| Despite the hard and bloody Battle of Guam in 1944, there are surprisingly few scars and artifacts left. In fact, very few Americans even know Guam exists; fewer still know it's a U.S. Territory. It seems that almost no one realizes one of the great battles of the Pacific War happened here. This project runs from 2003 - 2006, and is dedicated to documenting as many sites, relics, and monuments of World War II are left on the island. Unlike many other Pacific islands, the United States remained on Guam after the war, and cleaned up most of the debris of the battle. July 21, 2004 was the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Guam, and was perhaps the last major anniversary that will have a large contingent of war veterans return to visit the field of their battles. All photographs are by Nathanael T. Miller unless otherwise noted. |
| This listing contains the two major active-duty military installations on Guam as of 2003-2005 (smaller sites are listed in their village district). Also here are the special events, Hall of Heroes, and a Guam map you can refer to for very general geographic points. |
| These are civilian village listings. Yigo is Guam's northern-most village. In this tour you'll proceed south along Guam's west coast to the Merizo & Umatac area. Just after Umatac you'll round Guam's southern tip and start traveling back north up the eastern coast. |
| Click the map to download a larger version so you can keep track of your explorations on Guam! |
| There are two awesome books that provide directions to these sites. Both are written by Mr. Dave Lotz, a local expert on the history of the Mariana Islands. 1) The Best Tracks on Guam, 3rd Edition. 2004. Making Tracks, PO Box 20721, Barrigada, Guam, 96921. This was written in conjunction with his wife, Mrs. Bev Lotz. ISBN: 0-9713668-6-1 2) World War II Remnants-A Guide and History. 2nd Edition. 1998. Arizona Memorial Museum Association, 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu, HI, 96818. ISBN: 1-892858-01-01-0 This historian would like to extend his thanks to Mr. Lotz. These two books have been my guide to exploring Guam; in a way, these web pages are merely a virtual version of his World War II Remnants. The only thing I have not included are the extensive driving directions. World War II Remnants was also the primary guide source I used when exploring the main northern islands (Saipan, Tinian, and Rota) in the Marianas chain. The Best Tracks on Guam will provide excellent hiking directions to those sites that are not accessible by car, and Mr. Lotz has their history nicely summarized. In addition, he rates the stomps by level of difficulty, so a novice boonie stomper is strongly encouraged to use this book instead of just going out and getting themselves lost in the jungle. Never stomp alone--make sure you have a partner, and make sure someone knows where you are going. Some sites are in caves, others in the deep jungle. Dehydration is a very real danger, and an injury can make getting out nearly impossible. |
