[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 26, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E954-E956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF JOHN VINCENT PANGELINAN GERBER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 26, 2010

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
service of John Vincent Pangelinan Gerber, a lifetime resident of the 
village of Ordot, Guam. John Gerber passed away on May 4, 2010 at the 
age of 58.
  Born on May 31, 1951, in Guam, John is the eldest son of Martin and 
Dolores Gerber. He attended Barrigada Junior High School, Father Duenas 
Memorial School, and after graduating from George Washington High 
School, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on June 4, 1969. 
After completing basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San 
Diego, John was deployed to Vietnam where he served with the Fleet 
Logistics Command in support of the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions. 
Following his tour of duty in Vietnam, John was assigned to Bravo 
Company at Marine Barracks Guam. John Gerber was honorably discharged 
from the U.S. Marine Corps on June 3, 1975.
  John Gerber began his civilian career as a young radio disc jockey on 
the Wireless Rock Show and later established a record store in Guam's 
capital of Hagatna called the Wireless Rock Music Box. John also 
started a charter boat tour company that took visitors around Guam's 
southern shores.
  In 1992, John joined the Guam Chapter of the 3rd Marine Division 
Association, and as a member of this service organization, he devoted 
his time to helping his fellow Marines, service members, and veterans. 
John invited individuals or groups associated with the 3rd Marine 
Division visiting Guam to one of the famous Gerber fiestas at his home 
in Ordot, and while there, Marine Corps veterans groups and service 
members would be treated to an evening of Chamorro hospitality. 
Throughout his lifetime, John and the 3rd Marine Division Association 
hosted over 16,000 service members on Guam.
  In 2004, John Gerber led a petition to rename Route 1 on Guam from 
Marine Drive to Marine Corps Drive. John argued that the intent of the 
original authorization for the highway was to recognize the U.S. 
service members who liberated Guam. That same year,

[[Page E955]]

John walked from Andersen Air Force Base to Naval Base Guam, 27 miles 
in total, while pulling a cart the entire length. His campaign was 
successful, and Route l in Guam is now officially named Marine Corps 
Drive. Every year, John also loaned his restored World War II-era 
vehicles as part of Guam's Liberation Day Parade.
  On July 21, 2008, the 64th anniversary of the Liberation of Guam, 
John opened the Pacific War Museum on Guam. This non-profit museum was 
built by John to showcase his World War II-era memorabilia and to 
educate the public on the War in the Pacific.
  I join our community in mourning the loss of John Gerber, and I offer 
my sincere condolences to his wife, Mela Gomez Gerber; his siblings, 
Martin, Joyce, Wanda, Debra and Janet; his children, Ryan, Christiana, 
Storm and Rio; and to his many family, friends and fellow Marines. He 
will be missed.
  Madam Speaker, I also request that two additional items be entered 
into the Congressional Record. The first is a tribute to John Gerber 
from Brigadier General Ben Blaz, the former Member of Congress from 
Guam. General Blaz was a good friend of John Gerber, and he composed 
this tribute in his memory.


                               My Friend

       His name was John. He was exceedingly proud of his Chamorro 
     heritage. He was the personification of a United States 
     Marine. He was unabashedly loyal to America.
       We hailed from the same village, metro Ordot, as he would 
     say on occasion. His effervescent presence was always felt; 
     sometimes quietly, other times not. His devotion to his 
     friends was profound; his tolerance for those with whom he 
     disagreed was noteworthy, at times!
       It is said that in life, there is a time to grow and a time 
     to glow. John did both in tandem. He was endowed with a 
     natural ability to rally and to lead those with him to reach 
     their goal. Many of his accomplishments were in keeping with 
     a vow he made to a dying friend that he would strive to do 
     well the rest of his life. His intense commitment to fulfill 
     that vow resulted, among others, in the establishment of a 
     remarkable museum to remind all of us how dearly the 
     liberators and the liberated paid for the freedom we enjoy 
     today.
       In acknowledgement of his many accomplishments, I invited 
     John and his wife to join me as Guest of Honor on the 
     reviewing stand for the performance of the Marine Corps 
     Battle Colors Detachment at Asan Park in March. He would not 
     accept the invitation. I asked him a second time and he 
     declined once more because he would prefer to be with his 
     comrades--veterans of all the Services. I approached him a 
     third time and threatened not to attend the ceremony unless 
     he and his wife joined me. Reluctantly, he accepted for which 
     I was so grateful for no other guest present that day was 
     more deserving than he to be honored.
       My friend's full name was John Vincent Pangelinan Gerber. 
     He was shorter than I, but I looked up to him for he was an 
     extraordinary man from whom I learned to be a better person.
       John did not seek fame; it sought him!
       Semper Fidelis, Marine!

  The second item is the eulogy offered by Colonel Robert Loynd of the 
U.S. Marine Corps at John Gerber's memorial service. Colonel Loynd is 
with Marine Forces Pacific and was asked to deliver the eulogy at the 
request of John Gerber's family.


                  Eulogy to John Gerber--Fellow Marine

       Let me begin by saying what a distinct honor it is to stand 
     before you on this altar today in the presence of this 
     beloved and storied Marine, and represent with this eulogy 
     the memories, sorrow, gratitudes and condolences of all 
     United States Marines around the globe who have had the 
     privilege of knowing John Gerber. And I use the past tense 
     loosely here, because there are many United States Marines 
     yet to come who will also undoubtedly have the privilege of 
     getting to know John and his legacy while visiting his 
     Pacific War Museum--an unyielding and enduring structure of 
     steel and iron, lovingly filled with artifacts of sacrifice 
     and recollections of wartime faithful devotion--built by John 
     Gerber's hands, to withstand the rigors of time. In many 
     ways, John and the Museum itself are one in the same--
     steadfast, lasting, loyal, engaging, welcoming, enlightening, 
     forgiving, hallowed, and revered. Timeless qualities that 
     transcend any earthly existence.
       I first heard the name ``John Gerber'' about four years ago 
     in 2006 in an unlikely place. I was sitting in the Incheon 
     International Airport in Seoul, Korea awaiting a late-night 
     flight to Guam for Alliance talks between senior U.S. and 
     Korean military leaders. The mere fact that I remember that 
     moment speaks volumes about John, in and of itself. I wasn't 
     part of the specific conversation at the airport, and like 
     most staff officers who carry the laptops and briefing books 
     for the senior officers, I was only pretending to be 
     attentive as I sat on the periphery of two general officers, 
     one couch over in the airport terminal, who were engaged in 
     what appeared to me to be largely irrelevant banter. Amidst 
     the sleep-inducing drone I suddenly heard a sentence that 
     leaped-out at me with alarming clarity and purpose: 
     ``Nobody's done more for the Marine Corps' legacy on Guam 
     than John Gerber.'' Needless to say, I was intrigued and 
     leaned-in to see if I could hear more. With frustration, 
     however, I leaned back in my chair as the sentence ended 
     right there, with the two Generals nodding to each other in 
     stern, solemn agreement. My intrigue would have to remain 
     unsolved--one of the unfortunate aspects of ``experience'' 
     in the Marine Corps--for I had learned many years before 
     that it would not have been wise at that moment for the 
     LtCol--one couch over--to interrupt two Generals engaged 
     in a private conversation by asking: ``Excuse me, Sir--Who 
     is John Gerber?''
       2nd Lieutenant Loynd might have asked. . . .
       But the sentence stayed with me, and it wouldn't be until 
     April of last year in 2009 that I would finally gain the 
     honor of meeting The Man. Since then, I have found myself 
     often repeating the same sentence, in my own conversations, 
     with the same clarity, distinction and purpose that I heard 
     it with four years ago: ``Nobody's done more for the Marine 
     Corps' legacy on Guam than John Gerber.'' Truer words were 
     never spoken.
       Knowing what I know now about John and what he means to the 
     Marine Corps and our heritage, I should have interrupted the 
     generals four years ago with my question. Instead of the 
     expected steely-eyed glare for interrupting, I'm certain that 
     I would have been educated in a heartfelt way about the Man 
     and his incredible legacy. The General's response most likely 
     would have been something like: ``Well Bob, let me tell you 
     about my friend John Gerber. . . .''
       What he would have told me would have been a reverent tale 
     about a man who devotes every waking moment of his life to 
     serving others, to honoring the legacy of sacrifice and 
     commitment by those veterans who demonstrated the full 
     measure of devotion to their country and their comrades, and 
     about a man who loves the Marine Corps and his fellow Marines 
     with every fiber of his being.
       When I did finally meet John in April of 2009 at his 
     museum, I immediately sensed something unique--that I was in 
     the presence of a man so humble and modest, but yet so 
     commanding and persuasive at the same time. I was on an 
     advanced visit to Guam a couple of months prior to moving 
     here from my assignment at Headquarters Marine Corps. My 
     predecessor on Guam, Col. Paul Brier, made sure to bring me 
     to the Museum to meet John on the very first day of my visit. 
     We were immediately greeted by John around the back, his 
     Marine Corps ball cap tilted back on his head, his gray 
     ``Marines'' t-shirt soaked through with sweat and covered 
     with twigs, mulch, and sawdust. I was meeting a man of the 
     earth, imbued with an ethic of labor and hard work. Shaking 
     his hand, the roughness of his palm immediately told me the 
     story. But I was also meeting a man of tremendous intellect, 
     as I learned more in the first five minutes about Guam's 
     cross-cultural history and conflicts than my jet-lagged brain 
     could absorb. We went through the museum and I was machine-
     gunned by John with not only Marine history about the 3rd 
     Marine Division at Asan and the 1st Marine Provisional 
     Brigade at Agat, but very personal tales of courage, heroism, 
     love and devotion. Of men like Medal of Honor recipient Capt. 
     Louis Wilson, and Catholic Priest Father Duenas; about 
     hometown Chamorro Marine Corps officers and leaders such as 
     Capt. Peter Siguenza and BGen Ben Blaz, about Underwood and 
     Puller and about the 1,548 United States Marines who 
     gallantly gave their lives in the Liberation of Guam. And 
     true to his character, John presented a balanced and open-
     minded perspective, as we transitioned to the other wing of 
     the museum where I was overwhelmed with his equally in-depth 
     knowledge of the Japanese perspectives of the war.
       Our relationship would grow over the next year and I would 
     routinely turn to John for help in ensuring that our visiting 
     Marines--his Marines--were well taken care of.
       Two months ago, I was asked to write a letter of 
     recommendation to support the nomination of John to receive 
     the prestigious ``Colonel John H. Magruder III Award'' from 
     the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation in Quantico, Virginia. 
     Once again, I found myself using that famous sentence from 
     Korea. And I quote the final paragraph of my letter of 
     recommendation:
       ``Over the course of the past two decades, no person has 
     done more to honor the history and reputation of the United 
     States Marine Corps on Guam than John Gerber. His Pacific War 
     Museum remains a sole outpost of Marine Corps heritage in the 
     vast Mid-Pacific. Visited by commandants, generals, 
     congressmen, Marines, history enthusiasts, tourists, children 
     and citizens of various nations alike, John's museum both 
     inspires and brings contemplative reflection. For his 
     tireless devotion to depicting the legacy, service and 
     history of the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific, I 
     can think of no finer recipient of the ``Colonel John H. 
     Magruder III Award'' than John Gerber.''
       I have high hopes that this award will come true. But in my 
     mind, there was no greater local recognition of John's 
     devotion than to see him and Mel sitting next to BGen Ben 
     Blaz as Guests of Honor for the performance of the storied 
     Marine Corps Battle Color Detachment at Asan Beach this past 
     March--a first ever performance on Guam that could not have 
     been a success, without, once again, John Gerber's legendary 
     passion, love, devotion and work-ethic. John singlehandedly 
     prepared the Asan Park for a performance befitting the 
     Marines from 8th and I. And because of that --they will be 
     back. And I know they will be playing a tune for John.

[[Page E956]]

       Rudyard Kipling once wrote:

     ``If you can fill the unforgiving minute
     With sixty seconds' worth of distance run
     Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
     And--which is more--you'll be a Man my son!''

       Well, from May 3Ist, 1951 until May 4th 2010, the Man--John 
     Vincent Pangelinan Gerber--ran the distance everyday and 
     filled every unforgiving, unyielding minute of his life with 
     action, passion and commitment. John nurtured his earth and 
     everyone who was in it, and today we Marines extend our 
     collective devotion and gratitude to John for having been one 
     of us--our friend, our standard-bearer and Guam's most 
     devoted Marine.
       Now, it's a tragic misunderstanding that some may think 
     that Marines aren't prone to poetry (and don't worry--I 
     didn't write one), but John Gerber was a fan of poetry--his 
     favorite poem being one of the greatest ever written--``The 
     Marines Hymn.'' And we Marines will be coming to attention 
     for that later today in John's honor. But I do want to end 
     with a beautiful sonnet written by the Anglo-American Poet 
     John Gillespie Magee that eulogized the laying to rest of the 
     famous World War I English poet Rupert Brooke, who died on 
     his way to the Battle of Gallipoli. As I read it, please 
     think of John Gerber, all that he is, and all that he has 
     achieved in his wonderfully productive life on earth.

     ``We laid him in a cool and shadowed grove
     One evening in the dreamy scent of thyme
     Where leaves were green, and whispered high above--
     A grave as humble as it was sublime;

     There, dreaming in the fading deeps of light--
     The hands that thrilled to touch a woman's hair;
     Brown eyes, that loved the Day, and looked on Night,
     A soul that found at last its answered Prayer. . .

     There daylight, as a dust, slips through the trees.
     And drifting, gilds the fern around his grave--
     Where even now, perhaps, the evening breeze
     Steals shyly past the tomb of him who gave
     New sight to blinded eyes; who sometimes wept--
     A short time dearly loved; and after,--slept.''

       Rest in Peace, John. Mission Accomplished.
       Semper Fidelis Marine.

                          ____________________