Jul. 30, 2008
Liberation Day
Greetings from Guam!
We just celebrated Liberation Day. Liberation is a unique holiday. As far as I know, Guam is the only place in the US that was ever occupied by foreign armies. On July 21, 1945, the American Armed Forces arrived and liberated the island by force. A heavy bombardment preceded the amphibious landing.
The Chamorro people were liberated from Japanese occupation. The occupation was brutal for the people of Guam. Many survivors have told their stories so I won't recount them here. It was a war zone and their captors were notoriously brutal. The Chamorro people deserve a celebration of remembrance for their bravery, their suffering and their support for the US troops. The American Armed Forces are the heroes, as well. Many good boys died to get Guam out of slavery.
We have a parade along Marine Corps Drive, our main drag. At this time, I and my family rent a little house on the beach. It is also fronted by the main road, the parade route. Our parade is quaint and not so great as American parades go, but it is the biggest American parade for thousands of miles. Anyway, the parade is not the point. The point is hard to nail down, but it's strong.
To me, it is a big deal. The events of the war in many ways define our reality. The Liberation Day celebration on Guam is to many people the biggest day of the year. It is uniquely Guamanian and uniquely American. It's amazing to be part of it.
My friend Jason stood on the side of the road and said Thank You to all the soldiers and sailors. One lady mentioned to me how surprised she was to see such a strong military presence in a parade. It's been years since I saw a Stateside parade, so I don't remember how commercial she said they were.
My children watched Jason thank the soldiers. I lectured to anyone who would listen about occupation and liberation. It was a good day of school.
On the same day, the people of the United States heard about the crash of the bomber just off the coast of Guam. The bomber was on its way to fly over the Liberation Day parade, but crashed at sea.
We offer our condolences and prayers to all the families. Today we heard that there were no survivors.
A sobering Liberation Day. We enjoy our freedoms because of those who are willing to sacrifice their lives for America. |
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