Shown with JRM personnel are (at front left) Rear Adm. Benjamin R. Nicholson, commander, Joint Region Marianas and (at front right) Adm. Michael M. Gilday, chief naval officer for the U.S. Navy.
Navy recognized JRM for TR COVID response
Adm. Michael M. Gilday, chief naval officer presented a citation from the Secretary of the Navy to Joint Region Marianas during his visit to Guam.
The citation was for meritorious achievement from March 15 to June 30, 2020 and says, “The personnel of Commander, Joint Region Marianas distinguished through unprecedented performance as Executive Agent for the Department of Defense’s response to the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.” The citation refers to JRM “unifying support from across the fleet and the Department of Defense, the Government of Guam, the Guam business sector, and the medical community into a coherent and effective organization.”
The document also says JRM and Task Force Theodore Roosevelt “provided more than 2,200 temporary beds across 248 facilities for quarantined and isolated sailors and delivered over 400,000 meals and other logistical and medical support for sailors on Naval Base Guam. Joint Region Marianas partnered with 12 commercial hotels to quarantine over 4,000 sailors while providing transportation, accountability, medical care, emergency response, quality of life, religious support, laundry, U.S. mail, Navy Exchange and United Service Organization deliveries.”
Bank redesigns website
Bank of Guam has updated the design of its website at www.bankofguam.com.
The bank has rebranded its Online and Mobile Banking platforms. Aside from an easy-to-find search feature, the front page clearly separates clients into business and personal account holders, and also by transaction.
Scrolling takes clients directly to applications for credit cards and digital tools and also promotes Bank of Guam’s emphasis on social responsibility.
In addition, non-profits are also able to apply directly online for assistance.
Guam mall launches website
Compadres Mall in Harmon Loop Road in Dededo has launched a new website at www.compadresmall.com
A carousel of photos of goods of the various vendors and a Mall Directory sectioned by tenant type allows for easy exploring before you visit.
Compadres Mall has 120 tenants, including the Bazaar I and II Marketplace, which is comprised of 96 tenants. The mall has been in business since 1995.
The mall is also offering a photo contest on Instagram through Oct. 1, with weekly gift certificates.
Cultural art signs to grace Guam beaches
The Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans is installing a series of signs through its Coral Reef Initiative, intended to reflect cultural art as well as off water safety and reef protection guidelines. The first sign was installed at Gov. Joseph Flores Beach Park. Other signs are being installed at Gun Beach, Matapang Beach Park, Tepungan Beach Park, Agat Marina, Merizo Pier and Talofofo Bay Beach Park.
Roland
Finance executive adds to professional designations
Daniel A. Roland, managing director and senior institutional consultant of the Asia Pacific Group of Raymond James on Guam has obtained the Chartered SRI Counselor professional designation. The CSRIC program provides investment professionals with information pertaining to the history, definitions, trends, portfolio construction principles, fiduciary responsibilities, and best practices for sustainable investments.
Guam Airport recognized for efficiency
The Air Transport Research Society recognized the A.B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam in the 2021 Top Asia Airport Efficiency Excellence category, in the under 10 million passengers per year category, for the fourth year in a row.
The ATRS Global Airport Benchmarking report measures and compares the performance of several aspects of airport operations, to include unit costs and cost competitiveness, financial results and airport charges. The 2021 report included 205 airports and 24 airport groups of various sizes and ownership forms in the Asia Pacific, North America and Europe.
Photo courtesy of the Guam National Guard
ESGR presents Pro Patria award
JBT Aerotech was named as a 2021 Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Pro Patria Employer.
With the award are (from left) Maj. General (Rtd.) Benny M. Paulino, vice chairman of the ESGR; Aleton Mesngon, soldier with the Guam Army National Guard and safety coordinator lead – who nominated the awardee, Diane Cruz Martos, regional manager for Guam and Hawaii, both from JBT Aerotech; and Donald G. Clark, compliance officer with ASC Trust LLC and employer outreach director with the ESGR.
The Pro Patria award, which is the highest State level ESGR award from the ESGR Guam CNMI Committee, is awarded to the Top 3 nominated employers every year.
The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Guam-CNMI Committee also recognized the most supportive employers for 2021, which were nominated by their employees serving in the National Guard or Reserve.
They are Ambros, Inc., Ambyth Shipping and Trading Inc., Andersen Elementary School, Bank of Guam, Chacha Ocean View Middle School in Saipan, the CNMI Public School System, DeWitt Guam, DODEA Pacific West Guam, DynCorp International, DZSP21 LLC, GTA, Guam Adventures, the Guam Customs & Quarantine Agency, the Guam Department of Corrections, the Guam Department of Education, the Guam Fire Department, the Guam International Airport Authority Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Unit, the Guam Power Authority, IT&E CNMI, JBT AeroTech, Jose L.G. Rios Middle School, the Judiciary of Guam, Naval Base Guam Security Department, Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s 36th Civil Engineer Squadron, Naval Facilities Marianas, the Navy Security Forces, Pacific Islands Club Guam, Pacific Unlimited Inc., Panda Express, Price Elementary School, the Port Authority of Guam, the Public Defender Service Corp., Simon A. Sanchez High School, Sixt Rent a Car, Sodexo Government Services Inc., Tokio Marine Pacific Insurance, Triple J Saipan and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CNMI.
Guam WWII Navy man identified; family advised
Navy Steward’s Mate 2nd Class Jesus F. Garcia of Hagatna, 21 – who was killed during World War II – was accounted for in September 2018, but his family only recently received a full briefing, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Garcia was assigned to the USS Oklahoma battleship, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. The ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft and sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Garcia.
According to a release, from December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in cemeteries in Hawaii.
Although remains were subsequently disinterred for identification and those unidentified were reinterred, between June and November 2015, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns for analysis.
Anthropological analysis as well as material and circumstantial evidence were used to identify Garcia, who is due to be buried Oct. 6 in San Diego.
