[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.
____________________