Coordinates	52°05′36″N5°7′10″N
Conventional long name	Guam
Native name	''''
Common name	Guam
Image coat	Coat of arms of Guam.svg
Symbol type	Seal
National motto	"Where America's Day Begins"
National anthem	''Fanohge Chamoru''
Official languages	English and Chamorro
Capital	Hagåtña
Ethnic groups	39% Chamorro, 26.3% Filipino, 11.3% Pacific, 6.9% White, 6.3% other Asian, 2.3% other, 9.8% Mixed
Largest settlement type	village
Largest settlement	Dededo
Leader title1	President
Leader name1	Barack Obama (D)
Leader title2	Governor
Leader name2	Eddie Calvo (R)
Leader title3	Lt. Governor
Leader name3	Ray Tenorio (R)
Area rank	190th
Area magnitude	1 E8
Area km2	541.3
Area sq mi	209
Percent water	negligible
Population estimate	178,000
Population estimate rank	181st
Population estimate year	2009
Population census	154,805
Population census year	2000
Population density km2	320
Population density sq mi	830
Population density rank	37th
Gdp ppp	$2.5 billion (2005 est.)1
Gdp ppp rank	167th
Gdp ppp year	2000
Gdp ppp per capita	$15,000(2005 est.)1
Demonym	Guamanian
Currency	United States dollar
Currency code	USD
Country code	1
Time zone	Chamorro Standard Time
Utc offset	+10
Time zone dst	(no DST)
Cctld	.gu
Calling code	+1-671
Footnote1	2000 estimate. }}

Guam (; Chamorro: '''') is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United Nations. The island's capital is Hagåtña (formerly Agaña). Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands.

The Chamorros, Guam's indigenous people, first populated the island approximately 4,000 years ago. The island has a long history of European colonialism. First discovered by Europeans by Ferdinand Magellan on March 6, 1521, the first colony was established in 1668 by Spain with the arrival of settlers including Padre San Vitores, a Catholic missionary. The island was controlled by Spain until 1898, when it was surrendered to the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris following the Spanish-American War.

As the largest island in Micronesia and the only U.S.-held island in the region before World War II, Guam was captured by the Japanese on December 8, 1941, hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and was occupied for two and a half years.

During the occupation, the people of Guam were subjected to acts that included torture, beheadings, and rape, and were forced to adopt the Japanese culture. Guam was subject to fierce fighting when US troops recaptured the island on July 21, 1944, a date commemorated every year as Liberation Day.

Today, Guam's economy is supported by its principal industry, tourism, which is composed primarily of visitors from Japan. Guam's second-largest source of income is the United States military.

History

It is believed that Guam was first discovered by people from southeastern Indonesia around 2000 BC. Most of what is known about pre-contact ("Ancient") Chamorros comes from legends and myths, archaeological evidence, Jesuit missionary accounts, and observations from visiting scientists like Otto von Kotzebue and Louis de Freycinet.

When Europeans first arrived on Guam, Chamorro society had three classes: ''matua'' (upper class), ''achaot'' (middle class), and ''mana'chang'' (lower class). The ''matua'' were located in the coastal villages, which meant they had the best access to fishing grounds, whereas the ''mana'chang'' were located in the interior of the island. ''Matua'' and ''mana'chang'' rarely communicated with each other, and ''matua'' often used ''achaot'' as an intermediary. There were also "''makåhna''" (similar to shamans), skilled in healing and medicine. Belief in spirits of ancient Chamorros called "''Taotao mo'na''" still persists as a remnant of pre-European culture. When Magellan arrived on Guam, he was greeted by hundreds of small outrigger canoes that appeared to be flying over the water, due to their considerable speed. These outrigger canoes were called Proas, and resulted in Magellan naming Guam Islas de las Velas Latinas ("Islands of the Lateen Sails").

Guam, the only Spanish outpost in the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines, became the regular port between Acapulco, Mexico and Manila from 1565 to 1815, and (since Philippine independence) the most western outpost of actual United States territory in the Pacific. It is the biggest single segment of Micronesia, the largest islands between the islands of Kyushu (Japan), New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Hawaiian Islands.

''Latte'' stones are stone pillars that are only found in the Mariana Islands and are a recent development in Pre-Contact Chamorro society. The latte stone was used as a foundation on which thatched huts were built. Latte consist of a base shaped from limestone called the ''haligi'' and with a capstone, or ''tåsa'', made either from a large brain coral or limestone, placed on top. Using carbon-dating, archaeologists have broken Pre-Contact Guam (i.e. Chamorro) history into three periods: "Pre-Latte" (BC 2000? to AD 1) "Transitional Pre-Latte" (AD 1 to AD 1000), and "Latte" (AD 1000 to AD 1521).

Archaeological evidence also suggests that Chamorro society was on the verge of another transition phase by 1521, as latte stones became bigger. Assuming the larger latte stones were used for chiefly houses, it can be argued that Chamorro society was becoming more stratified, either from population growth or the arrival of new people. The theory remains tenuous, however, due to lack of evidence, but if proven correct, will further support the idea that Pre-Contact Chamorros lived in a vibrant and dynamic environment.

Spanish colonization and the Manila galleons

Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for the King of Spain, reached the island in 1521 during his fleet's circumnavigation of the globe. General Miguel López de Legazpi claimed Guam for Spain in 1565. Spanish colonization commenced in 1668 with the arrival of Padre San Vitores, who established the first Catholic mission. The islands were part of the Spanish East Indies governed from the Philippines, which were in turn part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain based in Mexico City.

Between 1668 and 1815, Guam was an important resting stop for the Spanish Manila galleons, a fleet that covered the Pacific trade route between Acapulco (Mexico) and Manila (Philippines). Guam, along with the rest of the Mariana and Caroline Islands, were treated as part of Spain's colony in the Philippines. While Guam's Chamorro culture is unique, the cultures of both Guam and the Northern Marianas were heavily influenced by Spanish culture and traditions during their 333 years of rule.

The Spanish-American War and World War II

The United States took control of the island in the 1898 Spanish-American War, as part of the Treaty of Paris. Guam came to serve as a station for American ships traveling to and from the Philippines, while the Northern Mariana Islands passed to Germany, and then to Japan.

During World War II, Guam was attacked and invaded by the armed forces of Japan on December 8, 1941. Anticipating the attack, the Navy had all military dependents transported away from the island, but did not inform the native Chamorros of the possible bombardment.

The Northern Mariana Islands had become a Japanese protectorate before the war. It was the Chamorros from the Northern Marianas who were brought to Guam to serve as interpreters and in other capacities for the occupying Japanese force. The Guamanian Chamorros were treated as an occupied enemy by the Japanese military. After the war, this would cause resentment between the Guamanian Chamorros and the Chamorros of the Northern Marianas. Guam's Chamorros believed their northern brethren should have been compassionate towards them, whereas having been occupied for over 30 years, the Northern Mariana Chamorros were loyal to Japan.

Guam's Japanese occupation lasted for approximately thirty-one months. During this period, the indigenous people of Guam were subjected to forced labor, family separation, incarceration, execution, concentration camps and forced prostitution. Approximately one thousand people died during the occupation, according to Congressional Testimony in 2004. Some historians estimate that war violence killed 10% of Guam's some 20,000 population.

The United States returned and fought the Battle of Guam on July 21, 1944, to recapture the island from Japanese military occupation. More than 18,000 Japanese were killed as only 485 surrendered. Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi, who surrendered in January 1972, appears to have been the last confirmed Japanese holdout in Guam. To this day, Guam remains the only U.S. soil with a sizable population to have been occupied by a foreign military power, since the War of 1812. The United States also captured and occupied the Northern Marianas.

Post-war

After the war, the Guam Organic Act of 1950, established Guam as an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, provided for the structure of the island's civilian government, and granted the people U.S. citizenship. Since Guam is not a U.S. state, U.S. citizens residing on Guam are not allowed to vote for president and their congressional representative is a non-voting member.

Proposed name change

The name "Guam" is an exonym. In his final State of the Island Address on February 15, 2010, Governor Felix Camacho called for Guam to formally be henceforth referred to as ''Guahan'' (''Guåhan''), the name of the island in the indigenous Chamorro language, and issued an executive order to make it official. Camacho simultaneously began referring to himself as the "Governor of ''Guahan''".

According to historian Toni Ramírez of the Historic Preservation Office of the Guam Department of Parks and Recreation, the name ''Guahan'' means "we have" or "a place that has", in reference to the island's rivers and other natural resources, which were relatively rare on other neighboring Micronesian islands.

''Guahan'' or ''Guaján'' was the name widely used on the island between 1521 and 1898. However, both the names Guam and Guahan appear in historic documents and maps dating back hundreds of years, according to Peter Onedera, a historian and Chamorro language professor at the University of Guam. Richard Leary, the first United States Naval Governor of the island, adopted the name ''Guam'' in 1900 when he called it "isle of Guam".

Two-term Governor Camacho, who cannot seek a third term, will leave office in 2011. He explained in his final State of the Island Address that the name change will solidify his legacy as governor and cement his place in history. He argues that the change to ''Guahan'' will reaffirm the island's distinct identity and Chamorro cultural heritage. Camacho's order specifically states that the change "enhances the practice of the Chamorro language and promotes the historic and cultural connection to the island". The executive order will apply only to local Guamanian government institutions, official communications, business transactions and signs at this time. However, Camacho expressed interest in having community leaders, businesses and lawmakers adopt the ''Guahan'' name as well. He further announced that he would introduce Bill 331 in the Guam Legislature to change the name to ''Guahan'' in law. The executive order does not have a set deadline for agencies to adopt the change, in order to lessen any time or monetary burdens on the government during a prolonged economic recession. Changes should be made when it is most convenient for the government agency, such as ordering new office letterhead.

Reaction to the proposed change was mixed among both lawmakers and residents. Speaker of the legislature Judith Won Pat noted that the change could help restore a perceived loss of identity in Guam. She told the media, "This is the age where, throughout the world, people want to know who they are and find their identity. This is very important for Guam as well." Author and former senator Katherine Aguon, who recently published a Chamorro–English dictionary, also supported the name change, but emphasized that any proposal should be approved by Guamanian voters.

An official, sanctioned name change may have some economic repercussions on the island. Sen. Eddie Calvo, a Republican candidate in the upcoming 2010 gubernatorial election, while supporting the order, noted that the costs of changing the name on signage, documents and advertising campaigns would have to be taken into account. The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB), which has spent millions of dollars to brand Guam as a major tourist and business destination using the island's current name, recently launched a new marketing campaign called "We Are Guam". The economic costs of changing all road and welcome signs, as well as documents and tourism campaigns, would have to be evaluated.

Geography

Guam lies between 13.2°N and 13.7°N and between 144.6°E and 145.0°E, and has an area of , making it the 32nd largest island of the United States. It is the southernmost and largest island in the Mariana island chain and is also the largest island in Micronesia. This island chain was created by the colliding Pacific and Philippine Sea tectonic plates. Guam is the closest land mass to the Mariana Trench, a deep subduction zone, that lies beside the island chain to the east. Challenger Deep, the deepest surveyed point in the Oceans, is southwest of Guam at deep. The highest point in Guam is Mount Lamlam, which is 1,332 feet (406 m).

The island of Guam is long and to wide. The island experiences occasional earthquakes due to its location on the western edge of the Pacific Plate and near the Philippine Sea Plate. In recent years, earthquakes with epicenters near Guam have had magnitudes ranging from 5.0 to 8.7. Unlike the Anatahan volcano in the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam is not volcanically active. However, due to its proximity to Anatahan, vog does occasionally affect Guam.

A coral table reef with deepwater channels surrounds most of Guam. Sandy beaches, rock cliff lines and mangroves characterize the coastline area. Sheer limestone coastal cliffs dominate the north, while the southern end of the island is mountainous, with lower hills in between.

Climate

The climate is characterized as tropical marine. The weather is generally hot and very humid with little seasonal temperature variation. The mean high temperature is 86 °F (30 °C) and mean low is 76 °F (24 °C) with an average annual rainfall of 96 inches (2,180 mm). The dry season runs from December through June. The remaining months (July through November) constitute the rainy season. The months of January and February are considered the coolest months of the year with night time temperatures in the mid to low 70s and generally lower humidity levels. The highest risk of typhoons is during October and November. They can, however, occur year-round.

Guam is located in what has been nicknamed "Typhoon Alley" and it is common for the island to be threatened by tropical storms and possible typhoons during the wet season. The most intense typhoon to pass over Guam recently was Super Typhoon Pongsona, with sustained winds of 144 miles per hour, gusts to 173 miles per hour, which slammed Guam on December 8, 2002, leaving massive destruction.

Since Super Typhoon Pamela in 1976, wooden structures have been largely replaced by concrete structures. During the 1980s wooden utility poles began to be replaced by typhoon-resistant concrete and steel poles. After the local Government enforced stricter construction codes, many home and business owners built their structures out of reinforced concrete with installed typhoon shutters.

Demographics

According to the U.S. census conducted in 2000, the population of Guam was 154,805. The 2008 population estimate for Guam is 175,000. As of 2005, the annual population growth is 1.76%. The largest ethnic group are the native Chamorros, accounting for 37.1% of the total population. Other significant ethnic groups include those of Filipino (25.5%), White (10%) indicates of both European often of Spanish and European American ancestry, and the rest are of Chinese, Japanese and Korean ancestry. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion, with 85% of the population claiming an affiliation with it.

The programmed U.S. military buildup (2010–14) will cause an unprecedented population increase (approximately 40% or nearly 80,000 people at the peak of constructions) which will significantly impact Guam's very limited and aging infrastructure. This expected population increase would otherwise occur over a 20 year period. The official languages of the island are English and Chamorro.

Culture

Traditional Chamorro culture is visually manifested in dance, sea navigation, unique cuisine, fishing, games (such as batu, chonka, estuleks, and bayogu), songs and fashion influenced by the immigration of peoples from other lands. Spanish policy during colonial rule (1668–1898) was one of conquest and conversion to Roman Catholicism. This led to the gradual elimination of Guam's male warriors and displacement of the Chamorro people from their lands. Today, many Chamorros have Spanish surnames because of their conversion to Roman Catholic Christianity through Catálogo alfabético de apellidos.

Due to cultural influence from outside forces, important aspects of the original Chamorro culture have been lost over the years. There has been a resurgence in protecting and preserving the culture the last few decades, and many scholars have traveled throughout the Pacific Islands conducting research to determine what Chamorro cultural practices such as dance, language, and canoe building may have been like.

Two aspects of Chamorro culture that withstood time are chenchule' and inafa'maolek. Chenchule' is the intricate system of reciprocity at the heart of Chamorro society. It is rooted in the core value of inafa'maolek. Historian Lawrence Cunningham in 1992 wrote, "In a Chamorro sense, the land and its produce belong to everyone. , or interdependence, is the key, or central value, in Chamorro culture ... depends on a spirit of cooperation and sharing. This is the armature, or core, that everything in Chamorro culture revolves around. It is a powerful concern for mutuality rather than individualism and private property rights."

The core culture or Pengngan Chamorro is based on complex social protocol centered upon respect: From sniffing over the hands of the elders (called mangnginge in Chamorro), the passing down of legends, chants, and courtship rituals, to a person asking for permission from spiritual ancestors before entering a jungle or ancient battle grounds. Other practices predating Spanish conquest include galaide' canoe-making, making of the belembaotuyan (a string musical instrument made from a gourd), fashioning of '''' slings and slingstones, tool manufacture, burial rituals, and preparation of herbal medicines by Suruhanu.

Master craftsmen and women specialize in weavings, including plaited work (niyok- and åkgak-leaf baskets, mats, bags, hats, and food containments), loom-woven material (kalachucha-hibiscus and banana fiber skirts, belts and burial shrouds), and body ornamentation (bead and shell necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts and combs made from tortoise shells) and Spondylus.

The cosmopolitan nature of modern Guam poses challenges for Chamorros struggling to preserve their culture and identity amidst forces of acculturation. The increasing numbers of Chamorros, especially Chamorro youth, relocating to the U.S. Mainland has further complicated both definition and preservation of Chamorro identity. While only a few masters exist to continue traditional art forms, the resurgence of interest among the Chamorros to preserve the language and culture has resulted in a growing number of young Chamorros who seek to continue the ancient ways of the Chamorro people.

Government and politics

Guam is governed by a popularly elected governor and a unicameral 15-member legislature, whose members are known as senators. Guam elects one non-voting delegate, currently Democrat Madeleine Z. Bordallo, to the United States House of Representatives. U.S. citizens in Guam vote in a straw poll for their choice in the U.S. Presidential general election, but since Guam has no votes in the Electoral College, the poll has no real effect. However, in sending delegates to the Republican and Democratic national conventions, Guam does have influence in the national presidential race, though these convention delegates are elected by local party conventions rather than voters in primaries.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a significant movement in favor of the territory becoming a commonwealth, which would give it a level of self-government similar to Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. However, the federal government rejected the version of a commonwealth that the government of Guam proposed, due to it having clauses incompatible with the Territorial Clause (Art. IV, Sec. 3, cl. 2) of the U.S. Constitution. Other movements are also in existence that advocate becoming a U.S. state, union with the state of Hawaii, union with the Northern Mariana Islands as a single territory, or independence.

Villages and military bases

:''See footnote'' Guam is divided into 19 municipalities commonly called villages: Agana Heights, Agat, Asan‑Maina, Barrigada, Chalan‑Pago‑Ordot, Dededo, Hagåtña, Inarajan, Mangilao, Merizo, Mongmong‑Toto‑Maite, Piti, Santa Rita, Sinajana, Talofofo, Tamuning, Umatac, Yigo, Yona.

The U.S. military maintains jurisdiction over its bases, which cover approximately , or 29% of the island's total land area:

U.S. Naval Base Guam, U.S. Navy – Sumay

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam, – Sumay

Andersen Air Force Base, U.S. Air Force – Yigo

Apra Harbor – Orote peninsula

Ordnance Annex, U.S. Navy – South Central Highlands (formerly known as Naval Magazine)

Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, U.S. Navy – Barrigada and Finegayan

Joint Force Headquarters-Guam, Guam National Guard – Radio Barrigada and Fort Juan Muna

In addition to on-shore military installations, Guam, along with the rest of the Mariana Islands, is being prepared to be the westernmost military training range for the U.S. Guam is currently viewed as a key military hub that will further allow U.S. military power to be projected via sea and sky.

The U.S. military has proposed to build a new aircraft carrier berth on Guam and to move 8,600 Marines, and 9,000 of their dependents, to Guam from Okinawa, Japan. Including the required construction workers, this buildup would increase Guam's population by 45%. In a February 2010 letter, the United States Environmental Protection Agency sharply criticized these plans because of a water shortfall, sewage problems and the impact on coral reefs.

With the proposed increased military presence stemming from the upcoming preparation efforts and relocation efforts of U.S. Marines from Okinawa, Japan to Guam slated to begin in 2010 and last for the next several years thereafter, the amounts of total land that the military will control or tenant may grow to or surpass 40% of the entire landmass of Guam.

In January, 2011, the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for FY2011 indicated that recent significant events will delay the deadline for realigning U.S. Marine Corps service members and their families from Okinawa to Guam. The transfer may be as late as 2020. In addition, the Defense Authorization Act cut approximately $320 million from the 2011 budget request.

Villagers and the military community are inter-connected in many ways. Many villagers serve in the military or are retired. Many active duty personnel and Defense Department civilians also live in the villages outside of the military installation areas. The military and village communities have "adoption" programs where Guam's population and military personnel stationed in Guam perform community service projects.

Economy

Guam's economy depends primarily on tourism, Department of Defense installations, and locally owned businesses. Although Guam receives no foreign aid, it does receive large transfer payments from the general revenues of the U.S. federal treasury into which Guam pays no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam treasury, rather than the U.S. treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by local taxpayers to include military and civilian federal employees assigned to Guam.

Guam is a popular destination for Japanese tourists. Its tourist hub, Tumon, features over 20 large hotels, a Duty Free Shoppers Galleria, Pleasure Island district, indoor aquarium, Sandcastle Las Vegas–styled shows and other shopping and entertainment venues. It is a relatively short flight from Asia or Australia compared to Hawaii, with hotels and seven public golf courses accommodating over a million tourists per year. Although 75 percent of the tourists are Japanese, Guam receives a sizable number of tourists from South Korea, the U.S., the Philippines, and Taiwan. Significant sources of revenue include duty-free designer shopping outlets, and the American-style malls: Micronesia Mall, Guam Premier Outlets, the Agana Shopping Center, and the world's largest Kmart. The economy had been stable since 2000 due to increased tourism, but took a recent downturn along with most of Asia. It is expected to stabilize well ahead of the projected transfer of U.S. Marine Corps' 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, currently in Okinawa (approximately 8,000 Marines, along with their 10,000 dependents), to Guam between 2010 and 2015. In 2003, Guam had a 14% unemployment rate, and the government suffered a $314 million shortfall.

The Compacts of Free Association between the United States, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau accorded the former entities of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands a political status of "free association" with the United States. The Compacts give citizens of these island nations generally no restrictions to reside in the United States (also its territories), and many were attracted to Guam due to its proximity, environmental, and cultural familiarity. Over the years, it was claimed by some in Guam that the territory has had to bear the brunt of this agreement in the form of public assistance programs and public education for those from the regions involved, and the federal government should compensate the states and territories affected by this type of migration. Over the years, Congress had appropriated "Compact Impact" aids to Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Hawaii, and eventually this appropriation was written into each renewed Compact. Some, however, continue to claim the compensation is not enough or that the distribution of actual compensation received is significantly disproportionate.

Guam's largest single private sector employer, with about 1,400 jobs, is Continental Micronesia, a subsidiary of Continental Airlines. As of 2008 the airline's annual payroll in Guam was $90 million.

Transportation and communications

Most of the island has state-of-the-art mobile phone services and high-speed internet widely available through either cable or DSL. Guam was added to the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in 1997 (country code 671 became NANP area code 671), removing the barrier of high cost international long-distance calls to the U.S. Mainland.

In 1899, the local postage stamps were overprinted "Guam" as was done for the other former Spanish colonies, but this was discontinued shortly thereafter and regular U.S. postage stamps have been used ever since. Because Guam is also part of the U.S. Postal System ("state" code: GU, ZIP code range: 96910–96932), mail to Guam from the U.S. mainland is considered domestic and no additional charges are required. Private shipping companies, such as FedEx, UPS, and DHL, however, have no obligation to and do not regard Guam as domestic.

The speed of mail traveling between Guam and the states varies depending on size and time of year. Light, first-class items generally take less than a week to or from the mainland, but larger first-class or Priority items can take a week or two. Fourth-class mail, such as magazines, are transported by sea after reaching Hawaii. Most residents use post office boxes or private mail boxes, although residential delivery is becoming increasingly available. Incoming mail not from the Americas should be addressed to "Guam" instead of "USA" to avoid being routed the long way through the U.S. mainland and possibly charged a higher rate (especially from Asia).

The Commercial Port of Guam is the island's lifeline because most products must be shipped into Guam for consumers. The port is also the regional transhipment hub for over 500,000 customers throughout the Micronesian region. The port is the shipping and receiving point for containers designated for the island's US Department of Defense installations, Andersen Air Force Base and Commander, Naval Forces Marianas and eventually the Third Marine Expeditionary Force.

Guam is served by the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, which is a hub for Continental Airlines. The island is outside the United States customs zone so Guam is responsible for establishing and operating its own customs and quarantine agency and jurisdiction. Therefore, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection only carries immigration (but not customs) functions. Since Guam is under federal immigration jurisdiction, passengers arriving directly from the States skip immigration and proceed directly to Guam Customs and Quarantine.

However, due to the Guam and CNMI visa waiver program for certain countries, an eligibility pre-clearance check is carried on Guam for flights to the States. For travel from the Northern Mariana Islands to Guam, a pre-flight passport and visa check is performed before boarding the flight to Guam. On flights from Guam to the Northern Mariana Islands, no immigration check is performed. Traveling between Guam and the States through a foreign point (for example, a Japanese airport), however, does require a passport.

Most residents travel within Guam using personally owned vehicles. The local government currently outsources the only public bus system (Guam Mass Transit Authority), and some commercial companies operate buses between tourist-frequented locations.

Ecological issues

Guam exemplifies the effects of bioinvasion.

Brown tree snake

Believed to be a stowaway on a U.S. military transport near the end of World War II, the brown tree snake (''Boiga irregularis'') came to Guam and nearly eliminated the native bird population of an island that previously had no native species of snake; this snake has no natural predators on the island. While slightly venomous, the brown tree snake is relatively harmless to human beings. Although some studies have suggested a high density of brown tree snakes on Guam, residents rarely see these nocturnal snakes. The United States Department of Agriculture has trained detector dogs to keep brown tree snakes out of the island's cargo flow, and the United States Geological Survey has dogs capable of detecting snakes in forested environments around the region's islands.

The consequence of the introduction of the brown tree snake has been significant over the past several decades. The reduction of local bird populations has been attributed to the introduction and presence of brown tree snakes, who eat them. According to many elders, koko birds were common in Guam prior to World War II; they are no longer around largely due to predation by brown tree snakes.

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

An infestation of the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), ''Oryctes rhinoceros'', was detected on Guam on September 12, 2007. CRB is not known to occur in the United States except in American Samoa. Delimiting surveys performed September 13–25, 2007 indicated that the infestation was limited to Tumon Bay and Faifai Beach, an area of approximately . Guam Department of Agriculture (GDA) placed quarantine on all properties within the Tumon area on October 5 and later expanded the quarantine to about on October 25; approximately radius in all directions from all known locations of CRB infestation. CRB is native to Southern Asia and distributed throughout Asia and the Western Pacific including Sri Lanka, Upolu, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Palau Islands, New Britain, West Irian, New Ireland, Pak Island and Manus Island (New Guinea), Fiji, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Mauritius, and Reunion.

Adults are the injurious stage of the insect. They are generally night-time fliers and when they alight on a host, they chew down into the folded, emerging fronds of coconut palms to feed on sap. V-shaped cuts in the fronds and holes through the midrib are visible when the leaves grow out and unfold. If the growing tip is injured, the palm may be killed or severe loss of leaf tissue may cause decreased nut set. Feeding wounds may also serve as an infection pathway for pathogens or other pests. The effects of adult boring may be more severe on younger palms where spears are narrower. Mortality of young palms has already been observed on Guam. Oviposition and larval development typically occurs in decaying coconut logs or stumps.

Control measures have been developed for CRB and the current strategy on Guam is to implement an integrated eradication program using pheromone-baited, attractive traps to capture adults, various methods to eliminate infested and susceptible host material, and pesticides to kill larvae and adults. Pesticides may also be applied to uninfested trees as a preventive treatment. USDA-APHIS has completed an Environmental Assessment for the coconut rhinoceros beetle eradication program on Guam (EA Number: GU-08-1, http://www.guaminsects.net/uogces/kbwiki/images/d/dc/CRB_EA.pdf). The eradication program is a cooperative effort between USDA (APHIS and Forest Service), GDA and the University of Guam (UOG). This document follows the Forest Service Pest Risk Assessment (Kliejunas et al. 2001) format and is intended to provide information regarding the current status of CRB on Guam, its potential to spread to uninfested locales, and the consequences of establishment. The high, moderate or low riskvalues are based on available biological information and the subjective judgment of the authors. In 2010, GDA and UOG set out to introduce a virus in the adult population designed to kill the beetle through infection by beetles released from the labs.

In June 2010, during a controlled release of infected adult beetles and in a joint venture with a team from New Zealand, they discovered "...unusual rhino beetle behavior: the beetles were not breeding on the ground in decayed logs as normal; they were breeding in the detritus trapped in the tree branches. In cutting down 11 large coconut palms they found a complete ecosystem in the crowns including brown tree snakes, crabs, and, unfortunately, all life stages of rhinoceros beetles, from eggs to larva to young adults. This new discovery makes the release of the bio-control virus even more vital. Moore thinks this arboreal breeding behavior, seen only on Guam, may be because the brown tree snake has wiped out most of Guam's rats. Elsewhere, rats love to live in coconut crowns, and they love to eat rhino beetle grubs. This never-before-seen rhino beetle behavior of breeding in the crowns of coconut trees underscores an important point of invasive species on small islands. Their impact is often severe because there are no natural enemies, such as predators, parasites, or diseases, to control their population growth."

A joint initiative between Guam Customs & Quarantine (which trains CRB detector dogs and CRB handlers), Guam Department of Agriculture (which employs CRB detector dog handlers), University of Guam College of Agriculture (which provides CRB Detector Dog program funding) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Station (the federal agency providing strategic direction and regulatory guidance) to form the nation's first Bio-Security Task Force which features the nation's first CRB trained detector dogs. This program will provide enhanced capability and capacity for the invasive species interdiction and eradication program in order to mitigate these species on Guam and prevent it from spreading to other jurisdictions in the United States. This Task Force increases the island's capacity to handle the increased volume of invasive species associated with the unprecented military buildup on Guam.

Other invasive animal species

From the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, the Spanish introduced pigs, dogs, chickens, the Philippine deer (Cervus mariannus), black francolins, and water buffalo. Water buffalo, known as carabao locally, have cultural significance. Herds of these animals obstruct military base operations and harm native ecosystems. After birth control and adoption efforts were ineffective, the U.S. military began culling the herds in 2002 leading to organized protests from island residents.

Other introduced species include cane toads imported in 1937, the giant African snail (an agricultural pest introduced during WWII by Japanese occupation troops) and more recently frog species which could threaten crops in addition to providing additional food for the brown tree snake population. Reports of loud chirping frogs native to Puerto Rico and known as coquí, that may have arrived from Hawaii, have led to fears that the noise could threaten Guam's tourism.

Introduced feral pigs and deer, over-hunting, and habitat loss from human development are also major factors in the decline and loss of Guam's native plants and animals.

Threats to indigenous plants

Invading animal species are not the only threat to Guam's native flora. Tinangaja, a virus affecting coconut palms, was first observed on the island in 1917 when copra production was still a major part of Guam's economy. Though coconut plantations no longer exist on the island, the dead and infected trees that have resulted from the epidemic are seen throughout the forests of Guam. Also during the past century, the dense forests of northern Guam have been largely replaced by thick ''tangan tangan'' brush (Leucaena-native to the Americas). Much of Guam's foliage was lost during World War II. In 1947, the U.S. military is thought to have planted ''tangan tangan'' by seeding the island from the air to prevent erosion. Tangan tangan was present on the island before 1905 (Stone,Useful Plants of Guam, 1905). In southern Guam, non-native grass species also dominate much of the landscape.

Wildfires

Wildfires plague the forested ("boonie" or "jungle") areas of Guam every dry season despite the island's humid climate. Most fires are man-caused with 80 percent resulting from arson. Poachers often start fires to attract deer to the new growth. Invasive grass species that rely on fire as part of their natural life cycle grow in many regularly burned areas. Grasslands and "barrens" have replaced previously forested areas leading to greater soil erosion. During the rainy season sediment is carried by the heavy rains into the Fena Lake Reservoir and Ugum River, leading to water quality problems for southern Guam. Eroded silt also destroys the marine life in reefs around the island. Soil stabilization efforts by volunteers and forestry workers to plant trees have had little success in preserving natural habitats.

Aquatic preserves

As a vacation spot for scuba divers, efforts have been made to protect Guam's coral reef habitats from pollution, eroded silt, and overfishing that have led to decreased fish populations. In recent years the Department of Agriculture, Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources has established several new marine preserves where fish populations are monitored by biologists. Prior to adopting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎ standards, portions of Tumon Bay were dredged by the hotel chains in order to provide a better experience for hotel guests. Tumon Bay has since been made into a preserve. A federal Guam National Wildlife Refuge in northern Guam protects the decimated sea turtle population in addition to a small colony of Mariana fruit bats. Harvest of sea turtle eggs was a common occurrence on Guam prior to World War II. The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) was harvested legally on Guam prior to August 1978, when it was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) has been on the endangered list since 1970. In an effort to ensure protection of sea turtles on Guam, routine sightings are counted during aerial surveys and nest sites are recorded and monitored for hatchlings.

Traditional harvests of sea turtles were primarily for local consumption at fiestas, weddings, funerals, and christenings. In recent times, poaching of sea turtles has been known to occur on Guam due to the traditional demand for its meat. However, capture of the responsible parties has been difficult, although arrests have been made for unauthorized take. Effective conservation and enforcement will be critical to the recovery efforts of this project.

DAWR will continue to give sea turtle presentations for community awareness, especially through the elementary-secondary school system and University of Guam. In addition, the recommendation to produce and distribute sea turtle posters and pamphlets would help to enhance conservation and recovery awareness within the local community.

Guam's Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR) Sea Turtle Recovery Program (STRP) is funded in part by the NMFS Honolulu, PIAO to determine the extent of Guam's resident/nesting sea turtle populations and nesting habitats by conducting beach surveys and satellite tracking. ComNavMarianas has funded part of the satellite telemetry portion of the project through the purchase of satellite tags and satellite time. The objectives of the project are:

# To collect baseline population size-structure (age and size) and genetic information for sea turtles in and about Guam. # To survey Guam's beaches for sea turtle nesting activity for both green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) throughout the nesting period in order to determine the size of the nesting population of sea turtles on Guam and to employ a variety of tagging techniques to determine movement, residency and further define population dynamics. # To establish a Guam-based sea turtle-working group consisting of natural resource stakeholders and involve them in the refinement of the implementation plan.

The acquisition of satellite tagging materials and training was completed in March and April 2000. On June 28, 2000, an approximately 250–300 pound Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) was Argos satellite-tagged and tracked after making a false crawl (i.e., one in which no nest was made) on Explosive Ordnance Disposal Beach, Andersen Air Force Base. A poaching arrest was also made on the following morning concerning a 22 lb. C. mydas that was illegally speared in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve Area.

{|class="wikitable" |- | |- !Reef fish of Guam |}

Education

Colleges and universities

The University of Guam (UOG), Guam's land-grant university, and Guam Community College, both fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, offer courses in higher education. UOG is a member of the exclusive group of only 76 U.S. land-grant institutions in the entire United States. Pacific Islands University is a small Christian liberal arts institution nationally accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. They offer courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Primary and secondary schools

The Guam Public School System serves the entire island of Guam. In 2000, 32,000 students attended Guam's public schools. Guam Public Schools have struggled with problems such as high dropout rates and poor test scores. Guam's educational system has always faced unique challenges as a small community located from the U.S. mainland with a very diverse student body including many students who come from backgrounds without traditional American education. An economic downturn in Guam since the mid-1990s has compounded the problems in schools.

Prior to September 1997, the U.S. Department of Defense partnered with Guam Board of Education. In September 1997 the DoDEA opened its own schools for children of military personnel. DoDEA schools, which also serve children of some federal civilian employees, had an attendance of 2,500 in 2000. DoDEA Guam operates three elementary/middle schools and one high school.

Public libraries

Guam Public Library System operates the Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library in Hagåtña and five branch libraries.

Health care

The Government of Guam maintains the island's main health care facility, Guam Memorial Hospital in Tamuning. U.S. board certified doctors and dentists practice in all specialties. In addition, the U.S. Naval Hospital in Agana Heights serves active-duty members and dependents of the military community.

Motion pictures

Several films have been shot on Guam including ''No Man Is an Island'' (1962), ''Arachnid'' (1998) and the government-funded ''Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon'' (2004), which has been mired in lawsuits and accusations of fraud perpetrated against the government and people of Guam by Hollywood filmmakers John Laing and Albert Pyun.

Sports

Pacific Games

Guam has twice hosted the Pacific Games, for the first time in 1975 and most recently in 1999. Guam finished 7th of 22 countries at the 2007 Pacific Games and are due to compete in the 2011 Pacific Games from August 27 to September 10.

Football

The Guam national football team was founded in 1975 and joined FIFA in 1996. Guam are one of FIFA's weakest teams and only managed their first victory over a FIFA-registered side in 2009, when they defeated Mongolia in the East Asian Cup. The national team play at the Guam National Football Stadium, which has a capacity of 1,000. The top division in Guam is the Guam Men's Soccer League. The current champions are Cars Plus FC and Guam Shipyard are the country's most successful club, with six championship.

Rugby Union

The country are represented in rugby union by the Guam national rugby union team. The team have never qualified for a Rugby World Cup. Guam played their first match in 2005, an 8-8 draw with India. Guam's biggest win was a 74-0 thrashing of Brunei in June 2008.

See also

List of National Register of Historic Places in Guam

List of people from Guam

Mariana Islands

Mariana Trench

Micronesia

Pacific Ocean

Territories of the United States

References

External links

Guampedia, Guam's Online Encyclopedia

''The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands'', PBS documentary film & website

Guam Portal

Official Portal for the Island of Guam

''U.S. Census Bureau: Island Areas Census 2000''

Portals to the World: Guam from the U.S. Library of Congress

KUAM TV/AM/FM

War in the Pacific – Liberation of Guam

Maps – Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

Military: Naval Air Station, Agana (Tiyan) (''closed''). GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2010-02-19.

Goetzfridt, Nicholas J. (2011) Guahan: A Bibliographic History. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/shopcore/978-0-8248-3481-4/

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Former Spanish colonies Category:Insular areas of the United States Category: World War II sites Category:Islands of Oceania Category:Micronesia Category:English-speaking countries and territories Category:States and territories established in 1898

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Coordinates	52°05′36″N5°7′10″N
name	Matthew Perry
alt	A man dressed in dark blue raises his hand. He wrinkles his face, as if trying to remember something.
birth name	Matthew Langford Perry
birth date	August 19, 1969
birth place	Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States
occupation	Actor, director, writer, producer
years active	1988–present }}

Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on the popular, long-running NBC television sitcom ''Friends''. He also received acclaim for his portrayal of Ron Clark in the television movie ''The Ron Clark Story'', accompanied by another Emmy nomination as well as a Golden Globe nomination. Perry also starred in the short-lived series ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' and has appeared in a number of films, including ''Fools Rush In'' (1997), ''The Whole Nine Yards'' (2000), and ''17 Again'' (2009). In 2010 he expanded his resume to include both video games and voiceover work when he voiced a character in the role-playing game ''Fallout: New Vegas''.

Most recently, Perry was the co-creator, co-writer, executive producer and star of the short-lived ABC sitcom ''Mr. Sunshine'', which ran from February to March 2011.

Early life

Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. His mother, Suzanne Jane Louise Morrison (''née'' Langford), is a Canadian journalist and former press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and his father, John Bennett Perry, is an American actor and former model. His parents divorced before his first birthday and his mother subsequently married Keith Morrison, a broadcast journalist. Perry was raised by his mother in Ottawa, Ontario and was enrolled at Rockcliffe Park Public School and Ashbury College. While growing up he took a keen interest in tennis and became a top-ranked junior player.

Career

1980s

Matthew Perry moved from Ottawa to Los Angeles to pursue acting. For high school, he attended The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks. While at Buckley, Perry was featured as George Gibbs in ''Our Town'' and appeared as a junior in a production of ''The Miracle Worker''. Patty Duke attended and praised the young Perry's convincing role as Helen's brother Jimmy. He was also featured in ''The Sound of Music'' as a junior. In his senior year, director Tim Hillman had planned a production of "The Elephant Man" specifically to feature Perry as John Merrick along with Vanessa Smith, and future ''Les Misérables'' star Lisa Capps. He then got his professional break at age 18. On being cast in ''A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon'' with River Phoenix, Perry withdrew from ''Elephant Man'' and ended his high school acting career. Perry also pursued improv comedy at the LA Connection in Sherman Oaks while still in high school, quickly becoming a featured performer.

After some guest appearances in late 1980s television, it was his intention to enroll at the University of Southern California, but when he was offered the lead role of Chazz Russell in ''Second Chance'' he became noticed on the acting scene. Perry originally starred alongside Kiel Martin when the series premiered in 1987, but after 13 episodes the format changed: ''Second Chance'' became ''Boys Will Be Boys'', Perry was elevated to top-billing status, and the plots re-focused on the adventures of Chazz and his teenage friends. Despite the shift, the show ran for only one season. When it concluded, Perry stayed in Los Angeles and made guest appearance on the television program ''Growing Pains'' in which he portrayed Carol's boyfriend who dies from injuries in the hospital sustained in a drunk driving accident.

1990s

In 1991, Perry made a guest appearance on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' as Roger Azarian. In the midst of his many continuing guest roles on TV, Perry was a regular on the 1990 CBS sitcom ''Sydney'', playing the younger brother of Valerie Bertinelli's title character. Three years later, he landed his second TV starring role on the ABC sitcom ''Home Free'', which only lasted 13 episodes in the spring of 1993. By then, Perry was making his mark, and was instantly cast in a new dramatic pilot titled ''LAX 2194''. The project was slow to take off, so as a backup option, he attempted to secure an audition for the pilot ''Six of One'', later to be known as ''Friends'', by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, both of whom he had worked with on ''Dream On''. However, due to previous commitments to the pilot ''LAX 2194'', he was not initially considered for an audition. When he did eventually get a reading, he landed the part he is best known for, the role of Chandler Bing.

The program was hugely successful and Perry, along with his co-stars, gained wide renown among television viewers. The program also earned him Emmy nominations in 2002 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series along with Matt LeBlanc, but he lost to Ray Romano. As well as his successful career on ''Friends'', Perry has appeared in films such as ''Fools Rush In'' (alongside father John Bennett Perry and Salma Hayek), ''Almost Heroes'', ''Three to Tango'', ''The Whole Nine Yards'' (alongside Bruce Willis) and its sequel ''The Whole Ten Yards'', ''17 Again'' and ''Serving Sara''.

2000s

While known primarily for his comic roles, Perry has carved out a career in drama as well, particularly in his portrayal of Associate White House Counsel Joe Quincy in Aaron Sorkin's ''The West Wing''. His three appearances in that series (twice in the fourth season and once in the fifth) earned him two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2003 and 2004. Perry is referred to in the show prior to his guest appearance - Donna Moss seeks him out (off screen) in the episode "20 Hours in LA." He also appeared as attorney Todd Merrick in two episodes near the end of ''Ally McBeal''s five season run, including a 2-hour special intended to revive the legal comedy-drama.

After ''Friends'' wrapped up, Perry made his directorial debut in an episode of the 4th season of the American comedy-drama ''Scrubs'' (in which he also guest starred as "Murray Marks", an operator of a small airport's traffic control team. Murray is asked to donate a kidney to his father Gregory played by Perry's real father).

He starred in the TNT movie, ''The Ron Clark Story'' which premiered August 13, 2006. Perry played small town teacher Ron Clark who relocates to the toughest class in the country. Perry received a Golden Globe nomination as well as an Emmy nomination for his performance. In 2006-2007, Perry appeared in Aaron Sorkin's drama ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''. Perry played Matt Albie alongside Bradley Whitford's Danny Tripp, a writer-director duo brought in to help save a failing sketch show. Perry's character was considered to be substantially based on Sorkin's own personal experiences, particularly in television.

In 2006 he began filming ''Numb'', a film based on a man suffering from depersonalization disorder. The film's tentative release date was pushed back several times, but was finally released to DVD on May 13, 2008. He also appeared in David Mamet's ''Sexual Perversity in Chicago'' in London. In 2009 he starred in the film ''17 Again'' playing the older Mike O'Donnell.

Showtime has passed on a pilot called ''The End of Steve'', a dark comedy starring, written and produced by Perry and Peter Tolan.

Perry's new comedy pilot ended up in the hands of ABC, according to ''The Hollywood Reporter''. The deal for the untitled comedy is said to include penalties if the pilot doesn't make it to series, almost guaranteeing that the project will get a green light, ''THR'' reports. It is based on an original idea by Perry, and will be written by Perry as well as Alex Barnow and Marc Firek, who have both signed as executive producers. Thomas Schlamme is in talks to direct. The new pilot is called ''Mr. Sunshine''. In January 2010, it was announced that ABC has greenlit ''Mr. Sunshine''. It was also revealed that the project is a single-camera sitcom starring Perry as a man who has a minor identity crisis on his 40th birthday. The venture comes from Sony TV and Jamie Tarses' Fanfare Productions. The series was canceled by ABC after nine episodes.

Personal life

Perry reportedly had relationships with Julia Roberts and Yasmine Bleeth and was dating fashion student Rachel Dunn until 2005. Despite looking for a long-term relationship, in 2009 Perry said he did not know why he was still single.

Perry holds dual Canadian-American citizenship. He is a fan of the Ottawa Senators, the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox.

Perry did a 28-day program in 1997 for a Vicodin addiction. Matthew Perry's weight fluctuated drastically over the next few years and once dropped down to . He lost 20 pounds in 2000 due to pancreatitis. Perry again entered rehab in February 2001 to treat an addiction to opioids (specifically vicodin and methadone), amphetamines and alcohol. Perry was in Dallas filming ''Serving Sara'' with Elizabeth Hurley when he had such severe stomach pains that he called a local doctor, who advised rehab. Perry flew to Los Angeles and checked into Marina del Rey's Daniel Freeman Hospital. Perry's publicist Lisa Kasteler confirmed his rehab stay.

Filmography

Film

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1988	''A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon''	Fred Roberts	Credited as Matthew L. Perry
1989	''She's Out of Control''	Timothy	Credited as Matthew L. Perry
1994	''Getting In''	Randall Burns
1997		Alex Whitman
1998	''Almost Heroes''	Leslie Edwards
1999	''Three to Tango''	Oscar Novak
2000		Nicholas 'Oz' Oseransky
2000		Mr. Vivian	Uncredited
2002	''Serving Sara''	Joe Tyler
2004	''The Whole Ten Yards''	Oz
2005	''Hoosiers II: Senior Year''	Coach Norman Dale Jr.
2006	''The Ron Clark Story''
2007		Hudson	Executive producer
2008		Morrie Tanager
2009		Adult Mike O'Donnell

Television

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1979	''240-Robert''	Arthur	Episode 1.6: "Bank Job"
1983	''Not Necessarily the News''	Bob	Episode 1.10: "Audrie in Love"
1985	''Charles in Charge''	Ed Stanley	Episode 1.20: "The Wrong Guy"Credited as Matthew L. Perry
1986	''Silver Spoons''	Davey	Episode 5.6: "Rick Moves Out"
1987–1988	''Second Chance (TV series)	Chazz Russell	Appeared in 21 episodes
1988	''[[Dance 'Til Dawn''	Roger	TV film
1988	''Just the Ten of Us''	Ed	Episode 2.4: "The Dinner Test"Credited as Matthew L. Perry
1988	''Highway to Heaven''	David Hastings	Episode 5.2: "Hello and Farewell"
1989		Bill aged 18	Episode 1.21: "A Life in the Day"
1989	''Growing Pains''	Sandy	Appeared in 3 episodes
1990	''Sydney''	Billy Kells	Appeared in 13 episodes
1990	''Who's the Boss?''	Benjamin Dawson	Episode 7.8: "Roomies"
1990	''Call Me Anna''	Desi Arnaz, Jr.	TV film
1991	''Beverly Hills, 90210''	Roger Azarian	Episode 1.18: "April Is the Cruelest Month"
1992	''Sibs''	Unknown	Episode 1.18: "What Makes Lily Run?"
1992		Alex	Episode 3.23: "To the Moon, Alex!"
1993		Matt Bailey	Appeared in 13 episodes
1993	''Deadly Relations''	George Westerfield	TV film
1994	''L.A.X. 2194''	Blaine	Pilot
1994	''Parallel Lives''	Willie Morrison	TV film
1994–2004	''Friends''	Chandler Bing	Appeared in 236 episodes
1995	''The John Larroquette Show''	Steven	Episode 2.21: "Rachel Redux"
1995	''Caroline in the City''	Chandler Bing	Episode 1.6: "Caroline and the Folks"
2001	''The Simpsons''	Ultrahouse Matthew Perry voice option	Episode 13.1: "Treehouse of Horror XII"
2002	''Ally McBeal''	Attorney Todd Merrick	Episodes 5.16 and 5.17: "Love Is All Around" Parts 1 and 2
2003	''The West Wing''	Joe Quincy	Appeared in 3 episodes
2004		Murray Marks	Episode 4.11: "My Unicorn"; also director
2006	''The Ron Clark Story (aka The Triumph)''		TV film
2006–2007	''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''	Matt Albie	Appeared in 21 episodes
2011		Ben	Co-creator
2011	''Childrens Hospital''	Himself	Episode 3.3: "The Black Doctor" (cameo)

Videogames

! Year	! Videogame	! Role	! Notes
2010	''Fallout: New Vegas''	Benny	Voice Actor

Awards and nominations

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Title of work ! Result |- |1996 |American Comedy Awards |Funniest Supporting Male Performer in a TV Series - with David Schwimmer |Friends | |- |1999 - 2004 |Screen Actors Guild Awards |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - with rest of main cast |Friends | |- |2000 |TV Guide Awards |Editor's Choice - with whole cast along with Jane Sibbett and John Christopher Allen |Friends | |- |2002 |Emmy Awards |Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series |Friends | |- |2002 |Kids' Choice Awards |Favorite Television Actor |Friends | |- |2003 |Emmy Awards |Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series |The West Wing | |- |2004 |Emmy Awards |Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series |The West Wing | |- |2004 |Teen Choice Awards |Choice TV Actor - Comedy |Friends | |- |2006 |Satellite Awards |Best Actor in a Series, Drama |Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | |- |2006 |TV Land Awards |Most Wonderful Wedding - with Courteney Cox |Friends | |- |2007 |Emmy Awards |Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie |The Ron Clark Story | |- |2007 |Golden Globes |Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television |The Ron Clark Story | |- |2007 |Screen Actors Guild Awards |Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries |The Ron Clark Story | |}

References

External links

Category:1969 births Category:Actors from Massachusetts Category:American film actors Category:American emigrants to Canada Category:American television actors Category:American people of Canadian descent Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Berkshire County, Massachusetts Category:People from Ottawa Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners

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Coordinates	52°05′36″N5°7′10″N
Name	Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
Type	NASA astronaut
Status	Deceased
Nationality	American
Birth date	November 18, 1923
Birth place	Derry, New Hampshire
Death date	July 21, 1998
Death place	Pebble Beach, California
Occupation	Test pilot
Rank	Rear admiral, USN
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Flying CrossCongressional Space Medal of Honor
Selection	NASA Group One (1959)
Time	216 hours and 57 min
Mission	MR-3, Apollo 14
Insignia	}}

Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. Ten years later, he commanded the Apollo 14 mission, and became the fifth person to walk on the Moon. He also served as chief of the Astronaut Office from November 1963 – July 1969 and from June 1971 – August 1, 1974. Shepard was promoted from captain to rear admiral on August 25, 1971. He retired from the US Navy and NASA in 1974.

Biography

Shepard was born in Derry, New Hampshire to Lt. Col. Alan B. Shepard, Sr. and Renza (née Emerson) Shepard. He attended primary and secondary schools in East Derry and Derry.

Naval career

Shepard began his naval career after graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1944, and served on the destroyer USS ''Cogswell'' while it was deployed in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. He subsequently entered flight training at Corpus Christi, Texas and Pensacola, Florida, and received his naval aviator wings in 1947. He was assigned to Fighter Squadron 42 based at Norfolk, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, and served several tours aboard aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean Sea with the squadron.

In 1950, he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. After graduation, he participated in flight test work which included high-altitude tests to obtain data on light at different altitudes and on a variety of air masses over the American continent; test and development experiments of the Navy's in-flight refueling system; carrier suitability trials of the F2H-3 Banshee; and Navy trials of the first angled carrier deck. He was subsequently assigned to Fighter Squadron 193 based at Moffett Field, California, a night fighter unit flying Banshee jets. As operations officer of this squadron, he made two tours to the western Pacific on board the carrier USS ''Oriskany''.

Shepard returned to Patuxent for a second tour of duty and engaged in flight testing the F3H Demon, F8U Crusader, F4D Skyray, and F11F Tiger. He was also project test pilot on the F5D Skylancer, and his last five months at Patuxent were spent as an instructor in the Test Pilot School. He later attended the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island, and upon graduating (master of arts in military science) in 1958 was assigned to the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, as aircraft readiness officer.

He logged more than 8,000 hours flying time—3,700 hours in jet aircraft.

NASA career

Mercury: ''Freedom 7'' pilot

In 1959, Shepard was one of 110 military test pilots invited by the newly-formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration to volunteer for the first US manned space flight program. Following a gruelling series of physical and psychological tests, NASA selected Shepard to be one of the original group of seven Mercury astronauts.

In January 1961, Shepard was chosen for the first American manned mission into space. Although the flight was originally scheduled for October 1960, delays by unplanned preparatory work meant that this was postponed several times, initially to March 6, 1961 and finally to May 5. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first person in space and to orbit the Earth.

On May 5, 1961, Shepard piloted the ''Freedom 7'' mission and became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space. He was launched by a Redstone rocket, and unlike Gagarin's 108-minute orbital flight, Shepard stayed on a ballistic trajectory—a 15-minute suborbital flight which carried him to an altitude of and to a splashdown point down the Atlantic Missile Range. Unlike Gagarin, whose flight was strictly automatic, Shepard had some control of ''Freedom 7'', spacecraft attitude in particular. The launch was seen live on television by millions.

Shortly before the launch, Shepard said to himself: "Don't fuck up, Shepard..." This quote was reported as "Dear Lord, please don't let me fuck up" in ''The Right Stuff'', though Shepard confirmed this as a misquote. Regardless, the latter quote has since become known among aviators as "Shepard's Prayer."

According to Gene Kranz in his book, ''Failure Is Not an Option'', "When reporters asked Shepard what he thought about as he sat atop the Redstone rocket, waiting for liftoff, he had replied, 'The fact that every part of this ship was built by the low bidder.'"

After a dramatic Atlantic Ocean recovery, Commander Shepard observed, "…didn't really feel the flight was a success until the recovery had been successfully completed. It's not the fall that hurts; it's the sudden stop." After his successful return, Shepard was celebrated as a national hero, honored with parades in Washington, New York and Los Angeles and received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal from President John F. Kennedy.

Later, he was scheduled to pilot the Mercury-Atlas 10 ''Freedom 7-II'' three-day extended duration mission in October 1963. The MA-10 mission was cancelled on June 13, 1963. He was the back-up pilot for Gordon "Gordo" Cooper for the MA-9 mission.

Gemini: Chief astronaut

After the Mercury-Atlas 10 mission was cancelled, Shepard was designated as the command pilot of the first manned Project Gemini mission. Thomas Stafford was chosen as his co-pilot. In early 1964, Shepard was diagnosed with Ménière's disease, a condition in which fluid pressure builds up in the inner ear. This syndrome causes the semicircular canals and motion detectors to become extremely sensitive, resulting in disorientation, dizziness, and nausea. The condition caused him to be removed from flight status for most of the 1960s (Gus Grissom and John Young were assigned to Gemini 3 instead).

Also in 1963, he was designated Chief of the Astronaut Office with responsibility for monitoring the coordination, scheduling, and control of all activities involving NASA astronauts. This included monitoring the development and implementation of effective training programs to assure the flight readiness of personnel for crew assignments on manned space flights; furnishing pilot evaluations applicable to the design, construction, and operations of spacecraft systems and related equipment; and providing qualitative scientific and engineering observations to facilitate overall mission planning, formulation of feasible operational procedures, and selection and conduct of specific experiments for each flight.

Apollo: Apollo 14 commander

right|thumb|Shepard raises the [[Flag of the United States|American flag on the Moon during Apollo 14.]]Shepard was restored to full flight status in May 1969, following corrective surgery (using a newly-developed method) for Ménière's disease. He was originally assigned to command Apollo 13, but as it was felt he needed more time to train, he and his crewmates (lunar module pilot Edgar Mitchell and command module pilot Stuart Roosa) swapped missions with the then crew of Apollo 14 (James Lovell, Ken Mattingly and Fred Haise).

As the oldest astronaut in the program at age 47, Shepard made his second space flight as commander of Apollo 14 from January 31 – February 9, 1971, America's third successful lunar landing mission. Shepard piloted the Lunar Module ''Antares'' to the most accurate landing of the entire Apollo program. This was the first mission to successfully broadcast color television pictures from the surface of the Moon, using a vidicon tube camera. (The color camera on Apollo 12 provided a few brief moments of color telecasting before it was inadvertently pointed at the Sun, ending its usefulness.) While on the Moon, Shepard used a Wilson six-iron head attached to a lunar sample scoop handle to drive golf balls. Despite thick gloves and a stiff spacesuit which forced him to swing the club with one hand, Shepard struck two golf balls; driving the second, as he jokingly put it, "miles and miles and miles."

Following Apollo 14, Shepard returned to his position as Chief of the Astronaut Office in June 1971. He was appointed by President Nixon in July 1971 as a delegate to the 26th United Nations General Assembly, serving from September to December 1971. He was promoted to rear admiral by Nixon that same year before retiring both from the Navy and NASA on August 1, 1974.

Later years

After Shepard left NASA, he served on the boards of many corporations. He also served as president of his umbrella company for several business enterprises, Seven Fourteen Enterprises, Inc. (named for his two flights, ''Freedom 7'' and Apollo 14).

In 1994, he published a book with two journalists, Jay Barbree and Howard Benedict, called ''Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon''. Fellow Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton is also named as an author. The book generated some controversy for use of a staged photo purportedly showing Shepard hitting a golf ball on the Moon The book was also turned into a TV miniseries in 1994.

Shepard died of leukemia near his home in Pebble Beach, California on July 21, 1998, (the 29th anniversary of the first moonwalk), two years after being diagnosed with that disease. He was the second person to die who had walked on the Moon. His wife of 53 years, Louise Brewer, died five weeks afterward. Both were cremated, and their ashes were scattered together by a Navy helicopter over Stillwater Cove, in front of their Pebble Beach home.

They had three daughters, Laura (born in 1947), Juliana (born in 1951) and Alice (born in 1951). Alice was Louise's niece, but raised as their own daughter. He also had six grandchildren. He was one of many famous descendants of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren.

Awards and honors

During his life, Shepard was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor (by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 for his pioneering Mercury flight); two NASA Distinguished Service Medals (1961 and 1971), the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Naval Astronaut Wings, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He received the Langley Award (highest award of the Smithsonian Institution) on May 5, 1964; the Lambert trophy; the Iven C. Kincheloe Award; the Cabot Award; the Collier Trophy; and the City of New York Gold Medal for 1971.

He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 11, 1990.

The Navy named a supply ship, ''Alan Shepard'' (T-AKE-3), for him in 2006. A geodesic dome was built in his honor in Virginia Beach, Virginia but was demolished in 1994.

A Redstone missile, from which the Redstone booster used to launch Shepard aboard ''Freedom 7'' was derived, is on display in the Warren, New Hampshire town square.

The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, New Hampshire is named after Shepard and Christa McAuliffe.

Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, from the Massachusetts border to its intersection with Route 101 in Manchester, is named in his honor. It passes through his native Derry. Interstate 565 in northern Alabama connecting Decatur, Alabama and Huntsville, Alabama is officially the Admiral Alan B. Shepard Highway.

His hometown of Derry has the nickname Space Town in honor of his career as an astronaut. Following an act of Congress, the Post Office in Derry is designated the Alan B. Shepard, Jr. Post Office Building.

His high school alma mater in Derry, Pinkerton Academy, has a building named after him; and the school team name is the Astros after his career as an astronaut. Alan B. Shepard High School, in Palos Heights, Illinois, which opened in 1976, was named in his honor. Framed newspapers throughout the school depict various accomplishments and milestones in Shepard's life. Additionally, an autographed plaque commemorates the dedication of the building. The school newspaper is named ''Freedom 7'' and the yearbook is entitled ''Odyssey''. Its television news show is called ''NASA – News About Shepard Astros''.

Other schools which honor his memory include Alan B. Shepard Middle School, Deerfield, Illinois; Alan B. Shepard Middle School, San Antonio, Texas; Alan B. Shepard Elementary School, Bourbonnais, Illinois, Alan B. Shepard Elementary School, Old Bridge, New Jersey and, formerly, Alan B. Shepard Elementary School in Highland Park, Illinois (closed).

Alan Shepard Park in Cocoa Beach, Florida, a beach-side park south of Cape Canaveral, is named in his honor.

In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Shepard was ranked as the ninth most popular space hero (tied with astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Gus Grissom).

In 2011, NASA honored Shepard with an Ambassador of Exploration Award, consisting of a moon rock encased in Lucite, for his contributions to the U.S. space program. His family members accepted the award on his behalf during a ceremony on April 28 at the U.S. Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland, where it is on permanent display.

On May 4, 2011, the US Postal Service issued a first-class stamp in Shepard's honor—the first US stamp to depict a specific astronaut. The first day of issue ceremony was held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Shepard Technology Award

Each year, the Space Foundation, in partnership with the Astronauts Memorial Foundation and NASA, present the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award for outstanding contributions by K–12 educators or district-level administrators to educational technology. The award recognizes excellence in the development and application of technology in the classroom or to the professional development of teachers. The recipient demonstrates exemplary use of technology either to foster lifelong learners or to make the learning process easier. Recipients include:

2001 Lori Byrnes

2002 Thomas F. Hunt, Frank E. Waller

2003 Brian Copes

2004 Charles Geach

2005 Ronald F. Dantowitz

2006 Kathy R. Brandon

2007 Luther W. Richardson

2008 Kevin L. Simmons

2009 Ricardo V. Soria 2010 Allen V. Robnett

In media

1965 – The character of Alan Tracy in the ''Thunderbirds'' was named after him.

1983 film ''The Right Stuff'' – played by Scott Glenn

1998 HBO TV series ''From the Earth to the Moon'' – played by Ted Levine

2005 BBC TV series ''Space Race'' – played by Todd Boyce

2001 opening montage, ''Star Trek: Enterprise''

2002 film ''Race to Space'', played by Mark Moses

2007 – The player character in BioWare's sci-fi video game series ''Mass Effect'', is named in his honor.

Gallery

Notes

References

Kranz, Gene. ''Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond''. ISBN 0-7432-0079-9.

External links

Obituary, ''NY Times'', July 23, 1998 "Alan B. Shepard Jr. Is Dead at 74; First American to Travel in Space"

Alan Shepard – ''Daily Telegraph'' obituary

Alan Shepard: 1st American in Space – slideshow by ''Life'' magazine

{{S-bef|before=Office Created ''(informally: Deke Slayton)''}} {{S-ttl|title=Chief of the Astronaut Office |years=1963–1974}}

Category:1923 births Category:1998 deaths Category:1961 in spaceflight Category:1971 in spaceflight Category:American astronauts Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:United States naval aviators Category:People who have walked on the Moon Category:United States Naval Academy alumni Category:United States Navy admirals Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Category:Deaths from leukemia Category:Naval War College alumni Category:United States Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees Category:American Christians Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Admiral Farragut Academy alumni Category:People from Derry, New Hampshire

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