First Landing on Guam: The Difficulties of a Naval Aviator during the Invasion

This note describes the rivalry, including unfriendly “friendly fire” between the Navy and Marine Corps, that manifested itself during the landing of the first American airplane on Guam after the recapture of the island from the Japanese in World War II. Ed Terrar, a naval pilot, was the first to land his plane on Guam on 30 July 1944, an honor the Marines had planned to claim. The article also relates the amiable resolution of the Navy-Marine conflict years later.