Destination Guam

Destination Guam Experience the tropics without being there!

Just 30 miles long and less than 9 miles wide, Guam is the largest of Micronesia's islands. Guam is also America's gateway to the West Pacific and Asia, and is a booming international resort destination. • Guam's dramatic coastline and white sand beaches are ringed by coral reefs and clear, crystalline waters teeming with exotic marine life and blessed by a balmy tropical climate and gentle trade winds. • Guam's natural beauty, the luxurious high-rise hotel and resort complexes that dominate the beach front at Tumon and Agana, the surrounding restaurants, malls, golf courses, water sports and entertainment facilities combine to create a perfect playground for visitors. • http://www.destmic.com/guam.html

Deep Sea Diving • Guam, the Mariana Isles, and Micronesia are renowned for their vivid turquoise lagoons, deep-sea currents and the clarity of their water. Between December and May, visibility underwater is as much as 150 feet, and even during the wet season is as great as 60 feet. The average water temperature is 85F (27C) year-round.

Culture, A Way of Life • The Chamoru culture is visually manifested in dances, sea navigations, uniqye cuisines, games { batu, chonka, estuleks and bayogu}, song and fashions influenced be the transmigration of people from other lands. Prior to being an American Territory in 1898, Guam was colonized by Spain from 1521 which, in order to preserve the lucrative Spanish galleon trade routes, almost exterminated the original inhabitants of Guam non the less through the survival of the Chamoru Language. • http://ns.gov.gu/culture.html

Chamoru Sea Warrior • "Peskadot" is a Chamoru linguistic term which translates to 'He who stalks and hunts the sacred resources of the Pacific Peoples''. Ceremonial rituals, prayers, and chants honoring the ancestoral spirits or 'aniti' are performed prior to harvesting the denizens of the deep. Only mature sea creatures are culled leaving behind many schools to rejuvenate the fish population. • These fishing grounds are home to over 700 species of marine sea life which are edible by the Marianas Islanders. Fish of variety, shapes, colors and sizes are taken in moderation without waste for the villagers' consumption. • Peskadot.web.gov

Guam Area Military Command • Apra Harbor is a beautiful, deep-water port that can accommodate the largest of Naval vessels including aircraft carriers. Guam Shipyard provides superb repair and maintenance for our vessels, and Kilo Wharf features the only deep water ammunition port in the western pacific where a loaded ammunition ship can go pier side and get much needed maintenance accomplished. • In January 2001 the Navy proposed homeporting up to three fast-attack submarines on the Pacific island of Guam to get the ships closer to their operating area. The first of the Pacific Fleet subs would reach their new base sometime in 2002, though the Navy had not decided which subs will move to Guam. • Stationing submarines in Guam allows them to follow a different operating concept, further increasing the number of mission days they can perform. Attack submarines in the United States typically deploy for a 180-day stretch every two years or so. Submarines based in Guam will deploy for periods of up to 56 days, but much more often, so they will spend about 182 days a year at sea and 183 days a year in their home port.

Military History39th Bomb Group (VH) • As Manny Lawton points out in his book, "Some Survived," few people know what happened to the 25,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who were captured by the Japanese during World War II. Only three out of five survived the barbaric treatment they received during their confinement; many of those that did somehow endure, returned home physically, psychologically and emotionally scarred by months, even years, of imprisonment. The Japanese military tradition believed fanatically that surrender was dishonorable. Therefore, they were totally unprepared to humanely handle the largest number of American prisoners ever taken by a foreign nation. Asian rations were scarce, but the diet of the POWs bordered on starvation. American prisoners were taken to their physical and mental limits. This resulted in overwhelming instances of permanent psychic disorders. They were subjected to gnawing hunger, extremes of heat and cold, unbearable thirst, unlimited torture, boredom, loneliness and never-ending fear. In all ways, the Japanese intention was to completely destroy the bodies, souls and dignity of our Allied prisoners. Practically all POWs suffered from scurvy, pellagra, Bin-bin, malaria, malnutrition and poor vision. Many developed gangrene from untreated wounds. Totally debilitated, they were little more than walking skeletons. And contrary to universally accepted rules in the handling of prisoners, they were often placed in locations subject to the most intense bombings. As a result, an unknown number of prisoners were either killed or severely maimed by bombs falling within prison compounds. • http://39th.org/39th/pow.htm

A Food for Everyone • Pawpaws, also known as papaya, maoli, tebabaia, esi, vininita, paipai, es, olesi, lesi, popo, mummy apple and many other names, grow on almost every island in the Pacific. The fruit of the pawpaw is one of the tastiest and healthiest foods found in the islands. People eat pawpaw almost every day and it is a popular breakfast fruit in many countries. • But in some islands, people let the pawpaw rot, leave it for the birds, or feed it to the pigs. These people are not making full use of the good taste and food value of the pawpaw. Pawpaw is not just a food for animals - people should enjoy it too, either ripe as a fruit or green as a vegetable. • http://www.fao.org

History of Guam • The island was probably visited in 1521 by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, who, sailing for Spain, claimed it for that country. It was formally annexed by Spain in 1565. In 1898, by the terms of the Treaty of Paris at the end of the Spanish-American War, the island was ceded by Spain to the United States. The Japanese captured Guam in December 1941, during World War II (1939-1945). It was retaken by American forces between July 20 and August 10, 1944. In 1950 U.S. citizenship was conferred on the people of Guam. The island was devastated in August 1992 by Typhoon Omar. Winds of up to 240 km/h (about 150 mph) damaged 75 to 90 percent of the island's buildings. • Guam, island in the western North Pacific Ocean, unincorporated territory of the United States, largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands. It is 48 km (30 mi) long and a maximum of about 13 km (about 8 mi) wide; the total area is 549 sq km (212 sq mi). The capital of Guam isHagatna. • http://www.guam-online.com/landmarks/landmarks.htm

Come and Enjoy your life • Guam enjoys one of the world's most equitable climates with temperatures rarely reaching more than a few degrees above or below 80 degrees F. Balmy tropical breezes sweep across the crystalline waters of lagoons fringed by swaying coconut palms and clear blue skies, while visitors soak up the sun and enjoy the luxury and comfort of five-star resort amenities and cacophony of restaurant, entertainment and sports facilities. Guam's hotel and tourism facilities attract more than 1.3 million visitors annually who come to dive, swim, windsurf, golf, snorkel, parasail, play, shop, explore ancient Chamorro culture, get married, honeymoon, dolphin watch, fish, dance, eat, drink and be merry. • http://www.guamusatour.com/guam.html

Destination Guam