I HAVE heard a story told by a Saipanese that some Guamanians claim that the Chamorros of Saipan were responsible for the bombing and invasion of Guam. Not true.
It is true that Chamorros and Carolinians of the Northern Marianas had taken jobs with the Japanese, working at Aslito Airfield. An uncle of Joe Lifoifoi told me that he had been trained, along with other Carolinians, how to load bombs onto Japanese naval aircraft. They would go to the bomb magazine, the building where bombs were stored at Aslito Airdrome, bring the bombs to the runway and load them onto the wings of Japanese fighter-bombers. The planes would take off, do their practice bombing (where I do not know), then return to Aslito.
They did this on the morning of December 8, 1941, assuming it was just another practice run. But it wasn’t. This time the planes returned with the news they had bombed Guam. The old man told me they were sick when they thought about the bombs they loaded killing Chamorros on Guam, only hours after the Imperial Japanese Navy had attacked Pearl Harbor. The purpose of the attack on Pearl Harbor, as well as the attack on Guam, was to neutralize the American naval fleet, so that the Imperial Japanese Navy could move into the oil-rich Indo-China region — unimpeded. The same was true with the naval base at Cavite, the Philippine Islands bombed only hours after Guam, all on December 7/8.
The Chamorros and Carolinians had spent 15 years under German rule, then 30 under the Japanese. At the same time, the Guam Chamorros had spent 40 years under American naval rule. During these years the Guamanians became fluent in English. The Chamorros of the Northern Marianas had become fluent in Japanese. They had grown apart.
Both the Guam Chamorros and the Northern Mariana Chamorros and Carolinians had worked their way up the employment ladder. Guamanians joined the Chamorro militia. Northern Marianas Chamorros became police officers. Both were loyal to their respective flags.
During the planning phase for the Japanese capture of Guam, the Japanese leadership knew they would need translators to help the Guam Chamorros, especially those working for the navy power plant, transition to the Japanese administration. For this job, the Japanese chose Chamorros who could speak English and had become police officers — loyal to Japan. Most tried to help the Guam Chamorros over the language barrier during the transition. Others were zealous, costing Chamorro lives. Some were arrested after the American recapture of Guam and charged with war crimes. Eventually, they were all allowed to go home to Saipan, Tinian, or Rota, their home island.
For those who want to learn more about the Japanese invasion and capture of Guam, see my books “The Sacrifice of Guam: 1918-1943, or “Liberation — 1944.”
DON A. FARRELL
Marpo Heights, Tinian
