Andersen AFB and Naval Base Guam
Given its strategic position as the most proximate U.S. territory to Southeast Asia, Guam was a key site of U.S. military power during the Vietnam War. Naval Air Station Agana provided support for carrier-based aircraft during the war, and the Naval Hospital treated many wounded American soldiers. In April 1964, the U.S. military first deployed B-52s to Guam, and on June 18, 1964, it launched thirty bombers from Andersen Air Force Base, initiating Operation Arc Light. Andersen Air Force base also paid a key role during Operation Linebacker II of December 1972, infamously known as the “Christmas bombing” campaign, which ultimately led to the signing of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords.
During the Vietnam War years, U.S. militarism affected civilian life in Guam: tons of bombs were unloaded at the Naval Station at Apra Harbor, stored at the Naval Magazine on the southern part of the island, and then driven north on island roads to Andersen Air Force Base each day to be loaded onto B-52s headed for Vietnam. Large flatbeds transferring the 500-pound bombs shook the island’s roads, and loud B-52s pierced the skyline at all hours.
During the Vietnam War years, U.S. militarism affected civilian life in Guam: tons of bombs were unloaded at the Naval Station at Apra Harbor, stored at the Naval Magazine on the southern part of the island, and then driven north on island roads to Andersen Air Force Base each day to be loaded onto B-52s headed for Vietnam. Large flatbeds transferring the 500-pound bombs shook the island’s roads, and loud B-52s pierced the skyline at all hours.
