At the first location in Chalan Kanoa, Herman Jose’s younger brother, Jose Pepi Deleon Guerrero is seen working in the bakery. Tun Herman Pan’s unifying role was also because he had his brothers next to him, Pepi and Juan ‘Tun Juan’ Delos Reyes Deleon Guerrero, the oldest (not in photo). The siblings joined Maria “Tan Marikita Pan” in working alongside each other to grow the bakery and served the people of Saipan starting from the Liberation of Saipan in 1944.
After the onslaught of the Battle of Saipan and the establishment of Camp Susupe, the American military forces were searching for someone to bake bread for the local people.
Herman Jose Delos Reyes Deleon Guerrero, widely known as ‘Tun Herman’, was born on November 23,1916 and grew up under the Japanese occupation of Micronesia. It was his apprenticeship with the only Japanese bakery in Saipan that set Guerrero onto a life-changing journey, impacting the lives of many.
It was resident Gregorio “Kilili” San Nicolas Sablan, (Grandfather to U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Sablan) who was a translator of the American naval forces on Saipan during the war, who recommended Tun Herman to the military when they needed to feed the residents of Camp Susupe. Known as the “maestro” or teacher, Kilili was one of the very few local residents whose life’s journey impacted many lives on the island. He was sent by the German Administration in the early 1900s to Europe to study the humanities and linguistics where he became fluent in English, German, and Latin, adding to his fluency in Chamorro, Carolinian, and Spanish.
Mr. Sablan later mastered Japanese after World War I when control of the islands was transferred from Germany to Japan. When World War II broke out and given his fluency in multiple languages, the Japanese administration accused Kilili of being a spy for the US-led Allied Powers and placed him under house arrest. During the 1944 World War II battles on Saipan, Kilili was freed by the US military and then recruited to serve as an interpreter to help find and save Chamorros and Carolinians hiding out in the jungles and caves of the island. These same Chamorros and Carolinians then selected Kilili to be the mayor of Camp Susupe, where he served as one of the lead liaisons between the indigenous peoples of the island and the new US military administration, who regarded him as an intelligent and trusted local leader.
Herman Jose R. Guerrero is visited by US Navy officials at his bakery. The US Navy has tasked Tun Herman Pan to help feed the people of Saipan during the post-War reconstruction phase of the island. Tun Herman Pan and his wife, Maria Juliana or Tan Marikita Pan, played very critical role in the recovery of the island following the Battle of Saipan that ended the 30 years Japanese administration.
“One day, the U.S. commander of the Camp asked Mr. Sablan if he knew any local who could bake,” shared Jesus ‘Chung’ Guerrero, the oldest son. “Mr. Sablan right away thought of my father.” Kilili highly recommended Herman “Pan” Guerrero as someone who had the most baking experience at Camp Susupe. “When the call went out for volunteers who knew how to bake bread by the U.S. military administrators at the civilian encampment, he (my father) raised his hand,” shared his third oldest son, JuanPan Guerrero. “My father had the skills and stepped up. That’s where it all started,” JuanPan added.
The U.S. Navy administration supplied all the baking materials Tun Herman needed for a bakery. The bread went to feed the hundreds of Saipan residents, Koreans, Okinawans, U.S. troops, and Japanese prisoners of war.1 Jesus recalls his father telling the story that he was paid $20 a month to provide this service. The U.S. soldiers realized Herman was a talented baker and built him a custom-made brick oven for his trade. As life in the camp grew harsher2, Herman’s baking skills gave some comfort to the civilian population at the encampment.
