They are among our island’s greatest generation, our war survivors who carry the stories of Guam’s pain, courage, and unbreakable spirit.

Today, five of them, retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Joaquin “Danny” Santos, Teresita Sablan Aguon Guerrero, retired From The U.S. Navy, Vicente Salas Angoco, Maria Concepcion Gayle, and Julia Manley Villagomez, are sharing those stories as they are honored as the 81st Liberation Grand Marshals.

For 89-year-old Teresita Sablan Aguon Guerrero, she was just five and a half years old when she realized war had broken out.

She remembers the pain of her time in the Mañenggon Concentration Camp, with no food, no water, and only a small blanket to cover their shelter. 

When it rained, the water poured in like a fountain, leaving the elderly, the sick, and children to suffer.

“It was hard to see people around you suffering with no food, no water, no place to stay,” said Guerrero. 

She also recalls seeing people brutally killed there.

“The Japanese just start cutting off their heads, the three young people that are not doing anything. That’s really something for me as a child to see that,” added Guerrero. 

Also in Mañenggon, Colonel Joaquin “Danny” Santos was just six-years-old.

When his family was forced to march there, his grandfather brought a bullcart to carry the elderly, the sick, and the children on the journey from Asan to the camp.

In the mornings, he and his brother were tasked with fetching water for their grandmother. But their work didn’t end there.

“She would light up the pot once a day between 11 o'clock and noon, I suppose. And the fire must not have any flame going up; otherwise, that becomes basically a signal for the American planes if they're in the area to go and look at what’s going on. So my job and my brother's job was to ensure the flame does not rise,” said Santos. 

He also remembers a moment of heartbreak.

“When the Japanese were getting ready to move to Yigo, my grandmother was saying the rosary and crying and asking my uncle Gregorio to please stand there so that she could look at him and have this imprint on her heart so she could remember him forever,” added Santos. 

He adds, his uncle never returned. He was never listed among those beheaded at Chagui’an, but years later, he learned two patrols found eight more bodies on Aug. 8 and 9, 1944. He still wonders if his uncle was among them.

Still, hope remains clear for these survivors.  

“I'm very happy to represent all the war survivors plus the future generations, who hopefully, you don’t see war in your lifetime. It’s very traumatic, and I hope that we defend our island with some dignity,” said Santos. 

The five grand marshals will be on the parade route on Monday, July 21, starting at 8 a.m.