Oral History Interview with Ben Blaz, October 8, 1994 Page: 2
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as may be obvious to you, is a Hispanic name. The
reason for that is that the Spanish crown occupied Guam
for over 300 years after [Ferdinand] Magellan
discovered Guam in 1521. They Catholicized Guam. I'm
a Roman Catholic as a result of it. But I look like I
do because of the tremendous amount of intermarriage
that took place, as I understand it. So we no longer
claim to have a pure race on Guam, which is sad in a
way, but it's also the reality of life over the years.
People ask me why I look like I do if I'm from Guam,
and that's because people from Guam look I do, that's
why (laughter).
Marcello: Where were you born specifically on Guam? In one of
the towns or in the countryside?
Blaz: There's a town in Guam, and it's the capital city.
It's called Agana, a Spanish name as a result of that
occupation. But I was born in a naval hospital, a U.
S. naval hospital, because after the Spanish-American
War, Guam became a prize of war for the United States.
The United States Navy took over, and the naval
hierarchy became the government--the militarygovernment. So for the most part of my early life, I
knew nothing but naval government. Everything happens
in a naval hospital, so I was born at a naval hospital,
although my father was not in the Navy at the time and
we were not dependents.2
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Blaz, Ben. Oral History Interview with Ben Blaz, October 8, 1994, text, October 8, 1994; Fredericksburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1606451/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation.