ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — U.S. Air Force members get immersed back in time with Guam World War II Virtual Reality Experience presented by Pacific Historic Parks during the First Term Enlisted Course at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, 2024.

The VR Experience utilizes Meta Quest Oculus headsets to tell the story of the invasion, occupation, and liberation of Guam during World War II through the perspective of Chamorro survivors.

“Many people don’t think of Guam as part of the U.S.,” said Nicole Calvo, Pacific Historic Parks development and program manager. “Guam’s history is American history.”

The program was created in 2020 after Covid-19 forced national parks and museums to be innovative with educational opportunities while undergoing a reduction in the workforce and shifting responsibilities.

“VR is nothing new to the education scene,” said Jaclyn Balajadia, Pacific Historic Parks education manager. “Hawaii has had it, so why not Guam?”

Calvo and Balajadia’s work in advocating for funding and collecting resources for the project has made it successful in school systems and is now being shown across military installations on the island.

“We have been well received by military leadership,” said Cindy Rapadas, Pacific Historic Parks regional director. “Seeing the servicemembers’ reaction has given us a new perspective on how impactful this program is.”

Rapadas says she’s seen military members across the ranks get emotional while it reminds them of what they are preventing from happening again.

Mark Calvo, 36th Wing resilience program manager and prevention coordination specialist, invited Rapadas’ small team to his portion of a First Term Enlisted Course back in March 2024. Since then, the team has taken the VR experience to Naval Base Guam, Camp Blas, and Joint Region Marianas, where personnel and service members got the opportunity to be immersed in the Island’s history.

Originally, the team only had about 15 headsets where groups would have to take turns to view the experience. Beginning in September, anyone will be able to reserve a spot for up to 40 people at the T. Sell Newman Visitor Center.

“If we can continue the sharing of an unknown history and inspire, we will have achieved a job well done,” said Rapadas.

The Pacific Historic Parks Guam World War II Virtual Reality Experience program is continuing to inspire Airmen and civilians to see the connections of the past, present, and future.