guam and the 
postwar legacy that has framed our relationship with the United States. 
It is a story that is a microcosm of the heroism of soldiers everywhere 
and of the sufferings of civilians in occupied areas during World War 
II. But Guam is also a unique story, an experience all to itself, not 
in terms of human suffering--there is far too much of that to go 
around--but of dignity in the midst of political and wartime 
machinations of large powers over small peoples and of loyalty to 
America, a demonstration of loyalty that has not been asked of any 
civilian community under the flag during any time this century.
  Tonight, Mr. Speaker, I will outline the following:
  Some of the details of the battles leading up to the Marianas 
campaign; the importance of the Marianas campaign for the war; some 
heroic figures involved in the battle; the lack of attention given to 
the Pacific battles in the 50th anniversary commemoration activities 
for World War II; the special nature of the Guam battle and the 
experiences of the people of Guam; and some unfinished business for the 
people of Guam relating to the war.
  Guam, which has been an American territory since the end of the 
Spanish-American War in 1898, was invaded in the early morning hours of 
December 10, 1941. Thus began a 32-month epic struggle of the 
indigenous people of Guam, the Chamoru people, to maintain their 
dignity and to survive during an occupation by a brutal oppressor.
  In the years leading up to the war in the Pacific, American military 
planners decided that it was not feasible to defend Guam against 
possible invasion forces by Japanese Forces in the surrounding islands 
of the Japanese mandate in Micronesia, most notably Saipan about 100 
miles to the north.
  This was probably a sound decision militarily; but to the Chamoru 
people, it meant that they were going to be written off at the onset of 
hostilities between Japan and the United States, hostilities which 
nearly everyone in the Pacific knew was coming.
  When the Japanese landed, they found 153 Marines, 271 Navy personnel, 
and 134 workers associated with the Pan American station and some 
20,000 Chamorus who were United States nationals. All American military 
dependents had been evacuated with the last ship having left on October 
17, 1941, pursuant to an order of Naval Governor, Captain McMillan.
  The other vulnerable territory, Alaska's Aleutian islands were 
similarly threatened by their proximity to Japanese Forces. However, in 
that instance the Army evacuated all Aleutian inhabitants in 
anticipation of Japanese invasion, thus sparing the Aleutian islanders 
from an occupation. The Chamorus alone among American civilian 
communities was left to withstand the onslaught of an enemy occupation.
  To demonstrate how Chamorus were treated distinctively, a handful of 
Chamoru civilians who worked at the Pan American station in Wake Island 
were not evacuated when American civilians were. The result was that 
they, along with a handful of Marines, fought, died and were placed in 
prison camps.
  With Guam and its people's fate preordained, it fell to the Guam 
insular guard and the Guam militia, comprised of civilian reserve 
forces along with the handful of Marines and sailors to defend the 
island. The Japanese invasion force, numbering over 5,000 easily 
overwhelmed the defending insular guard and Guam militia. Resistance 
against a vastly larger and better equipped invasion force was futile, 
and the Naval Governor McMillan surrendered the island to the Japanese.
  The signal that the Japanese had prevailed to aircraft overhead was 
for the Japanese commander to shine a flashlight on an American flag on 
the ground. The American flag, used as a symbol of defeat by the 
invading Army, assumed immense importance to the American nationals on 
Guam throughout the occupation.

  Throughout the ordeal of occupation, the Chamoru people maintained 
their loyalty to America and their faith that the American Forces would 
soon return to liberate them. The resistance against the occupation 
manifested itself in many forms, but none so powerful and costly as the 
effort to help the American sevicemen on Guam who had escaped capture 
when the island surrendered.
  Seven U.S. sailors evaded capture, and one by one, each in turn was 
hunted down and killed by the occupiers. One fortunate sailor evaded 
capture throughout the 32 months of occupation with the assistance of 
the people at the cost of numerous beatings and even beheadings. The 
story of this one sailor, George Tweed, was made into a movie entitled 
``No Man Is An Island.''


             invasion of guam the liberation: july 21, 1944

  Fifty years ago, in mid-June, Rear Admiral Ainsworth began his 
preinvasion bombardment of the coast of Guam only to be called back 
only 2 hours after the invasion began due to the ferocity of the Battle 
of Saipan. The additional time between the scheduled and actual 
invasion allowed the Japanese 5 additional weeks in which to reinforce 
their beachheads.
  During those intervening weeks following the original naval attack, 
an onslaught of cruelty was endured by the Chamorus on Guam from their 
occupiers. This was the most brutal time of the occupation. The 
atrocities suffered by the people of Guam included forced labor, forced 
marches and civilian massacres. The increased brutality and intensity 
of these atrocities marked the beginning of the end of the 2\1/2\ year 
enemy occupation.
  The invasion--dubbed Operation Forager--was rescheduled for July 21 
and was preceded by a preinvasion bombardment lasting 13 days. While 
this bombardment leveled most fortified structures on Guam, it also 
acted as a stimulus for further acts against the Chamoru people. As the 
bombardment continued, the Chamorus became more restless, and the 
Japanese realized their ensuing fate, inflicting further brutality and 
mass slaughter against my people. This preinvasion bombardment had been 
preceded by numerous air raids beginning in February 1944, 5 months 
earlier.
  After the bombardment, underwater demolition teams spent 4 days 
sweeping the shoreline making the Marine invasion possible. Unlike the 
attack on Tinian, which provided ideal terrain and conditions, U.S. 
Marines landed on the narrow beaches of Asan and Agat to crawl their 
way up what is now know as Nimitz Hill. The men of the 3d Marine 
Division were thrust, wave after wave, onto Asan beach--already 
littered with the Marines who had come before them. Once on the shore, 
United States troops were in the heart of Japan's defense 
fortifications and troops. This well thoughtout plan led to the 
seemingly insurmountable task of climbing the cliffs which rose just 
beyond the beach against fortified enemy weapon sites which dropped 
artillery and small weapons fire on them like rain.
  Simultaneously, the flatter southern beaches of Guam were being 
braved by the 1st Marine Brigade. However, this less formidable 
topography was quickly interrupted by the only Japanese counter attack 
of the day.
  One of the heroes was a young Marine named Howell Heflin, most 
important 6 hours of my life.

  The island was secured on August 10, 1944. Twenty thousand men died 
during the 20-day battle, but the casualties were not equivalent. 
18,500--the entire garrison of Japanese troops were killed compared to 
only 1,900 United States soldiers.
  The mayor's resolution follows:

                          Resolution No. 94-6

       Relative to naming Route 15 (Yigo) as the U.S. Army 77th 
     Infantry Division Drive in honor of the soldiers who 
     participated in the Liberation of Guam during World War II in 
     the Pacific.
       Whereas, on July 21, 1944, Army, Navy and Marine Units of 
     the U.S. armed forces landed on Guam to liberate the island 
     and its people from over 30 months of Japanese occupation 
     during World War II in the Pacific, and
       Whereas, the U.S. Army 77th Infantry Division commanded by 
     Major General Andrew D. Druce, played a significant role in 
     defeating the Japanese forces and restoring peace and freedom 
     to the island of Guam, and
       Whereas, after landing in Agat along with the 1st Marine 
     Provisional Brigade, the 77th Infantry Division proceeded to 
     secure the southern part of Guam where it rescued thousands 
     of Chamorus who were in the Manengon and other concentration 
     camps, and
       Whereas, the 77th Infantry Division continued its fight to 
     Yona, Chalan Pago, Mangilao and Barrigada, and
       Whereas, in the drive through the central and northern 
     parts of Guam, the 77th Infantry Division was assigned the 
     right flank as the area of operation where the troops engaged 
     with the Japanese forces in a number of skirmishes, and
       Whereas, the 77th Infantry Division proceeded up to the 
     village of Yigo where the Japanese forces were regrouping to 
     make their last battle stand, and
       Whereas, when it reached the village of Yigo the 77th 
     Infantry Division came upon a large concentration of Japanese 
     forces and engaged them in a battle that involved tanks, 
     artillery strikes and an infantry drive charge up on Mount 
     Santa Rosa and Milalak hill where the Peace Memorial Park is 
     now located, and
       Whereas, the battle in Yigo turned out to be the last major 
     encounter with the Japanese forces who waged an all out fight 
     in a desperate attempt to turn back U.S. advances, and
       Whereas, the Guam combat patrol were very instrumental in 
     the search and locating of the Japanese forces and the Guam 
     combat patrol also participated and engaged heavily in a 
     number of skirmishes and the last battle of Yigo, and
       Whereas, Route 15 is located in the Army sector of the 77th 
     Infantry Division's avenue of approach to the north in the 
     final days of the war; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That in recognition of the 77th Infantry 
     Division's role in the liberation of Guam, it is appropriate 
     that Route 15 be named ``U.S. Army 77th Infantry Division 
     Drive'' in conjunction with the 50th anniversary Golden 
     Salute observances; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Yigo Municipal Planning Council endorses 
     the action on behalf of the people of Yigo as a grateful 
     tribute to the sacrifices to the U.S. armed forces in the 
     liberation of Guam.


                the importance of the battle for the war

  The taking of the Marianas Islands was very important to winning the 
war against Japan. The defeat of the forces on Saipan and Guam led to 
the fall of the Tojo government and the recognition by many in Japan 
that there was no doubt left about the outcome of the conflict with the 
United States. ``Hell is upon us,'' stated Adm. Osami Nagano, Supreme 
Naval Advisor to the Japanese Emperor; and, indeed it was as the 
bombers took off from air fields on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian--Harmon, 
Andersen, North, Northwest, Isley, Kobler, and other names familiar to 
the Army Air Corps, including a Member of the House, Ben Gilman from 
New York.
  The importance of the Marianas as islands from which to further 
prosecute not only an airwar against Japan, but as the jumping off 
points for further landings in the Philippines, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima 
became crucial to final victory. In effect, Apra Harbor on Guam became 
the forward naval base as Pearl Harbor was effectively moved 3,500 
miles to the West.
  And from Guam, Admiral Nimitz set up his headquarters for the balance 
of the war. In the island-hopping strategy of the Pacific, the Marianas 
were not islands to be leapfrogged. They formed an integral part of 
Japan's defensive structure.
  Over 54,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives in the battles for 
Saipan and Guam. American losses were equally staggering--over 5,700 
lost their lives and over 21,900 were wounded. During the Marianas 
Turkey Shoot, the naval air battle, enemy losses exceeded 400 aircraft 
to minimal American losses.
  One of those aircraft losses belonged to a young Navy pilot who was 
shot down in the skies over the Marianas--George Bush.
  The ferocity of the Marianas campaign was an indication of the blood 
that was to be shed in later campaigns. On Saipan, the Americans 
encountered a phenomenon that had never been encountered before--the 
sight of hundreds of Japanese soldiers and civilians committing suicide 
by jumping off cliffs rather than surrendering. At Suicide Cliff and 
Banzai Cliff on Saipan, American soldiers and marines could only watch 
helplessly as civilian noncombatants chose death over surrendering to 
an enemy they believed would commit atrocities against them. While 
sporadic kamakazi raids had been encountered in some naval air battles, 
nothing could compare to the mass suicides that stunned the American 
forces.
  All these factors weighed into the decision to avoid an invasion of 
Japan, and the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And 
again, the Marianas had a pivotal role to play, providing the airfield 
in Tinian where the bombers loaded with the world's first atomic bombs 
were launched. The Marianas Campaign was indicative of the ferocity of 
the Pacific war and the courage of the Americans who fought in many far 
flung islands which now bear the honor as campaign streamers on our 
military's service colors. Let me share the honor of those who fought 
on Guam with a recounting of the most important Pacific battles leading 
to Guam's liberation.


                              guadalcanal

  The first American offensive during World War II was a definitive 
battle in the Solomon Islands and began to turn the tide of the war in 
the Pacific in favor of the Allied forces. This was the Battle of 
Guadalcanal, an island little known even to the 19,000 members of the 
1st Marine Division preparing to land on its shores on August 7, 1942. 
This battle was decisive as Guadalcanal became the Allied doorway to 
the central and southwestern Pacific--then held by the Japanese forces. 
Guadalcanal also prevented the airfield under construction from 
becoming a threat to the Allied-held Pacific and subsequently making 
major U.S. shipping routes an easy target.


                                 papua

  The Japanese faced a dilemma during the Papua and Guadalcanal 
campaigns. They were made to decide whether to stand firm on their 
Papua defense or to transfer vital supplies to strengthen the 
Guadalcanal counteroffensives. They opted to send warships, planes, and 
troops to Guadalcanal and ended up losing both battles.


                            solomon islands

  The Navy contradicted the strategic value of General MacArthur's 
obsession to reclaim the Philippines. Naval strategists thought that a 
drive across the Pacific, making full use of their new and fast 
carriers, would put more pressure on Japan. The dispute was resolved 
when the Joint Chiefs of Staff agreed to use both options in order to 
prevent the Japanese from knowing where and when the next blow would 
fall. MacArthur advanced northwest from New Guinea while Admiral Nimitz 
and his navy moved west toward the Central Pacific. The series of naval 
battles that followed this gave numerous Americans their baptisms of 
fire. Among these gallant men was a young lieutenant named John 
Fitzgerald Kennedy.


                                 tarawa

  One of the bloodiest battles of World War II was fought for an area 
less than half the size of New York's Central Park. Tarawa was an atoll 
of 47 small islands. The main objective was Betio, the largest of the 
islands. Compared to the atoll's defenders, American casualties were 
less. However, it had a greater impact upon a country that had not yet 
begun to realize the cost of war.


                                 saipan

  There was no doubt that U.S. forces would hit the Marianas. The 
islands' central location, the significant Japanese presence within its 
boundaries and the area's potential as future sites for United States 
bases made its acquisition, at the time, inevitable. October 1, 1944, 
was the date set for the invasion of the Marianas. Decisive victories 
in the Pacific, however, enabled the operations to advance several 
months ahead of schedule.
  In the middle of June 1944, a formidable armada of 7 battleships, 21 
cruisers, scores of destroyers, 15 fast carriers bearing 891 combat 
planes, and 127,571 fighting men had been assembled. They had a clear 
mission. They were to take the Mariana Islands of Saipan, Tinian, and 
Guam--the next step toward the Navy's drive toward the Central Pacific. 
Admiral Nimitz decided to take Saipan before liberating Guam. This 
island was 100 miles closer to Japan. The task of bombing the Japanese 
homeland would be less complicated if initiated here. In addition, the 
loss of Japanese air support from Saipan would make the liberation of 
Guam less costly.
  The assault was placed upon the hands of both the 2d and 4th Marine 
divisions. The Army's 27th Infantry division was also placed on reserve 
for these operations. Landings began, made after 2 days of naval 
bombardment. Swayed by negative propaganda and fearful of the invading 
Americans, hundreds of Japanese civilians committed suicide by jumping 
seaside cliffs. After 25 days of fighting, the invasion force declared 
the island as having been secured on July 9.


                          the battle of saipan

  The battle for Saipan was more ferocious than the battle for Guam and 
is etched in the minds of many as the classic amphibious struggle of 
the Pacific war; a determined invasion force meeting a suicidal, 
entrenched defensive force.
  Saipan was part of the Japanese mandate; Japanese civilians 
outnumbered natives 5-1; the invasion was the first contact between the 
people of Saipan and America; this contact, founded in battle, led to 
the eventual formation of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, in 
which Saipan is the principle island; and this contact represented the 
best in the advancement of the principles of democracy and liberty to 
other parts of the world.


                                heroism

  When faced with an enormous challenge, men of courage find in their 
inner selves enormous strength. In the battles for Guam, Saipan, and 
Tinian, and in all the fierce fighting throughout the Pacific war, the 
victories were won not by massive offensive forces but by extraordinary 
heroism.

  If the measure of a battle is the numbers of Medals of Honor awarded, 
surely then the battle for Guam ranks among the top battles of World 
War II. Two medals were awarded for valor on Guam, one to Capt. Louis 
H. Wilson, Jr., who later served as the Commandant of the Marine Corps, 
and one to Pfc. Frank P. Witek.
  As commanding officer of Company, F, 2d Battalion, 9th Marine 
Regiment, Captain Wilson distinguished himself in a bloody fight to 
repel Japanese counteroffensives on the Fonte Plateau. As in many 
similar situations throughout the first days of the invasion, a breach 
of the extremely vulnerable American lines would have caused certain 
disaster for the whole invasion force.
  Private Frank Witek provided the cover for the withdrawal of his 
wounded comrades during a firefight and then signlehandedly attacked 
the enemy machine gun position
  Also noteworthy for their heroism were the efforts of underwater 
demolition teams that went in ahead of the American forces to destroy 
much of the fortifications on the invasion beaches.
  In all these instances, and in countless more unheralded acts of 
courage, the individual soldier, marine, sailor, and airman made the 
difference, and ensured by their individual actions, that freedom would 
be won for the people of Guam. And again, on behalf of the people of 
Guam, I say thank you.


                           lack of attention

  On Saturday, June 25, veterans of the war in the Pacific, people from 
Guam and the Northern Marianas, and some Federal officials gathered at 
Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to those who fought and died 
on Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and other battles in the Pacific.
  This commemoration, which was jointly sponsored by my office and 
Northern Marianas Resident Representative Juan Babauta's office, and 
which took place at the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, was 
the only national commemoration held this year to recognize battles in 
the Pacific theater during World War II.
  I am extremely grateful for the participation of Interior Secretary 
Bruce Babbitt, Navy Secretary Dalton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff General Shalikashvili. Their support, stirring words, and 
encouragement reflect the administration's growing awareness of these 
historical events.
  But I must take note again of the fact that this event went largely 
unnoticed by the media and by the Nation's leadership, other than for 
those officials I just named. There has been no effort to equate the 
magnitude of Normandy with the battles that took place 50 years ago in 
Guam and Saipan. While Normandy pulled the Nation's leadership across 
the Atlantic, the commemoration of the Pacific was not a strong enough 
draw to get many to cross the Potomac.
  D-day has come to mean Normandy in the minds of many. But I want this 
body, and America, to know that there was more. I recently received a 
call from a veteran in Atlanta, Mr. Aherst, who called to thank us for 
hosting the commemoration at Arlington for the Pacific war, and to say 
that for the men who fought in the Marianas and all the way across the 
Pacific, every island was a D-day. Guadalcanal, Peleilu, Tarawa, 
Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima. All these were D- days which required the 
courage and commitment that the American soldier, marine, airman, and 
sailor always gave.

  While few in number, we did gather at Arlington, we did remember the 
sacrifices of those who fought in the Pacific, and we did honor those 
who died as we laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on 
behalf of a grateful people.


    the special nature of guam as a u.s. territory being reoccupied

  There is a special dimension to the battle for Guam which was not 
present in any other Pacific battle, indeed any battle during the 
Second World War. Guam was a U.S. territory inhabited by people who 
were U.S. nationals at the time of the outbreak of World War II. It 
became the only inhabited U.S. territory invaded and occupied by an 
enemy power during World War II and, in fact, was the first time that a 
foreign power invaded U.S. soil since the War of 1812.
  This special relationship is demonstrated in a painting made from a 
picture of two young Chamoru boys; battle-hardened American servicemen 
broke down at the sight of the people of Guam who came down from the 
hills, and sobbed at the sight of children with handmade American 
flags, imperfect in their design yet perfectly clear in their 
representation. This was these boys' presentation of that same flag 
which had earlier laid on the ground on Guam and which the Japanese 
commander waved the flashlight over as a sign of victory.
  The people of Guam had endured much during the occupation of their 
island; there was forced labor particularly in the last few months as 
the Japanese hurriedly built defense fortifications and airstrips on 
the labor of men and boys as young as 13 and 14.
  There was the confiscation of food to feed the thousands of Japanese 
soldiers brought to Guam to fight off the invasion. This led to some 
form of malnutrition affecting all of the population of Guam, 
especially the children. In a postwar study of the children of Guam, 
those who were born after the war were on the average 2 inches taller 
than those who were children during the occupation. Those who had grown 
to adolescence prior to the war were also taller than the children of 
the occupation.
  And there was the forced marches and eventual internment in camps 
near places called Maimai, Malojloj, and Manengon. Manengon was where 
most of the people went. And in the forced marches, many were shot, 
bayoneted, executed, beaten for moving too fast or too slow as whole 
families, young and old, made their way to camps. And in those camps, 
the people stayed for a few weeks with no food waiting for their 
deliverance and hoping that the Japanese would not carry out threats to 
kill them all.
  And in this entire panorama of experience there were naturally heroic 
stories and dramatic tales. But most experienced the war as a time in 
which their families were put at risk. My parents lost three children 
during the war, and two were buried in areas which my mother can 
remember, but which we cannot really find today. My elder brothers and 
sisters became ill; one was so malnourished, the stomach walls became 
almost transparent; the others simply died. For most Chamorus, the war 
challenged them in these ways.
  But for an unfortunate minority, the brutality of the occupiers 
became a reality. I'd like to share two stories with you told to me by 
a couple of very heroic people, Beatrice Flores Emsley who survived an 
attempted beheading at the age of 13 and Jose Mata Torres who as a 16-
year-old witnessed the successful efforts of determined villagers to 
overtake the Japanese soldiers who had massacred their people.

  In the Southern end of Guam, there is a beautiful village called 
Merizo.

                          The Merizo Massacre

       The villagers of Merizo had an equally frightening 
     experience, but one with a heroic ending. Many brave men, 
     women, and children played a part in this story, what follows 
     is a synopsis of those events.
       On July 15, 1944, the 800 residents of Merizo were rounded 
     up by the Japanese and taken to the Geus River Valley. When 
     they arrived that evening, the Japanese commander stood 
     before the assembled villagers and read aloud a list of 
     thirty names. This group of twenty-five men and five women 
     represented the leadership of the village: schoolteachers, 
     the village commissioner, mothers and fathers who had sons in 
     the U.S. military, a woman who had refused to bow to the 
     Japanese, her two daughters, and other rebellious Chamorros 
     who might give trouble to the Japanese. As darkness began to 
     settle over the valley and the summer rains began to fall, 
     these thirty Chamorros were marched off. The Japanese, 
     intoxicated on sake, teased and tormented their captives 
     constantly until, at Tinta, they reached a cave which the 
     Merizo people had previously been forced to dig as a Japanese 
     ammunition dump.
       Fear and hatred ran through the Chamorros as they stood 
     before the taunting Japanese in the ever-increasing rain. 
     Even though the night was now pitch dark, the flashes of 
     naval gunfire from the American ships just offshore 
     occasionally lit the faces of the Chamorros. As they glanced 
     at one another, they came to the realization that the cave 
     was their intended grave. They dared not attempt a rebellion, 
     however, for fear of reprisals against their families back in 
     the valley. The thirty Chamorros were ordered into the cave 
     and told to go to sleep because, their captors told them, 
     ``American airplanes are coming to bomb you tonight.''
       After a few moments of silence, the Japanese began to fire 
     into the cave. Half a dozen Chamorros fell while the rest 
     tried to find cover. Then the Japanese began to lob hand 
     grenades at the Chamorros. Blood flew through the air, 
     splattering on the walls of the cave and on the other 
     Chamorros. Manuel T. Charfauros had attempted to dive for 
     cover outside the cave, but a grenade exploded nearby, 
     ripping the flesh from his leg. Unable to escape now, he lay 
     face down in the dirt pretending to be dead.
       Charfauros could hear the groaning of one of his comrades 
     and the rasping sound of air escaping from another's chest. 
     The wounded men heard footsteps approaching. The slashing 
     saber of an officer killed two of them. Charfauros waited his 
     turn, praying that he would only be wounded. Eight Japanese 
     soldiers watched as another, who particularly hated 
     Charfauros, flipped the Chamorro's cap off with the tip of 
     his bayonet, then raised his rifle and lunged, driving the 
     bayonet through Charfauros's shoulder. The Japanese officer 
     then turned and casually tossed six grenades, one after 
     another in the cave.
       Felipe Santiago Cruz, inside the cave, had watched his 
     father fall in the first volley of shots. When an exploding 
     Japanese grenade wounded Charfauros, recognizing the Japanese 
     plot for another mass murder, told the boy to return to 
     the camp and tell the men about he Merizo massacre.
       At about the same time, the men who had gone to 
     Tingringhanum to gather supplies met one of the survivors of 
     the massacre, Jose S. Reyes, who told them the story of the 
     death of their fellow villagers. Dropping the equipment they 
     were carrying, these brave men return to the Atate camp to 
     try to save the others. Reyes was the only one among them who 
     had a rifle, which he had hidden at his ranch home. As they 
     approached Atate, Reyes devised a plot to overcome the 
     Japanese guards. Each day, the Japanese would form up and 
     stack their weapons together. At that moment, Reyes said, the 
     unarmed men would dash forward and grab the Japanese weapons.
       Arriving at Atate, Jose Reyes, Antonio Tyquinco, Juan 
     Borja, Pat Taijeron, Juan Naputi, and Jose Nanguata hid in 
     the jungle, awaiting the most opportune moment. But with the 
     jungle, awaiting the most opportune moment. But with only one 
     rifle, one dagger, and some sharpened sticks among them to 
     face seventeen guards, bravery began to give way to fear. 
     Reyes realized that any hesitation at this moment could mean 
     death for all of them and reprisals against their families. 
     He angrily urged his men forward. ``What are you waiting for? 
     Do I have to shoot one of you first to get you to make your 
     move?''
       At that, the men rushed for the Japanese weapons. The 
     guards reacted quickly as Reyes began to shoot. Borja 
     attempted to take on a Japanese guard, dagger against saber, 
     while Tyquinco fought with his bare hands. The other men 
     seized the Japanese rifles and, as Reyes quickly showed them 
     how to activate the weapons, began to shoot the Japanese, 
     eventually killing all but one guard, who escaped. The freed 
     Chamorros quickly dispersed to jungle hideouts and ranches, 
     while Reyes and his men took all of the Japanese weapons and 
     headed to a place called Finile, which was known as one of 
     the best hideouts on the island.
       After the Merizo villagers had revolted, the families 
     encamped at Atate escaped one by one to their jungle ranches 
     to hide out for the duration of the battle. Manuel Charfauros 
     still lay on the floor of his hut. During a night of 
     delirium, Charfauros sensed a man entering his shack. A 
     searching hand crossed Charfauros's wounded leg and he cried 
     out in pain. A muffled light showed a knife held by a 
     Chamorro. ``I was ready to kill you had you been a Jap,'' 
     said the intruder.
       The men with him explained that they had come to find an 
     American flag which they had hidden away shortly after the 
     Japanese had landed two and a half years before. The 
     Chamorros cut coconuts and poured the juice into the empty 
     water jar for Charfauros, then took the flag and left. Three 
     days later, Charfauros' son and three other men rescued him 
     from the shack, carrying him on a stretcher. On July 31, 
     Manuel Charfauros was taken by a small boat from the sandy 
     beaches of Merizo to an American hospital ship that was 
     anchored off the reef.
       For Charfauros, it had been a fifteen-day nightmare. For 
     the people of Merizo, the incident was one of heroism and 
     valor. In the face of extermination the Chamorros has fought 
     and saved their families and their honor.

                  Statement of Beatrice Flores Emsley

       So as we were sitting there, someone interpreted and came 
     in and started investigating us, whether we're waiting for 
     the American, whether we love the American. Do you understand 
     the American ain't gonna find nothing but just flies?
       So we agreed with them. They say we're liars, and they 
     start slapping us around. By almost daylight, a bunch of the 
     soldiers all dressed up and well equipped like they're going 
     to war, and they call us all out and line up.
       To each one of us, we had two guns with a rifle and 
     something like a bayonet in front, and they march us down 
     just a little ways. And that place where my grave is at is 
     now got McDonald's.
       They push us into this hill, and on top of the hill there's 
     a bunch of soldiers. There was an officer with a long saber. 
     He was standing right by the hole.
       The first thing they did is they separate the seven men. 
     And when my uncle pull me, they pull him away and they march 
     them in the other side of the jungle. All us four girls hear 
     is like somebody chopping down the forest, and moaning for 
     God, for mother, and I'm dying, and all that.
       Since then, Mr. Chairman, I didn't have any feeling. I'm 
     standing there like I'm just out in a cloud. So then after 
     they finish and everything is quiet, they come back and went 
     by us and they all have a bloody uniform. Their rifle and 
     everything are all blood.
       Then finally they start calling Diana Guerrero, the oldest 
     woman, who walked up to this officer, and the only think I 
     seen, and it start to get blurr, was he cut this front and 
     start sawing off her breast.
       Then the sister next to her came running up to try to help. 
     They do just everything they can with what they got. And the 
     third one was Toni, because I was the youngest one and the 
     last. They march her up, and the only thing they did is slice 
     down her stomach and everything come out.
       When it comes to me, when they took me out, I was walking 
     in air. As soon as they let go of me, I fall down to the 
     ground. Then one Japanese soldier came toward to me and asked 
     me about his half-cast Japanese girlfriend, whether she had a 
     baby.
       I said, I don't know because when the Americans start 
     bombing back the island, everybody is out to the jungle, 
     about two, three family in one big tree, praying and praying 
     and praying.
       So finally when they are finished with me, he pushed my 
     head down and he hit me in the back of my neck. And all I did 
     is, I feel a splash down on my body, and I was gone.
       The next thing, I know, I was trying to struggle because I 
     was buried in that hole. I was struggling for air because I 
     was losing breathing.
       Then I found this hand was shaking loose, and I start to 
     reach and scratch my face. When that face was open and I 
     start breathing, I look up on that hill and there was this 
     young man standing, calling, who is alive, to come with him.
       Then he said, there comes the Japanese. All I did is I 
     closed my eyes. They come, and I hear them say Bonsai three 
     times, and took off because it's getting daylight.
       During daylight, the Japanese is not out. They're all 
     hiding. Only at night.
       So then I start digging myself. I look at that certain 
     particular person I saw, and he ain't there. I was just there 
     in that hole.
       Then I start digging myself and I hear somebody moaning 
     next to me. It was that girl that has been cut up. She wanted 
     some water. She's thirsty.
       So what I did is I crawl over to her and I just felt 
     something wet on that ground, and we just start drinking it.
       I passed out until the sun was hitting it and it was so hot 
     and I wake up and I look around, and I said, ``Toni,'' and 
     she was already stiff.
       I started to crawl up the hill to get away from that area. 
     When I got up to the hill, I fell down because I'm so weak. 
     When I fell back down there, I wait for awhile until I get 
     enough strength to climb up.
       I climb up and I start crawling over to where I hear them 
     Chamorro men crying and hollering for God and help.
       I happened to look, and the only thing that I seen on my 
     uncle is that leg that got wounded. The reason why, Mr. 
     Chairman, I know this is his is because the half of that 
     pants that he was wearing they're so filthy.
       So then I just look and I continue. I don't know where I'm 
     going. I don't know what happened to me. I don't know 
     nothing. I just keep going.


                    the final irony--war restitution

  The story of the people of Guam is powerful and deserves recognition 
and I am determined to ensure that the appropriate attention is given 
to them. There is an unfinished story here and a resulting irony which 
demands attention.
  War reparations; Compensation, reparations, restitution has been 
given to all who experienced the war except for Guam.
  All islands; including the Aleutian Islands have been given some 
compensation.
  In a twist of fate that has worked against the Chamorro people, the 
Chamorus were granted U.S. citizenship in 1950 as part of the Organic 
Act.
  This was done in recognition of loyalty.
  In 1952, the United States signed a peace treaty with Japan ending 
World War II. In that treaty, United States citizens were foreclosed 
the opportunity to seek redress through reparations claims against 
Japan.
  The result was that everyone in the Pacific has been allowed to seek 
and receive reparations for forced labor as well as injury and death 
from Japan, including Japanese mandate peoples.
  The U.S. Government inherited this obligation and for this purpose I 
have introduced a Guam War Restitution Act today to bring justice for 
the people of Guam; to finish the story; to give justice to Jose Torres 
and Beatrice Emsley.

                    Tai Japanese Camp--War Memories

               (As told by Judge Joaquin V.E. Manibusan)

       Before the bombardment, about July 3-4, there were several 
     of us who have been under the siege and brutal treatment by 
     treatment of the Japanese during WWII. Opposite Father Duenas 
     Memorial School in Tai was a farm which belonged to a 
     Chamorro family I believe was the Torre-Tenorio (Bonik) 
     family. I remember there were three nurses from the Guam 
     Memorial Hospital who were stationed at the camp whose names 
     are: Mariquita Perez Howard, Concepcion Torre Tenorio (Connie 
     Slotnick) and Simplicia Salas. This farm was taken over by 
     the Japanese command and I, along with the rest of those 
     farming there, were forced to labor and harvest for 
     the Japanese soldiers. We were also beaten up and struck 
     almost every time if we did not obey their command. I 
     recall how the Japanese commander would take a dog and 
     hang it upside down with his legs tied up to a limb of a 
     tree and how he would demonstrate to us what he believed 
     to be an art and skill of slaying the dog's head. Of 
     course, he was showing off the power of his sharp blade on 
     the sword.
       There were several occasions where he would tie my hands 
     and others and he would take his sword and run the sword on 
     the back of my neck. The interpreter told me that I was 
     supposed to have my neck slashed twice; however, I escaped 
     death again. Another fearful and agonizing moment was when a 
     blade of the sword actually nicked my forehead as a threat to 
     be obedient to the Japanese command. The scar is still on my 
     forehead and although in these past few years that I have not 
     associated this scar with the painful scars of the war, I am 
     again reminded why that scar is there. Again, while others 
     may have had their heads severed, I again escaped death.
       There is that one day in my life that cannot be compared 
     with any other day of my life. It was that day 51 years ago 
     where Tun Enrique White and I were teamed up to dig one hole 
     of three holes that others were teamed up to dig. On the 
     opposite side which, I believe, belongs to the Bonja or Aguon 
     family. It was the hole that later Juan Perez was buried in 
     after he was beheaded. Looking at this picture, it is the 
     hole on your extreme right and you can see Juan Perez 
     kneeling beside the hole. In the middle of the picture is 
     Jesus Salas shown kneeling beside the hole dug for him. Both 
     Perez and Salas were members of the insular forces and were 
     from Piti. Another hole to the immediate left was Dug, 
     Migel Salas who either was already dead because he had 
     been tortured severely from Hagatna because instead of 
     going to get water he was found doing something else, or 
     was to be killed at the site of the hole. I do not quite 
     remember the Merfalen death. What I remember was that a 
     ceremony always occurs before a beheading. I remember that 
     the tallest Japanese was the man in charge of slaying both 
     Perez and Salas. You can see from the photo a Japanese 
     soldier leaning to wipe off the blood from the slaying and 
     cleaning the sword. The sword was always cleaned before 
     any beheading is to be done. Tun Enrique White now has 
     passed away and I am the only one living to recall this 
     agonizing and traumatic experience. One other command from 
     the Japanese that was part of their ritual was to have all 
     the prisoners of their camp surround the holes to be 
     witnesses of what would happen to them if anyone dare 
     disobey their command.
       Although I forced myself to mentally block this memory from 
     my mind, the scars on my leg and on my back are constant 
     reminders every waking moment of my day. And now as I 
     remember, the pain grows stronger and the memories vivid and 
     I find myself reliving the fear and torture in tears.
       A few days after the beheading incident during the heavy 
     bombardment, Tun Ben Blas, Tun Victioriano Camacho and I went 
     into the middle of the camp and hid in between a bunch of 
     bananas as the American flyers were bombing into the camp. 
     After the bombardment stopped for awhile, we went to inspect 
     the rest and this is where we found Msgr. Ben Martinez and 
     Salas were badly injured by shrapnel.
       Martinez and Salas where hit at the Thorretenorio property 
     and they were handed to me at the other camp. Because their 
     wounds are getting swollen and are beginning to have an odor. 
     I convinced the Japanese (``Taicho'') leader that it was in 
     their (Japanese) best interests to send both Martinez and 
     Salas to their families in Mannenghon so that they will not 
     be blamed if anything should happen to them. This was my way 
     of safeguarding the lines of Martinez and Salas. It was then, 
     I who carried Msgr. of Martinez all the way to Mannenghon to 
     deliver him to the Martinez family.
       As the Chamorros honor the members of their insular forces 
     who died in battle and the rest of the Chamorros who were 
     beheaded and tortured to death, I want to part with a picture 
     that my late father, Judge Jose Cmacho Manibusan, gave me 
     while he was a member of the War Crime Commisison--which 
     accounts for these painful memories at Tai. I wish to tell my 
     stories to my children and to their children's children, and 
     so on. It is time to talk about my experience during the war, 
     and continue to talk so that maybe by talking and sharing my 
     experience I can finally let go of these painful memories and 
     find peace after 51 years of not telling my story and now 
     begin to heal.
       I do say without any doubt in my heart and in my mind that 
     the Almighty God was always with me and spared my life. As 
     one grateful individual, I will always hold these memories 
     close to my heart and remember my comrades and those who have 
     died during Guam's own war holocaust.

  I cannot add to that story; justice and recognition must come and it 
must come from this body. To this end, I have introduced H.R. 4741, the 
Guam War Restitution Act. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor and support 
this legislation which may not be of immediate concern to the nation, 
but which brings justice to those who have been denied all these years 
and which will do honor to this country.

                              {time}  2200

  Si yu's ma' ase' todos hamyo.
  Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, I know the day is long and I thank 
the staff very much for their forebearance.

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