Rene Lao Activities: July 2007

The Guam Boonie Stomps are maintained by the Guam Boonie Stompers in cooperation with the Dept of Parks and Recreation and they hold various difficulty levels of hikes every Saturday starting at 9am.

I had my 2nd Guam Boonie Stomping on July 21, 2007 for the Liberation Hike. The 4 hour 2.5 mile hike was composed of short walks to historic sites from the 1944 Liberation of Guam. There was also a short climb at Mount Alifan to see the actual caves and foxholes dug by the Japanese during WWII.

Liberation of Guam - Liberation Day marks the day when, on July 21, 1944, U.S. forces landed on the island and began the campaign to regain control of the island from the Japanese Imperial Army. Japan held Guam for more than two years during WWII, soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 8, 1941.

Biba Guam! The island celebrated it's 63rd Liberation Day anniversary, with the annual parade beginning at 10am in Hagatna and festivities culminating with fireworks display at 9pm from the carnival grounds at the Paseo.

Instead of the usual meeting place at the recreation office of the Paseo Stadium, we all met 9am at The War in the Pacific National Historical Park Visitor Center in Piti along Marine Corps Drive just outside the main gate to Naval Station.

Our program for the day started with a viewing of a video documentary of the Liberation of Guam during WWII.

The group then proceeded to Apaca Point, one of the two landing points of the American liberation forces in 1944. The other point was at the Asan Beach.

Our guide was showing us one of the actual pillboxes built by the Japanese into the limestones along the beach to camouflage their defense positions as they tried to ward off the invading American forces.

Next we went to Gaan Point where we saw some of the remnants of the Japanese bunkers and guns used against the Americans.

Hara Kiri!!!!!!

Off we go to our next stop ... the fun part ... hiking and climbing ....

Final briefing before climbing Mt. Alifan ... beware of muddy and slippery slopes and the usual dreaded sword grass where I sourced all the cuts and bruises on my arms, legs and even face, during my first Boonie Stomp.

A hiking we will go ... a hiking we will go ....

A unique experience to climb into an actual foxhole used by the Japanese during WWII to hide from the heavy bombardment by the Americans, where they dropped more than 400 tons of bombs over a 12 day sortie before the beach and land invasion .... creepy feeling inside the crampy caves and foxholes.

Nice breath of fresh air after some time inside the caves. At my back is a picturesque view of Asan beach where the Americans landed. I am standing at the exact place where Japanese soldiers where shooting down at the Americans as they landed on the beach and advanced inland to defeat the Japanese to retake Guam.