An extremely brief history

I've appreciated words of encouragement lately.  A friend just sent me this note:
"Just googled Guam, and saw this:


Guam braces for population 'explosion' ABS-CBN News Latest ...

Jan 12, 2010 ... HAGATNA - Guam is bracing for a deluge of people when thousands of American troops and their families relocate to the island from Japan in ...

...so I guess they know you are coming, with your deluge of Cooks."

Made me smile.  Except for that part in the article about the uptick in crime and social problems!

The growth in population will occur in a couple of years, when one of the US marine bases closes in Japan and relocates to Guam. My husband will be involved in the construction of the new facilities in Guam. Not much attention is paid to the military presence in Japan, except when some servicemember gets in trouble. 

Although this transfer of facilities and troops to Guam is hugely expensive, it does seem logical to have the troops based on a US territory, rather than a foreign country.  However, I wonder if the native Chamorros see this as increased imperialism or increased opportunity. The island became a colony of Spain in the 1600s, and then the United States took control of the island in 1898, when it drove out the Spaniards without bloodshed. The Japanese briefly occupied the island during WWII, until the US drove out the Japanese with bloodshed in 1944.  According to Wikipedia, multiple referendums have revealed that nearly half of the Chamorros would like to be in the closer relationship of a commonwealth, rather than a remaining a territory of the US, and some voted to be recognized as a state.

It is not an entirely comfortable feeling to be in the position of colonial imperialist.  I will have to study up more on the relationship between Guam and the United States.