As we continue to commemorate the 81st anniversary of Guam’s liberation, island leaders, veterans and war survivors gathered to remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives to liberate the island at the Asan Landing Memorial Ceremony.  

The weight of the words were felt deeply during the asan landing memorial ceremony on Wednesday.  Veterans, war survivors and island leaders stand tall as they sing the Guam Hymn, carrying forward the legacy of liberation. 

"During those times," shared Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, "my uncle and my dad saw the fear in the eyes of the people. They saw the anxiety, they felt the pain, they saw the atrocities. They felt the many, many hardships our people suffered."

In 1944, United States armed forces – the Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Coast Guard - stormed the shores at Asan Beach for a bloody battle that would liberate Guam after three uninmaginable years under Japanese occupation during World War II. 

Marine Corps First Sergeant Jan Pocaigue from Yona honors their sacrifice and resolve in delivering the keynote address, saying, "On these hallowed grounds 81 years ago, courage faced cruelty. Light stood against darkness, though the cost was great, the cause was just to the surviving members of those who gave their lives to the liberation of Guam and to every family that ever received that folded flag."

Though they were outmatched and outgunned, Pocaigue says they weren’t alone, noting, "Long before the landing crafts appeared here in Asan, Guam’s own sons, the ones we rarely hear about, the insular guards, stood as the first line of defense, armed with little more than courage and loyalty."

A story of the CHamoru people’s resilience in the face of hardship that continues to inspire future generations. "CHamoru people did not just simply survive, they stood. Fanoghe CHamoru. Our culture endured. Our voice returned. And our children– inspired by the legacy of both their ancestors and their liberators– chose not only to remember but to serve," he said.

Today, though a small island, Guam stands strong and leads the nation with the highest military enlistment rate per capita. "Not because we are asked to serve, but because we continue to stand as CHamorus. They serve in every branch, in every theater, and every front where freedom is challenged while defending our ideals and our people," said Pocaigue. "So to those in uniform with us today and to those who stand watch in distant lands as we speak, si yu’os ma’ase."