Today's prayer intentions: RIP Sgt. Aguon and Spc. Flores. Si Yu'us på'gu gachong miyu gi langit. Put Fabot Yu'us Tåta laguse' ya un konne' esti dos Kilisyånu guatu gi langit-mu sa' ma gos miresi. Ayuda lokkue' familian-niha yan na måhgung pinitin-niha.

I DON’T want to sound like an alarmist, and I certainly don’t want to place any undue worry on the families of those who have loved ones deployed. However, as someone who has deployed twice to Afghanistan and have been on various types of missions there, and as someone who has had to keep track of numbers and statistics, I would like to advise everyone to realistically brace yourselves.

A little over a year ago, when I first heard that the Guam National Guard was gearing up for their largest mission ever and what role they would be playing, my heart sunk. The soldiers from Guam, CNMI and the rest of Micronesia have already made a disproportionate amount of ultimate sacrifices. This could be attributed to the disproportionate amount of the population from Micronesia who serve in the military. The same exact phenomenon occurred during the Vietnam conflict. (Note: the majority of the deaths of soldiers from Guam, CNMI and the rest of Micronesia have occurred while the soldiers were assigned to units outside Guam and the CNMI.)

Now let’s talk numbers. Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom have claimed the smallest percentage of casualties of any other armed conflict. This is due to advanced weaponry and protective gear, modern tactics, modern medicine and an enhanced ability to provide medical care in the field, or to stabilize wounded soldiers and get them to medical facilities in relatively short time. The number of casualties is still high, however.

Regardless of all the best weaponry and equipment, the tactics and techniques of the enemy are constantly evolving and the element of surprise is what makes the enemy dangerous. Once we figure out their latest tactics, the enemy develops new ones. This is the reality of war.

The security role the Guam National Guard is assigned during their latest and largest ever deployment has historically suffered high numbers of casualties. This is because the security forces are where the rubber meets the road. They are on the front lines with the greatest exposure. During my interactions with the previous units who had this security role, I always thanked them for keeping the rest of the soldiers and civilians safe as we conducted our convoys or air missions.

I met several Chamoru soldiers in those units and always prayed for them as they executed their missions of security and route clearance. It seemed like every other day we were sending flag-draped caskets home. When I would hear which unit was affected, I would quickly remember whether or not a Chamoru brother was a part of that unit – and during the times that it was, I would check to see if the casualties were any of the men I had met.

This is why my heart sank, because I remember the reality of the security forces and route-clearing units. Again, I don’t want to worry anyone, but the reality is grim.

Peter J. Santos
Fort Hood, Texas