It was a morning of memory, healing, and gratitude at the Guam Congress Building as families of Guam’s fallen heroes received medals that were meant to be in their hands years ago. The ceremony marks a renewed promise: that Guam never forgets those who served and sacrificed everything for our freedom.

On Guam, November is Veterans Recognition Month and to keep the spirit of remembrance and gratitude moving forward, Senator Sabrina Salas Matanane is looking back into the island's past. Her Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs held a solemn ceremony to honor the families of some of our fallen heroes with the Medal of the Greatest Sacrifice.

Created by the late Speaker Ben Pangelinan, Public Law 30-193 established the Medal of the Greatest Sacrifice to honor Guam’s servicemembers who lost their lives in battle and to express the island’s enduring gratitude for their defense of our home and freedom.

The law also requires that the recipients' names be displayed at the main building of the Guam Legislature. Recently, 56 undelivered medals were discovered in the Congress Building – each engraved with the name of a fallen hero from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and the Global War on Terror.

Today, after decades, they were finally placed in the hands of their families. “For reasons we may never understand, many of these medals were never delivered. And so today, in the sacred halls of the Guam Congress Building, we stand together to finish the work that was started," the senator shared.

For Salas Matanane, the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran, the process of finding these families has held deep personal meaning. Though her father was not fallen hero, she remembers how he carried his experiences quietly and with dignity – saying she could almost hear him remind her: “Don’t fail these families.”

She explained, “They reminded me that behind every medal is a mother or father, a son or daughter, a grandchild, a family forever changed. These are not just names. These were lives and they mattered.”

She reminded the room that today is not only about honoring the sacrifice of Guam’s fallen heroes, but also the love, grief, and resilience of the families who raised them, supported them, and waited for them.

As the names of their loved ones were called, families made their way to the front of the hall — receiving medals that symbolize the island’s commitment to never forget and always show gratitude for the ultimate price paid for our freedom.

With the help of media partners, village mayors, and community members, just over 30 families have been found so far, but Salas Matanane and her team say their search will continue – ensuring that every hero is remembered and honored.