In The Months After The War
WWII Survivors. Photo from the US National Archives
On August 10, 1944, twenty days after the initial invasion on July 21, American forces declared that the island of Guam was officially secured and back under the administration of the United States. Despite this reversion back to US administration, the people of Guam could not go back to how life was before the war. In the months that followed this recapture, the island and its people underwent a number of changes that would ultimately reshape the physical and cultural landscapes of Guam forever. Upon the liberation from the concentration camps around the island, many CHamorus were discovered to be severely malnourished and sickly. Military c-rations were shared with the local population and field medics tended to the sickly and injured. Due to the devastation of much of the island, many CHamorus were transported to refugee camps to stay in quonset huts and makeshift homes for the time being. During this time, large tracts of land were taken to support the larger US military presence. Sumay was absorbed as part of Naval Station and its residents were placed in the newly established village of Santa Rita. Many families
Refugee camp in Orote. Photo from the US National Archives
with the mission to comb through who had to give up their land were not adequately compensated by the the jungles on foot to either US military, with some even refusing capture or kill those in hiding. This postwar era is among to accept the payment in protest. the least documented in Guam’s The retaking of Guam by history. In response to this, the US and the push to end the Guampedia recently completed war in the Pacific allowed for an an initiative to gather resources unprecedented boom in population. from written documents, More than 200,000 US military photographs, and survivor stories personnel were now stationed on the island, in addition to the recently to create a series of entries focused on the decades following liberated CHamorus and Japanese the liberation of Guam. If you prisoners of war. This boom in know of any additional resources population brought numerous and would like to help us in this business opportunities to work new endeavor, please email with the naval government as well. Workers to rebuild the infrastructure guampedia@gmail.com. of the island were brought in from the Philippines and lived in large camps, with the Munga Maleffa (Don’t Forget) largest being Camp Roxas Click the poster below to register in Agat. for our third Zoom session Although Japan had officially surrendered to the US forces, efforts continued to search for remaining Japanese troops lasted until 1948. These soldiers chose not to turn themselves in but instead took to the caves, jungles, and swamps of Guam. A Guam Combat Patrol was established
