Guam Military, Community Remembers Battle of Midway

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Corwin Colbert
Posted: June 6, 2012

SANTA RITA, Guam – Joint Region Marianas (JRM) hosted a June 5. commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Midway at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Asan, Guam.
 

ASAN, Guam (June 5, 2012) Rear Adm. Paul Bushong, Commander, Joint Region Marianas (JRM), right, and Manuel Cruz Diaz, a World War II Pearl Harbor survivor, greet one another following JRM’s Battle of Midway 70th Anniversary commemoration at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Asan June 5. After the ceremony, guests were invited to view static displays as well as vehicles, watercraft, heavy equipment and presentations courtesy of U.S. Naval Base Guam Security, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40, U.S. Coast Guard Station Apra Harbor and the National Park Service. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Corwin Colbert) | Download

Rear Adm. Paul Bushong, Commander, Joint Region Marianas, was the guest speaker. He emphasized the importance of the battle and its significance in World War II.

“It really is an honor to be here today to commemorate the battle that Adm. [Chester] Nimitz called ‘a glorious page in our history’,” Bushong said. “Many historians look back on Midway as not just a significant battle in the Pacific, but a turning point for the entire war.”

The commemoration included a wreath-laying ceremony following Bushong’s speech.

Manuel Cruz Diaz, a Pearl Harbor Survivor said he was cleaning up the aftermath in Pearl Harbor during the Midway battle. He said he came to the ceremony to support surviving and fallen comrades.

“The Midway memorial – I support this memorial day,” Diaz said. “I like the ceremony, I like participating in ceremonies that are connected to World War II.”

After the ceremony, guests were invited to view static displays, as well as military vehicles, a helicopter, watercraft, heavy equipment and presentations courtesy of U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) Security, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25, U.S. Coast Guard Station Apra Harbor and the National Park Service.

NBG Chaplain Lt. Matthew Drayton said he was inspired by the day’s event.

“I was impressed,” he said. “Especially seeing Manuel Cruz, a Pearl Harbor survivor, who experienced many things. I had a chance to talk to him and it really puts things in the light as far as what this place was and what it was like during the war.”

The Battle of Midway took place from June 4-6, 1942 and was deemed by historians as a decisive battle in the Pacific war.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet successfully stopped Japanese forces from capturing the island of Midway and using it as an advance base; four Japanese carriers were destroyed in the process. After the victory, the U.S. and its allies were able to take the offensive in the Pacific.