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.

Refugee camp in Orote. Photo from the US National Archives

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 who had to give up their land were not adequately compensated by the US military, with some even refusing to accept the payment in protest.