(GUAM VISITORS BUREAU) — Veterans and military enthusiasts will begin arriving on Guam on March 10 to commemorate the 62nd Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Some 200 visitors are scheduled to arrive on Guam and stay through March 16, with a one-day trip to Iwo Jima on March 14.
The group is predominantly from the U.S. mainland, along with 60 participants from Guam and nationals from Japan, Great Britain, Australia, Ireland, and Canada.
While on Guam, the group will tour the island’s many historical sites from World War II, including Asan Beach and the Asan Overlook, where U.S. forces stormed the beach on July 21, 1944 to liberate Guam from Japanese control. Tour members will also visit the COMNAVMAR Museum, the War Dog Memorial, and other important sites.
There will also be a tour of Andersen Air Force Base, which will integrate visits to the Arc Light Memorial and Heritage Museum.
On March 14, the group will fly to Iwo Jima for the day, visiting landing beaches, memorial sites, Green Beach, the base and top of Mount Suribachi, the Naval Gun revetments, Hospital Cave, General Kuribayashi’s HQ cave, and much more before returning to Guam at sunset.
Upon their return, members will complete their visit to Guam by going to sites of cultural significance, relics from Guam’s Spanish period, and the Gef Pa’go Chamorro Cultural Village in the southern village of Inarajan.
The group’s final night on Guam will be recognized with a farewell dinner hosted by the Guam Chapter of the Third Marine Division Association at John Gerber’s Ranch and Museum in the village of Ordot/Chalan Pago.
The following day, the tour groups either depart for home or to Hawaii to continue their historical tour with a visit to Pearl Harbor, among others.
Military Historic Tours coordinates the tours on behalf of the Combat Veterans of Iwo Jima in the United States, in association with the Combat Veterans of Iwo Jima in Japan. The purpose of these tours is to facilitate opportunities for veterans and their families to return to these historic battle sites.
The 62nd Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima is part of a series of tours with participants choosing to visit Iwo Jima, the Wake Island, Saipan, Peleliu in the Republic of Palau, and Guam or choosing combination tours at their discretion. The next tour series will be from Hawaii to the Midway Island on June 4.
For more information about the Military Historic Tours and their trips to historic battle sites, visit www.miltours.com
Special thanks to Continental Airlines, which has been the charter carrier since the 50th Anniversary of Iwo Jima, and to the Outrigger Hotel. Guam is pleased to welcome members of the Military Historic Tours group, particularly the WWII veterans returning to Guam.
For more information, contact Cindy Hanson, publicist, at chanson@visitguam.org; Pilar Laguana, marketing manager, at plaguana@visitguam.org; or the Guam Visitors Bureau at tel. 671-646-5278/9 and fax 671-646-8861