In commemoration of Guam’s 81st Liberation Day, families, residents, and local officials gathered Thursday at the Chagui’an site in Yigo to honor the 45 CHamoru men beheaded during World War II under Japanese occupation.
Chagui’an was officially recognized in 2004 as a site of mass atrocity committed in the final days of the War. This year’s ceremony marks the first held at the site since Typhoon Mawar.
Yigo Vice Mayor, Pedro Blas, reflected on the significance of the memoriall. The first-term official emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of the lives lost on the very land where the tragedy occurred.
“Yes, we have the memorial Manenggon but there were other locations on our island like Chagui’an,” said Blas.“Being a leader, a Vice Mayor of this village, I always see that it’s important for us to continue to preserve that memory of our people who were victims of the Japanese here on this land.”
Memorial events across the island continue until Saturday ahead of Liberation Day on July 21.
