Guam was the scene of intense fighting between Japanese and American forces during WWII. The war history of this Pacific island is obvious as bunkers, pill boxes, foxholes, and other structures and features cover Guam’s landscape. Many of these historic structures and artifacts are located within War in the Pacific National Historical Park; This park serves “to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of those participating in the campaigns of the Pacific Theater of World War II and to conserve and interpret outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values and objects of the Island of Guam”.
Two of the historic items which serve to tell the story of the War in the Pacific and the battle for Guam are Japanese guns located at Ga’an point, in the village of Agat. Ga’an point, one of War in the Pacific’s seven historical units, is where 55,000 US Marines and Army Infantry men stormed the beach on July 21, 1944 to begin the recapture of the island from the Japanese. On this unit, located only meters away from the Philippine sea, there is a 20CM Short- Barrel Japanese Coastal Defense Gun (WAPA 2553) and a Japanese Twin-Mount 25MM Antiaircraft Gun (WAPA 2554).
Visitors to this site are able to see and appreciate the historical value of the Japanese artillery while they envision what the landscape and seascape must have looked like almost 60 years ago when Americantroops were invading the island to liberate it from the Japanese.
While it is WAPA’s mission to “conserve and interpret” the historic objects associated with the war, this is not an easy task. While historical preservation and cultural resource management may be a challenge everywhere, Guam’s abrasive and sometimes inhospitable environment can make this mission particulary challenging. Sizable earth- rattling quakes and destructive super-typhoons that often have winds in excess of 150mph can really take a toll and raise havoc on metals in a tropical environment. While the historical preservation mission may be an ongoing challenge, the preservation and conservation of our cultural and historical resources is nonetheless of uptmost importance to WAPA and the National Park Service.
In order to preserve and protect our resources and the history they interpret, WAPA will be refurbishing the guns to improve their exterior appearance while treating them so they will be protected from the elements in the future.
This project will be undertaken in the upcoming months and will be completed by the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Guam.
This project will be made possible thanks to the dedication and efforts of Tekla Vines, Laurin Huffman, Mary Mesa, and Ron Wilson.
