The Manenggon March and Concentration Camp: a documentary

[@edwardchemotti]

AS AN A AMERICAN THIS VIEDO HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THE INJUST DONE TO THE CHAMORRO PEOPLE THANK YOU

[@hayunifit]

I truly appreciate this documentary. My mom, Antonia Quenga Manley, used to share some of her experiences during the Japanese occupation. I wish I had recorded them. She had a good command of the Chamorro language. Grandma Asuncion Clara Luisa Rosendo Manley died at the Manenggon Concentration Camp. As I understand it, she died as a result of dysentery after drinking rain water that someone had scooped up from a hoofprint. Her husband, Grandpa Albert Percy Manley was a Japanese POW interned in Kobe, Japan. He was born in England in 1881, migrated to the U.S. in 1904, and within 6 months signed up with the U.S. Marine Corps. His first overseas assignment was the recently acquired island of Guam. Military Certificate states that he was in the service of the Marine Corps from 3 Sep 1904 to 30 Aug 1907. He was the first Superintendent of Public Instruction (from 1907 to 1910). On 29 Apr 1908 he married Asuncion Clara Luisa Herrero Rosendo. "On the twenty-ninth day of April nineteen hundred and eight there was celebrated in the barrio of San Ramon, district of Agana, the marriage of Albert Percy Manley, twenty-seven years of age bachelor, Superintendent of Public Schools, resident of Agana, son of John Manley and Ana Manley, with Asuncion Clara Luisa Herrero Rosendo, seventeen years of age, spinster, occupied with the usual domestic occupation of her sex, resident of Agana, daughter of Manuel Rosendo and Vicenta Herrero, being witnesses present at ceremony Ignacio dela Cruz Mendiola and Rita Millichamp Anderson, and the minister who solemnized the ceremony, Rev. Father Jose Palomo, Pastor of Agana parish." [Agana, April 29, 1908 Vol. 3, Sheet 59] He taught at several villages based on reports he submitted and printed in the Guam News Letter.

[@margaretwusstigcruz4121]

It’s very touching stories how they were treated marching up to Manenggon. My mother Lourdes Benavente Sablan married to Felix Camacho Wusstig, she told me how bad they were treated, she have to March from Yigo to Manenggon she was only 12 years old, her mother Ana Borja Benavente was very sick, she died there at Manenggon. They have to get water from the river to drink. I could imagine how my mom felt when her mother died from all the sufferings they went through. I am glad someone put this together the stories of the survivors, my mother died at the age of 83, 2010, she was one of the survivors.

[@bennettenesbitt-sanders8344]

I can't help feeling so sad and angry at the atrocities and devastations of our people during the war. I was born in 1943 so I was just a toddler then. I knew some of the people here that are telling their ordeals. Praying for healing because we can not forget what happened. Si Bennette Mafnas Santos Nesbitt-Sanders

[@johnborja6409]

I have had the honor of listening to my great grandmother tell me stories of her suffering during the war. At the time she had 3 children. She died at the age of 102. She lived through the Spanish, Americans, Japanese, and Americans again.

[@thomascruz2614]

My father and uncle was enslave for eight months digging caves hardly seeing daylight at that time.one meal a day served in a coconut shell. My dad 15 years old.my uncle 16.They were two of the five who escaped from the chiguian massacre. My uncle showed the Marines where the atrocity took place. Both of them volunteered to scouts for the Marines. Helping them in every way they can, until they were not needed. " Andie family of yona"

[@daveyd0071]

My grandpa survived the Manenggon March by faking his death, I remember his WW2 story telling as a kid sitting on his lap back in the mid 70's. Grandpa was well loved, cool, calm and collective. I know a lot of these man-amko featured here. The Father Duenas activity is what I recall my grandpa telling me. Talk about a rift in time and my fragile memory, this was a really sad but interesting testimonial by the elders of our island.

[@mattguam1903]

Heartbreaking to say the least😢❤

[@candiceperry7916]

These people went through the war 76 years ago

[@rmpae54]

The inhumanity of man towards man is unforgettable. The strength, endurance and survival of the victims should be honored during all of time. Not in anger, not in revengeful acts but in solemn and respectful regard of the sacrifices offered.

[@johnborja6409]

The interpreters identities are known. It is a sad and black part of our history that is better left in the past.

[@DavidCastro-ln6ty]

During the Japanese Occupation on Guam yes Manny were tortured my grandpa used to talk stories about it they live in the northern part of Guam RITIDIAN when the Japanese invaded Guam the Japanese used to shout out to my grandpa from the Light Tower overlooking the ocean and a clear view of ROTA ISLAND 🏝JUAN TAKO which means octopus so- my grandpa will quickly find octopus climb the Steep Cliff line up to the light Tower my grandpa and grandma have 10 children five boys and five girls and the Japanese would slave torture them but no one was killed back then the road that goes down to RITIDIAN was just a handmade Trail when the Japanese started to bomb Pearl Harbor Hawaii that's when the United States declare war with Japan and the u.s. Marines were sent out and landed on the island of Guam Marines to control of RITIDIAN the handmade trail that led to the top of the mountain was open wide for the Jeep to pass it's the original road that leads down to the beach today to make a long story short after the war the US government condemned RITIDIAN property for military use AND a top high-ranking USAir Force and the governor of Guam move my grandfather out from RITIDIAN private beach with the family 500 ft away from Anderson Air Force Base Frontgate YIGO LAND AFB u.s. government and the governor of Guam agreed and promise my grandpa to stay on the land for as long as it takes until the United States government return RITIDIAN PRIVATE BEACH many many many years went by my grandpa's sons and daughters became men and women getting married having kids and I was one of the first generation grandkid with many others first cousins the Castro family started growing do the math my five uncles and five Auntie each having 5 to 8 children some 12 ,9 ,6 ,4 ,18 1 ,7 , 10 that's a lot of first cousins one day one of my grandpa oldest son trying to enter and go to the beach property was stopped and given a hard time that's when Hell Breaks Loose so many years went by and the high-ranking Air Force officers the governor of Guam

[@DavidCastro-ln6ty]

We're no longer in power as the family fought and QUESTION us. government family right to enter private property Beach u.s. government refused this problem was reported to high-ranking Military Officers and was noted to the United States government they returned with a solution to buy the private Beach property 18 hectors beachfront for two and a half cents a square foot my uncle turned around and told the US government I'll take the two and a half cents and shove it where the sun don't shine all the families got together got

[@daveyd0071]

Basically the same thing happened to my grandpa's property in apra harbor.

[@malcdog04]

Naval Facility Guam or NavFac Guam was given back to the two families who originally owned the properties at Ritidian Point before the start of the Cold War ( located in the northern part of Guam) after the base was closed back in 1991 (I was there for the base decommissioning ceremony ), the new facility is known as Guam's Wildlife Refuge. It is nolonger restriced for only military personnel but is now open to the public and is probably the most beautiful beaches you will find on the island.

[@malcdog04]

NavFac Guam was a very small US Naval base that was located on US Anderson Airforce property