I JUST arrived back from a trip to the States. I went to up-state Washington to visit my grandson, who will be graduating this coming May. To say that I am proud of my grandson’s achievement would be an understatement. It has been a hard journey for him to leave Guam, his family, and essentially everything he knew behind to start a new life in a place where he knew not a soul.
But that is not why I am writing this. I am writing this because I will most likely not be able to visit my grandson in May. I will not be able to attend his graduation and celebrate this momentous occasion with him, nor for that matter will his grandmother be able to do so either. It breaks my heart to think that only his father will be able to fly out and attend his graduation. Indeed it will certainly be a rather lonely celebration. To think that all of my grandson’s friends, room-mates, dorm-mates and fellow graduates will be surrounded by dozens of their family members, while he only has his father. I guess one person is better than no one, but I can still not help but feel saddened.
We simply cannot afford another roundtrip flight to the States. Just for my wife and I to fly to Washington this last trip cost over $3,000. That may not be much money to some, but it was to us. And it will be a while before we save enough to make the journey again.
I never really thought much about it until these past months, but why is it so darned expensive to simply fly from Guam to the States? Actually, it makes me angry to think that I can fly to the States from a place like Korea, Japan, or even way-off Australia for less than it costs to fly from Guam. Something is not right.
I know I must not be the only person that finds the trip to the States financially difficult, but I don’t seem to hear many talking about it or trying to get to the bottom of it. I know Senator Lujan has been trying to bring prices down for us, but why are people just sitting back and allowing Continental to hurt us?
Their greed will deprive my grandson of a memorable and special graduation celebration with his family and loved ones. How many other graduates have been similarly deprived? Isn’t it time that we said enough is enough?
I hope other people who read this and who feel the way I do will take a stand. If Senator Lujan can help us to visit our loved ones in the States without having to break the bank, then we need to do all we can to help. Please do not take this sitting down. I am getting on in years, but I have another grandchild who will be graduating in three years. I hope by then, things will have changed and that my wife, brothers, and children will be able to celebrate that special day with her.

NESTOR GOGUE
Agat, Guam