From Alvin M. Josephy war correspondent:

"The jungle was thick. It was quiet and ghostly. And it might have been my imagination, but there was a bad smell in the air.

Suddently, we came to a clearing.

There spread out on the ground, were about forty bodies of young men. They had their legs drawn up against their chests and had their arms tied behind their backs. They lay in awkward position...on their sides and their stomachs, and on their knees... like swollen, purple lumps. And none of them had heads, they had all been decapitated. The heads lay like bowling balls all over the place.

There was a truck nearby with more bodies and lopped-off heads in it. It looked as if the Jap had been loading all the bodies and heads into the truck but, had been frightened away and had left everything behind.

At first, we thought they were Jap soldiers, killed by their own men in some sort of hara-kiri business. But then, by the clothes, we knew they were young Chamorran men. There was one beheaded woman in the truck.

Before the bodies were buried, many of us visited the frightful scene and saw the victims of the Jap* atrocity. A Guamanian youth told us they were men who had been taken from the concenteration camps." (The Long and the Short and the Tall by Alvin M. Josephy Jr., p. 90-91, The Chamorros* The term "Jap" reflects the language of the time, and is in no way endorsed by the authors of this web page. Readers must recall the internment of Japanese American citizens in the US during this time, and the fact that many loyal Japanese Americans fought and died for the US in WWII.)

Victims, survivors of Faha, Tinta massacres remembered

For 30 years, Jacqueline Hale honored a grandfather she never met. "Every year we celebrate the memorial of our martyrs here in Merizo. The men and women who were killed, put in caves and bombs were thrown into the cave," she said. "I forgive the Japanese, but I just never met my grandpa." Yesterday, Hale and about 40 others hiked to memorial ceremonies at the sites of the Tinta and Faha Massacres. These were Merizo sites in which villagers suffered two of the Japanese military's harshest atrocities against the Chamorro people. At the ceremonies, former Mayor Ignacio "Buck" Cruz told tales few can stand to hear, but many won't forget. At Tinta, Japanese forces took 30 of Merizo's most influential citizens and promised them safe haven from artillery shells. They led the men and women into the jungle and into a cave. The Japanese then threw grenades into the cave, killing half of them. Cruz's own brother survived by hiding beneath his father's corpse. A hard rain chased the Japanese away and allowed the survivors to escape.

At Faha, the Japanese gathered 30 of Merizo's largest men and led them out of town so they couldn't rebel, Cruz said. The men were forced to kneel in a trench and were shot and stabbed to death. Cruz imagened both groups suspected they were being led to their deaths, but cooperated to protect their children. "Some of these men...had their feelings that they were going to be killed. but some of them were probably saying I rather have it be just me than my family" he said. "So they did not revolt."

Theresa Guevara of Mangilao hiked to the memorial for the first time yesterday to honor more than one realtive. Guevara's grandfather was killed in the Tinta Massacre. Her mother made a tradition of attending a memorial service every year until she passed away in 2006. "I feel this is a legacy that we have to continue in honor of my grandfather and my mother and her sisters," she said. "And we should continue to honor those that lost their lives during the Japanese war when they were tricked with safe harbor."

Chagui'an victims honored: World War II site memorialized

Though many of their names are unknown, the 45 people massacred at Chagui'an Yigo, were honored by Guam residents yesterday. The Chagui'an Massacre Memorial brought those in attendance together to pray and officially commemorate, for the first time, the people put to death there. The memorial was held by Yigo Mayor Robert Lizama's office in collaboration with the Guam 2008 Liberation Day Committee. "Although this has escaped the influential power of pens and publications, we will not forget," said Father Danny Feranviz of Our Lady of Lourdes, Yigo's Catholic Church. According to Lizama, the men and boys killed at Chagui'an were forced to work prior to being killed, and many were decapitated with their hands tied behind their backs. A Marine division happened upon the massacre site during Guam's recapture. Former Sen. Tony Palomo, speaking before the gathering said the body of a woman was also found at the site. "This closes a book and a chapter that not everyone knows about," said Jason Tabios, whose great grandfather, Jose Quichocho Pangelinan, was among those slain at the site in 1944. "Everyone should know about what went on here."

Members of the Guam Police Department SWAT Team gave a 21-gun salute, immediately followed by "Taps" performed by a member of the Guam Army National Guard. U.S. and Guam flags were placed by a cross...over the sound of "Amazing Grace"...Lizama thanked members of professor Peter Onedera's University of Guam class, which originally sought information on the massacre, saying their effort to obtain knowledge on the subject led to the sites's recognition. Lizama said Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo expressed interest in obtaining a memorial monument for the site and that his office could begin a registry in an attempt to find out the names of those who suffered there."

Other grave injustices and atrocities

In addition to those atrocities listed above, Chamorro men women and children were placed into forced labor for the Japanese occupation army from morning until night. Children were beaten if they did not know their Japanese lesson. One student was thrown out of a second story window for being late to class. Children who had light complexions were punished more severely. As the US military came closer to Guam, men women and children were placed into concentration camps. People who protected any US servicemen (like George Tweed) were summarily executed.

If you or anyone in your family can personally verify other incidents please email the webmaster below. Back to the petition