Young Chamorros formed opposition to expose the buildup’s infrastructure strains

Evidence

Given such high levels of support for the military on Guam, many were surprised when growing numbers of people started expressing concerns about the buildup. Along with established activists, some of the most prominent voices of opposition came from young people, mostly in their twenties. They formed a group called We Are Guåhan, after the Chamorro name for the island, to monitor the buildup. As the group and others scrutinized the plan, their work seemed to reveal just how much the military takes for granted the kind of nearly unchecked power it has enjoyed on the island since Guam became a U.S. colony in 1898. We Are Guåhan and others pointed out the dangers of the planned population boom on an island with an already strained infrastructure. Guam’s public school system was expected to have its student population grow by up to 26 percent. Demand for the island’s sole public hospital was expected to increase by 20 percent. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 247

Categorization

• XREF: Parallel to Okinawan resistance and other local opposition movements to bases covered in this book.