PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

By Joe Murphy

HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, December 4) – Ever since the Navy's Capt. Glass sailed into Apra Harbor in 1898, Guam has been a military island. There are times, it is true, that the military has had greater impact than others. It didn't have much of a command here prior to World War II, and that was a shame. But in the late 1940s and late 1960s, the island was well-staffed by the armed forces --Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines.

Today, if you look around and if you read the papers, you will see that Guam has become, again, a major military base. Personally, as a former Navy airman, I find that a good thing.

I'm sure that not everybody on the island is totally thrilled with the idea of lots more Marines, more sailors and more airmen being on island. These people, who may be vaguely unpatriotic, think only in terms of having enough water and electricity, or the extra demand for housing and an increase in traffic on our highways.

If you look at it from a strictly economic viewpoint, I'm sure that Guam is the envy of most other islands in the Pacific (with the exception of Okinawa).

I have no real idea on just how much the United States is spending to have all those troops stationed here, but I do know that it has to be in the billions and that it will create thousands of new jobs and push GovGuam income to new levels. I would like to see some figures on the military spending on the island, but I'm convinced it will soon pass the amount that tourists now spend on Guam.

In fact, young sailors and airmen might be surprised to learn that they are going to pay GovGuam retirees their long-awaited cost-of-living allowance.

Some 13 years ago, the Legislature voted a cost-of-living allowance to retirees, but there was never enough money in the government coffers to do the full payout. Last week, Gov. Felix Camacho said that he would repay a loan for the retirees' COLA out of Section 30 money -- funds from tax money paid by U.S. employees, including the military, at the rate of $10 million a year.

We all know about the 8,000 Marines that will be relocated to Guam from Okinawa, along with their families. We also are aware that the Navy plans to bring in at least one more submarine to the island. We know that billions will be spent in the next seven years on housing for the Marines and their families. We are also aware that at least one Army detachment is coming to Guam.

And last week, Air Force leaders disclosed that military construction is expected to boom at the Air Base as they prepare for the arrival of 3,100 additional personnel and their dependents at Andersen. The increase in personnel stems from the expected arrival of the Global Hawk system and the planned use of Air Force tankers. Much work is expected to be accomplished at Northwest Field, virtually abandoned for years by the Air Force.

Air Force leaders attribute much of this buildup to the crisis in North Korea, caused by the atomic bomb and missile testing there. Brig. Gen. Doug Owens told the media last week that he was very much impressed with the warmth, friendship and patriotism of the people of Guam. I can confirm that patriotism. It has always been that way, even through the difficult days of the Vietnam war.

I find it important to realize that all of America is part of the all-volunteer military that the country now has. A recent study by the Heritage Foundation showed that the percentage of recruits that come from high-income, affluent neighborhoods has actually risen over the years.

As we know on Guam, those young men and women who choose to enlist do so for a variety of reasons. Each year about 180,000 men and women volunteer for active-duty service. The reasons they do so are varied. Some do so because of economic factors. Others are interested in the skills they can obtain in military training. Others like the educational benefits that accrue. For some it is adventure and travel.

But the primary reason young people join the military today is service to their country. They join, simply, for duty, honor and patriotism. Economic factors, while important, are secondary for many.

Many young people on an island like Saipan, locked in an eight-year economic slump, are rushing to join the U.S. military. In that island, the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps is seen as a way out. At Saipan Southern High School, 748 out of close to a 1,000 students are JROTC cadets.

There is no question about it. Guam is about to boom economically, and a good many of our young people are going to take advantage of this opportunity. I personally can't find much fault in it. I enlisted myself on my 17th birthday, and was happy to do so. I learned discipline and patriotism. The years I spent in the Navy were enough to put me through the University of Wisconsin later. I have no regrets about serving my country.

We veterans have changed our country and the world. You will soon see how Guam, too, will change - and hopefully for the better.

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