The Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs is calling on the community to help locate the families of Guam’s fallen heroes.
Fifty-six “Medal of the Greatest Sacrifice” awards, also known in CHamoru as I Milåyan i Mås Takhilo’ na Sakrifisiu, were recently discovered at the Guam Congress Building.
The civilian honor was created under Public Law 30-193 by the late Speaker Ben Pangelinan to recognize Guam’s sons and daughters who gave their lives in service to the United States. The medals commemorate service members who fought and died in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Committee Chair Sen. Sabrina Salas Matanane says the goal is to return each medal to the rightful families as a gesture of the island’s enduring gratitude.
“This medal is not a military decoration but Guam’s own way of saying thank you,” said Matanane.
The committee is asking anyone who may be related to or know the surviving family members of these fallen service members to contact the Office of Sen. Sabrina Salas Matanane at (671)989-2572, email office.senatorbri@guamlegislature.org, or message Together Bri Can on social media.
