On July 10, 1944, a flag-raising ceremony was held on Saipan by U.S. forces led by Adm. Raymond A. Spruance, Gen. Holland M. Smith and Maj. Gen. Harry Schmidt. According to World War II survivor David “Uncle Dave” Sablan, the flag was raised outside a Japanese building that later became the Office of Civil Affairs, which was in the area between Marianas Business Plaza and the Department of Public Safety.
