Guam not spared from escalating Israel-Iran conflict, governor says

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero called on the people of Guam to “ensure readiness” amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, which she said would pull the territory into the scene should the U.S. enter the battle zone.

“As a community, we know that sons and daughters of Guam will likely be called upon to serve if the United States enters this conflict,” the governor said.

While Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire, President Donald Trump said he would allow a two-week window for negotiations before deciding whether to launch a strike in Iran.

Casualties on both sides are mounting as the armed conflict enters its eighth day.

Lou Leon Guerrero

“This fact brings the chaos and uncertainty of a war half a world away into our homes,” the governor said. “While the United States has not taken action in the conflict, we know it is preparing to.”

Soldiers from the Guam Army National Guard and the Guam Air National Guard have been deployed in previous U.S.-led missions, including Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

Of the 2,354 U.S. service members who died in the Afghanistan campaign, 11 were from Guam. Five Guamanian soldiers were killed in Iraq.

Guam has the highest per capita enlistment rate in the U.S. military. Approximately one in eight adults from Guam has served in the armed forces.

“Throughout history, global conflicts have shaped the course of nations, but for communities like ours, far from the current frontlines yet deeply connected to them, the consequences of armed conflict are real and immediate across the globe,” the governor said.

“While the safety of our island, our people and our shared future are of paramount importance, and it is critical that we ensure readiness, we must continue to advocate for policies that prioritize peace,” she added.

Guam is no stranger to war. Thousands of lives were lost and the island’s small economy was decimated during World War II.

“As a people, we still bear the scars of war, and we would not wish that pain on another community,” the governor said.

“We continue to pray for a peaceful resolution to this conflict and persist in the belief that the United States can lead the effort to prevent war rather than participate in it," she added.

Guam is also at the forefront of the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific strategy, which aims to counter China's expansion efforts in the Pacific island region.

Known as "the tip of the military spear," Guam hosts long-range bombers and nuclear-armed submarines, while a $1.2 billion missile defense architecture is in the pipeline.

While acknowledging that the U.S. Congress has constitutional authority to declare war, Leon Guerrero urged the policymakers to exercise their power “thoughtfully and judiciously to ensure our nation and our people are not ensnared in decades-long conflicts at great economic and human cost.”

Fr. Paul Gofigan, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Agaña called on the faithful and church members to pray for spiritual unity and world peace.

“With deadly fighting escalating in the Middle East and heart-wrenching violence erupting in our cities in the United States, lifting our pleas upward to God is more urgent today,” Gofigan said,

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