On July 21st at eight o' clock in the morning a ceremony began to honor WWII veterans and Guam liberators; At this time exactly 60 years ago, the men in the audience were coming ashore to begin the three week process of liberating the island from the Japanese.
The ceremony at the Asan Beach unit began with the posting of the colors and the singing of both the National Anthem and the Guam Hymn. After the songs were completed, the invocation was given by Chaplain John L. Kaul, Captain, Chaplain Corps, and the welcoming remarks were given by RDML Arthur J. Johnson, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Mariana Islands. After a brief speech made by Johnson, Admiral Thomas B. Fargo addressed the crowd and explained the significance of the actions and bravery of the men in the audience. Following Fargo's comments, Colonel Fraser E. West (Ret.), U.S. Marine Corps, Commanding Officer "G" company, 2d Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, gave brief comments on the events that occurred on July 21, 1944 while the U.S. forces came ashore.
After the speeches, Superintendent Eric Brunnemann helped distribute the National Park Service medallions which serve to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of the men who served. The veterans were saluted and presented with their medallions individually. Once all the medallions were presented, the audience gave a big round of applause and a standing ovation for all the veterans.
The ceremony concluded with the Benediction and the singing of "Anchors Aweigh" and the "Marine Corps Hymn". During the ceremony there was a fly over by a Naval helicopter which flew both the American and Guam flags in honor of the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Guam.
