Guam is one of those places that looks like paradise the moment you step off the plain.

White sandy beaches, clear blue water, palm trees, swaying in a steady Pacific breeze.

It's also one of the most strategically important pieces of land in the Pacific.

For centuries, Guam has changed hands between empires.

Spain claimed it in the 1500s, the United States took control in 1898, and during World War II,

the island became the site of brutal fighting and a harsh Japanese occupation that left scars

still visible today, both in the jungle and in the stories

passed down by the Chamorro people. If you spend enough time there, you start to notice

something. The island feels layered, not in a mystical way, just in the sense that history

never really leaves.

I spent time on Guam during two separate deployments with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Most of my memories involve long nights in the jungle, spider webs to the face,

and wondering how something that beautiful could feel so unforgiving after dark. And while I personally never

saw anything I couldn't explain, I did have one experience on that island that has stayed with me

ever since. But that's a story for later. Because according to the locals, and more than a few

Marines and airmen who've trained there, Guam has a lot of strange happenings,

many of which seem to be tied to all the bloodshed.

These are just a handful of true stories from civilians and servicemen about the strangeness of Guam.

I'm Luke Lamanah, and this is wartime stories.

You, uh, you ever notice how creepy playgrounds look at night?

Everything looks creepy at night.

Uh, yeah, well, no, I... Hold up.

...