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Pellett, Father Marian_Z34_WAPA-246_WAPA 4170_OralHist_Audio_public.mp3
Father Marcian was thirty when he came to Guam, and thirty-one in December 1941. At the time of this interview, he has been in Guam for fifty-two years. On Monday, December 8th, 1941, the Japanese bombed Guam at the same time that they were bombing Honolulu (where it was Sunday) and the Philippines. Father Marcian was at the commissioner’s house after performing a High Mass when a young man who had run seven miles from Agat to Umatec began yelling in Chamorro that the Japanese were bombing Sumay. The second day a plane came and shot over the houses. Overnight the Japanese started the invasion. On Wednesday there was bombing. Father Marcian and a corpsman [sp?] and a marine stayed in a shack that night and surrendered to Japanese soldiers going by the next morning. Father Marcian and the corpsman were taken to a house and told to stay there or they would be shot. That night they learned the Japanese had left, and they went back to Father Marcian’s house and stayed for a while.
On January 3rd Father Marcian was imprisoned with other priests, and on January 10th they were taken to Japan. They were on the ship with American marines and there was little food.
They arrived in southern Japan and stayed in a prison for two weeks, and then were taken to Kobe, Japan. They spent two winters with other British and American prisoners in the Canadian Academy, the first without heat. There was almost no food and they lost a lot of weight. There were about 160 people in the camp. They were moved to another camp just before the B-29s started flying over Japan in 1944. They remained in the camp until after the emperor’s surrender.
General Macarthur arrived in 1945 and started sending rescue teams to the camps. They were transported to Seattle and then flew or took a train to their individual places. Father Marcian returned to Guam on March 18, 1946, and saw that it was all torn up. He knew two people who were killed in a massacre.
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U.S. National Park Service, War in the Pacific National Historical Park
This digital asset is in the public domain. This digital version was made possible through the National Park Service by a grant from the National Park Foundation through generous support from the Mellon Foundation. When using this asset for any purpose, including online, credit 'Courtesy U.S. National Parks'.
Public domain
Audio
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Code: WAPA
Guam , Guam
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Guam , Guam
Latitude: 13.3905000686646, Longitude: 144.654006958008
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Guam , Guam
Latitude: 13.3905000686646, Longitude: 144.654006958008
2023/12/14
Sourced File: Video File (S:/WAPA_OralHist_0001_master.wav, 361,768 KB)
T. Stell Newman Visitor Center, Collections room, Safe and Shelf SLF D-01
Public Can View
Organization: American Memorial Park
Role: Chief Interpretation
Address: Micro Beach Road, Garapan, Mp 96950
Email: wapa_interpretation@nps.gov
Role: Chief Interpretation
Address: Micro Beach Road, Garapan, Mp 96950
Email: wapa_interpretation@nps.gov
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 12:33:27 PM
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 12:33:27 PM
Pellett, Father Marian_Z34_WAPA-246_WAPA 4170_OralHist_Audio_public.mp3
mp3
40.2 MB
Historic