WWII Survivor Stories

Memories of the war are just a blur. The sun rose bright and brilliant, the same way it had every Monday before then. Airplane-shaped silhouettes flew across the blue sky, making shadows behind fluffy white clouds.  The ocean water flowed deep and teal into the Hagåtña river, washing under Grace Sablan Viegas’s (1933 – 2020) house as it normally did during high tide. She loved to watch the water come in and out with the tide. As the sun rose and the tide flowed, this particular Monday morning turned into one of tragedy. 

Daughter of an American. Tired and hungry were the words Irene Perez Ploke Sgambelluri (1931 – ) used to describe how she felt every day during the war. She was only 10 years old at the onset of the war and instantly, her life was forever changed.

The war brought her family closer together. Clad in a white dress and moccasins, Sylvia Iglesias San Nicolas Punzalan (1927 – ) was preparing to honor Santa Marian Kamalen on 8 December 1941 at the island’s annual procession around the capital village of Hagåtña.  She was 14 years old, the sun was shining, and her family, along with the rest of the island, had readied themselves for a day of tradition and celebration.

A young Malesso girl. Josefa Cruz Baza (1930 – 2021) is known as a quiet and gentle soul. But those who know her well knew that there is a lot of truth in the saying that “dynamite comes in small packages.” 

War is non-discriminatory. Sister Mary Bernard Unpingco (1935 – ) is a School Sister of Notre Dame and a survivor of war. She was born in San Ramon, Hagåtña, and named Rita Reyes Unpingco. Her parents were Eliza Guevara Reyes and Jose Aguon Unpingco. Unpingco was the middle child of seven children: Juan, Norbert (Bert), Gloria, Rita, Fe, Teresita and Antonio (Speaker Tony Unpingco). The family also reared (pokasi) Rosario Reyes, who was Eliza’s oldest brother’s child. Rosario’s mother had died at childbirth.

Merizo’s best dropout. To this day in Malesso’/Merizo, they still talk about the lady who married young, dropped out of high school, and stayed home for many years. But that’s just the beginning. They continue telling this story, because to everyone’s surprise, she went back. She studied hard, finished school, and became a teacher.

Faith in spite of fear. Patricia Taitano Guerrero (1936 – ) was only five-and-a-half years old when Japanese forces bombarded the island and occupied Guam. She would turn eight years old by the time American troops retook the island. Guerrero recalls the presence of fear in her life, coloring nearly every experience, nearly every moment.

A frightened five year old. Becoming a priest was always what David I.A. Quitugua (1936 -2020 ) envisioned for himself, especially after receiving First Holy Communion at age 10.

A child’s wartime journey. Mary Taitano San Agustin Lujan (1936 – 2022) endured separation from close family members, a life in constant fear, endless nightmares, sudden flights to escape bombardment and near starvation along the 1944 march and encampment of Talo’fo’fo and Manenggon.