Naval Base Guam Welcomes Residents Back to Sumay

By Anna-Victoria Crisostomo, U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas Public Affairs

SANTA RITA, Guam (NNS) -- Former residents of Sumay village and their descendents returned to their pre-World War II (WWII) home to celebrate the second annual "Back to Sumay Day" on U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) April 9.

Coordinated by island mayors from the villages of Agat, Santa Rita and Piti with NBG officials, Back to Sumay Day offered the returning residents the chance to return to the location of their once prosperous village.

The event started with a Catholic mass attended by former residents and their families. After the mass, Santa Rita Mayor Dale Alvarez welcomed many generations of people and reflected on the significance of the celebration.

"As the saying goes, 'you cannot know who you are, unless you know where you came from,'" Alvarez said. "Today, my dear people of Sumay, we are at the place where we came from."

Alvarez thanked Capt. Richard Wood, NBG commanding officer, for opening up the gates and allowing the residents to return to the place they once called home.

The mass was followed by cultural song and dance presentations by students from Harry S. Truman Elementary School in Santa Rita, Guam, and Cmdr. William C. McCool Elementary/Middle School on NBG.

Afterwards, attendees were treated to a traditional island feast and the sounds of local music. Throughout the day people viewed old photographs and a map of Sumay village that were part of a historical display. Some elders were able to locate their former homes from an aerial photograph and reminisced about their childhood in Sumay.

Juan T. Guzman, former Sumay resident and retired naval aviation machinist's mate, recalled his life as a 7-year-old boy in the old village.

"Oh, I love it because the people, the families, are very close together," Guzman said.

Volunteers from the University of Guam made their way through the crowd, listening to the stories of the manåmko' (man-UHM-koo), or elderly people, in an effort to record their memories for publication. Volunteers from military commands supported the event by assisting with set up and take down, trash recycling and helping the elders when needed.

Agat Mayor Carol Tayama reflected on the day's events and the hospitality offered to the community by base leadership.

"This is really a very great event for the original residents of Sumay and their families to come back and see where they were born, where they grew up, and we thank Capt. Wood for doing this for us," Tayama said.

Wood echoed Tayama's sentiments and stressed that, under his leadership, Back to Sumay Day would be a continuing event.

"It's important [for us] to remember that we're part of the community, that we work together with the mayors and the local villages to try to enhance cultural and historical opportunities for people who have ties to this land," Wood said. "[They can] come back and see where their grandparents lived, where the invasion occurred, where the village was destroyed - and how it was destroyed - and to welcome these people back for as long as they want to come back."

Back to Sumay Day was started by former NBG commanding officer Capt. Scott Galbreaith in 2010.