Guam was an important fueling station for naval vessels making the long run to and from the Far East, a relay point for the trans-Pacific cable, the site of a naval radio station, and a stop for Pan American clippers. A force of 147 Marines, an 80-man Insular Force Guard, and a 246-man, volunteer, ill-armed, ill-trained native militia protected Guam’s 20,000 Chamorros. The island's government departments and naval station activities were manned by 271 regular Navy personnel, under the command of Captain George J. McMillin, who was both island governor and garrison commander.
8 December 1941
At 0545 on 8 December 1941 (7 December in Hawaii because of the International Date Line), Captain George McMillin was in his quarters when he received the riveting news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Reacting quickly, he immediately ordered the island on a war footing in accordance with the contingency plan he had prepared with LtCol William K. McNulty, commanding officer Marine Barracks, Sumay.
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A salute to Roger Mansell (Mansell.com), author of Captured: The Forgotten Men of Guam, and Wes Injerd for allowing me to use excerpts from the book.
