News from Indian Country - and More Fallen Heroes

Hope Cristobal just pointed me to one of the best articles I have read in a long time about Guam and the US military buildup happening there. Published on a news site called News from Indian Country, and written by journalist Beau Hodai, who has worked for both the Pacific Daily News and the Marianas Variety, the article documents the self-censorship of Guam's corporate-controlled media.

It also documents the heavy burden the Marianas are carrying in America's wars overseas. I'm not convinced that Hodai's numbers are accurate, but according to Hodai, the Marianas now have lost 46 soldiers, giving "Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, with a population of under 300,000, the dubious honor of being the region of the United States with the highest number per capita of such casualties."

I am collecting the names and photos of these fallen soldiers for the film. So far, I have photos of the following 23 soldiers:

Christopher Fernandez

Jose Charfauros, Jr.

Adam Quitugua Emul

Christopher Jude Rivera Wesley

Eddie Chen

Gregory D. Fejeran

John D. Flores

Jesse Castro

Jonathan Pangelinan Santos

Kasper Allen Camacho Dudkiewicz

Leeroy Camacho

Michael Vega

Richard D. Naputi, Jr.

Henry Hank Ofeciar

Victor Fontanilla

Wilgene Lieto

Ferdinand Ibabao

Brian Leon Guerrero

Samson Mora

Tony Carbullido

Christopher Quitugua

Joseph D. Gamboa

Anamarie San Nicolas Camacho

If you are aware of anyone not on this list who should be, please email me [vanessa-at-horsopera.org] immediately. We are locking picture in less than a week!