A few short excerpts, though not written in stone:
12 July 1944
Chief walked quietly by a small patch of taro, noticing their big, heart-shaped leaves. It was not quite dawn. He heard yelling and turned in its direction. Taking out his binoculars, Chief adjusted the settings, focusing on the clearing in the distance. “Ai Yu’us,” he mumbled in disbelief. “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” Chief prayed in Chamorro. He witnessed the Kaikuntai raise his sword and lower it in one fell swoop, beheading a man who was already beaten black-and-blue. Chief watched as the men who were tied up nearby suffered the same fate; four in total. He kneeled for several minutes, quieting his heart beat and praying for the strength to endure and for the Americans to come soon.
18 July 1944
USS Starlight transport ship en route to Guam from Eniwetok, Marshall Islands
The upside to a tent shortage onboard the USS Starlight is that David could fall asleep looking up at the stars. They’ve been at sea for a day now, and soon they’ll be in the midst of war. David hoped and prayed his family survived the occupation. He hoped his family used the caves they discovered for protection; he prayed they would turn to the caves today too.
“Damn them” he mumbled, thinking of the Japanese. David knew that the bombings soon to come would destroy much of the island, possibly killing innocent people so the liberation forces could land and secure Guam.
His army unit, the 77th Infantry Division, was initially designated as the floating reserve. However, on 6 July, Commander Task Force or CTF 56, headed by Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, attached all of the 77th to the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade. Specifically, CTF 56 assigned David’s 2nd Battalion of the 305th Regimental Combat team, or 2/305, to land on Guam on 21 July, referred to as W Day. The remainder of the 77th would land no later than W Day + 2.
*****
September 1944
“Mmmm, I’m biting the skin off the wing, sucking the milk out of the head, coconut milk dripping down my chin,” she exclaims as she licks her fingers, role playing what was appearing to gross Johan out. Jesi could barely contain herself. “Okay, okay, I quit. It’s really good though! Well, the wing anyways. That’s about as far as I go!” she says. “Besides, fanihi is not any worse than sucking coconut milk out of a shrimp’s head!” Jesi smiles mischievously, turning to walk down the trail. “Funny, very funny Jesi,” Johan calls after her.
*****
He parted her lips with his; they were so soft. Gently, he guided her, sensing she had never been kissed before. Johan teased her lips further apart, lingering on her tongue. Taking Johan’s lead, Jesi found his tongue too. Johan’s heart was racing faster and his kisses more voracious. “Stop,” he told himself, “You’ve got to stop,” he struggled in his head. Johan tore his lips away from hers and hugged her tightly against his chest, not wanting to let her go.
*****
Christmas 194?
Jesi rocked Mariña……. “Fan mȧtto” was coming up. Jesi loved Christmas time with all the nobenas and family gatherings…..
Fan mȧtto man hengge, fatta i minagof, fan mȧtto, fan mȧtto giya bilen.
Come all who have faith, show your cheer, come, come to the manger.
Atan i patgon, rai i ȧnghet siha
Look at the baby, king of all the angels.
Ref: Ta nginge' ta adora, ta nginge' ta adora, ta nginge' ta adora, si Jesus.
Let’s kiss kiss and adore, let’s kiss kiss and adore, let’s kiss kiss and adore, Jesus.
Ilegña i ȧnghet nu i pastot siha, estague' i Kristo giya bilen.
The angel of the shepards said here is Christ in the manger.
Gi sagan gȧ'ga', chatsaga tai gima.
In the place where the animals stay, it is hard without a house.
Ref: Ta nginge' ta adora, ta nginge' ta adora, ta nginge' ta adora, si Jesus
I ma'lak na ina, lȧhen Yu’us Tȧta, humuyong sen taotao, achaiguȧ ta.
The radiant light is the son of our Father, he came out without man, he is similar to us.
O yini'usan dikike' na pȧtgon.
The small child is God-like.
Ref: Ta nginge' ta adora, ta nginge' ta adora, ta nginge' ta adora, si Jesus
Malȧngo i taotao, ti amte yo esta, lao mȧtto si Yu’us ni yo amte.
The people are sick, there is no cure already, but Jesus came with the cure.
Guiya i amot na homlo' yan mames.
He is the medicine, he will heal and be good.
Ref: Ta nginge' ta adora, ta nginge' ta adora, ta nginge' ta adora, si Jesus
*****
NOTE: I used my old nobena book for the “Fan mȧtto” song. However, it is littered with many misspellings according to the dictionary I have on hand. I used my Chamorro dictionary from 1975 to correctly spell said words. While “Fan mȧtto” is sung to the tune of “O Come All Ye Faithful” song, our verses do not exactly translate to the English song word-for-word. Hence, I translated “Fan mȧtto” according to the Chamorro words used in our song.
REFERENCE:
Topping, Donald M., Ogo, Pedro M. and Dungca, Bernadita C. Chamorro-English Dictionary. The University Press of Hawaii, 1975.
De Vera, Pale Roman Maria. Lepblon Kanta; sixth edition, 1951.
