Semper Fi.
On July 21, 1944, members of the 3rd Marine Division landed on Asan Beach to wrest control of Guam from the Imperial Japanese.
Okinawa-based Marines were hailed as heroes Saturday as they led Guam’s Liberation Day parade, an annual celebration of the U.S. Pacific island territory’s deliverance 74 years ago from a brutal Japanese occupation. Thousands of Guamanians and indigenous Chamorro lined the streets cheering and shouting, “Thank you for your service,” as the smell and smoke of Chamorro barbecue hung in the air.
“It’s very sentimental,” said local Stephanie Borja, as she sat under a tree along the parade route. “We’re very proud of the Marines and all of the [armed forces] … it’s very heartwarming and heartfelt that my mom is able to be here and see who liberated the island and where we are today. We’re very grateful for the Marines.”
Aurora Borja, 69, never misses the event. She said she is grateful to the Marines and the other service branches that fought to free Guam.
“My parents suffered during the war,” she said as military themed parade floats passed by.
The Borja family is typical of the patriotism seen throughout Guam. Aurora got emotional as she spoke of her two sons who serve in the Army; her husband is also a veteran.[…]
Later that night, the III MEF band’s popular music group, Adapt and Overfunk, performed a raucous set at the Guam Museum as fireworks exploded overhead.
In attendance was Julia Villagomez, who was 7 years old when the Japanese occupied the island. She was marched from Agana Heights to the concentration camp at Manenggon where she lost a baby sister and her grandmother.
She remembers being smacked around by the Japanese for speaking English. The rest she has largely blanked out.
“[The occupation] was very brutal,” Villagomez said. “You see older people who can’t walk anymore and you can’t stop and help them because then you’ll be beaten by the Japanese yourself.”
She said it was very important to her to come out and support her liberators.
“I love [the Marines],” she said. “I really love them. Every time they come in the parade you can see a lot of us crying because those were the first that I remember seeing.”
She said Liberation Day is extremely important to Guamanians. She had attended memorial services for the island’s war dead throughout the preceding week with younger members of her family. She hoped what Guam went through – and its traditions – would be passed on to the next generation.
“For me, it’s also for the younger generation … so they can realize how we felt, the hardship that we went through,” she said. “We suffered. Also, I think they should know what went on in the culture.”
Aurora Borja agreed. She said it was important for the next generation to keep the Liberation Day celebration going strong.