Sons of Guam Pearl Harbor Memorial

Many people believe the first CHamoru experiences with World War II occurred when the Japanese began the aerial bombing of Guam on the morning of Monday, December 8, 1941. Few realize that the first CHamoru causalities of WWII actually occurred hours earlier and on the opposite of the International Date Line.

While countless CHamoru were brutalized or killed during the war, the first CHamoru to fall during World War II met their fate in Honolulu. These twelve CHamoru men were serving in the US Navy aboard various battleships when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. These CHamoru men were not allowed to be citizens of the United States, but they bravely demonstrated their loyalty to the nation by enlisting in the US Navy. They never saw their homeland again.

Guam was bombed only hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor and two days later, the US Navy surrendered the island to the Japanese.

These twelve CHamoru men that were at Pearl Harbor were among the first victims of the Pacific Theater of WWII. The loss of CHamoru lives that occurred as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor were the first, but they certainly would not be the last. During the two and a half years of Japanese occupation, countless CHamoru suffered or died during the war as they were interned in concentration camps, forced to provide labor for the Japanese forces, and were often beaten or brutalized.

While the occupation of Guam would be a period of much suffering for the CHamoru, it is important to realize the sacrifice and suffering of the CHamoru people occurred even before the war arrived on Guam’s shores. The first CHamoru to die in the war were men who voluntarily chose to leave their homeland in order to serve for the Untied States Navy. While they may have died away from their homeland, their contributions, bravery, and sacrifice will not be forgotten.

In an effort to honor these men and their families and in recognition of the tie between the Arizona Museum Memorial Association and Guam, a memorial plaque was installed at the Asan Bay Overlook and a ceremony was held to dedicate the Sons of Guam Pearl Harbor Memorial. This elegant black granite plaque bears the names of those Chamorros who died aboard the USS Arizona, USS West Virginia, USS Nevada, and the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor.