Episode 01: Christmas Odyssey in Vietnam
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Memoirs Pasifika!
In this episode, Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua tells the story of Governor Carlos Camacho’s eventful trip to Vietnam — at the height of the war — to visit Guam's battle-weary troops during Christmas, 1969.
The trip unexpectedly helped shape Guam’s political history, launched a practice among politicians nationwide that continues up until today, and even inspired a hit song!
Archival Media
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Johnny Sablan's "Christmas Odyssey in Viet Nam." From his 1971 LP, Hafa Adai, Todo Maulick (How Are You?)
Episode Transcript
Episode Anchor: Michael Lujan Bevacqua
Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua is Curator of the Guam Museum and a community scholar who specializes in Chamoru history and the teaching of the Chamoru language, the indigenous language of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. He is from the Kabesa and Bittot clans of Guam. Bevacqua also hosts the Fanachu! Podcast, a decolonial current events and academic critique podcast based in Guåhan. He and his brother Jack have a creative company called The Guam Bus, which produces books, comics, and language materials focused on telling Chamoru stories and teaching the Chamoru language.
