Over 40 beaches surround the small 212 square mile island of Guam. It is the southernmost island in the Northern Marianas chain in Micronesia. The crystal blue waters and white sanded beaches are more than just scenery; it is home to a rich history full of diverse people and cultures. Everything that comes to Guam comes from the water. All the food and supplies are shipped here. Great numbers of people have arrived and left; soldiers, families, and workers. For better or worse, all was provided by the water and people of Guam graciously accepted what came ashore. Their welcoming spirit allowed my family the opportunity to have the life that we do. Despite how little history books may say about Guam, its people and background have taught me
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What has happened here according to “American” history is summed up in one sentence; “Spain freed Cuba and turned over the islands of Guam in the Pacific…to the United States” (Danzer 2007 p.556). Not once does it mention the consequences of WWII on the people; or that Guam’s location allowed for the flight of the famous Hiroshima bomb off of the neighboring island of Tinian. Due to its status under the U.S., it was bombed in coordination with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ironically it was occupied by the Japanese military after the initial bombings to “liberate [Guam] from European colonialism” (Higuchi 2014). During this era the people of Guam lost their land, language, and lives. The native peoples have survived through massacres, rape, and forced labor. But what highlights the spirit of the community happens after the …show more content…
My family would have parties and celebrations at Gabgab beach at the Naval base. At least once a week, my brothers and I would go free diving at the Piti bomb holes; skeletons of the war now thriving with ocean life. The area was one of the “first targets of Japanese bombing at the start of World War II” (Babauta 2014). Today it is now a marine preserve that is home to Micronesia’s only underwater observatory. The underwater craters are perfect growing grounds for coral that promote all kinds of sea life. My first time diving fifty plus feet underwater was a very surreal experience. In the vastness of the ocean, I saw everything from little hermit crabs to reef sharks. The calm of the ocean and the harmony of ocean life showed something beautiful can come from ruin: schools of glimmering fish passing, a giant stingray, a pod of dolphins, lush corals. Still, there are many consequences of Guam’s brutal
What has happened here according to “American” history is summed up in one sentence; “Spain freed Cuba and turned over the islands of Guam in the Pacific…to the United States” (Danzer 2007 p.556). Not once does it mention the consequences of WWII on the people; or that Guam’s location allowed for the flight of the famous Hiroshima bomb off of the neighboring island of Tinian. Due to its status under the U.S., it was bombed in coordination with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ironically it was occupied by the Japanese military after the initial bombings to “liberate [Guam] from European colonialism” (Higuchi 2014). During this era the people of Guam lost their land, language, and lives. The native peoples have survived through massacres, rape, and forced labor. But what highlights the spirit of the community happens after the …show more content…
My family would have parties and celebrations at Gabgab beach at the Naval base. At least once a week, my brothers and I would go free diving at the Piti bomb holes; skeletons of the war now thriving with ocean life. The area was one of the “first targets of Japanese bombing at the start of World War II” (Babauta 2014). Today it is now a marine preserve that is home to Micronesia’s only underwater observatory. The underwater craters are perfect growing grounds for coral that promote all kinds of sea life. My first time diving fifty plus feet underwater was a very surreal experience. In the vastness of the ocean, I saw everything from little hermit crabs to reef sharks. The calm of the ocean and the harmony of ocean life showed something beautiful can come from ruin: schools of glimmering fish passing, a giant stingray, a pod of dolphins, lush corals. Still, there are many consequences of Guam’s brutal