MATT2c Nicolas San Nicolas Fegurgur

Nicolas San Nicolas Fegurgur was one of six men from Guam who died on the U.S.S. Arizona.

He was a mess attendant second class when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

Only one branch of the Navy was open to Mr. Fegurgur because he was Chamorro, the indigenous people of Guam. African-Americans and Filipino men were similarly discriminated against by the Navy. Messmen cooked, cleaned, and performed other services. They could advance to become a steward or cook for officers and up to petty officer first class, but that was the limit.

Guam had been under Navy control since 1898 and it permitted a small number of Guamanian men to enlist each year. Men were willing to join because military service could lead to U.S. citizenship.

Mr. Fegurgur was born March 17, 1921. His father, Enrique, was a farmer and his mother, Maria, a homemaker.

He enlisted on Feb. 1, 1940. The Census for that year said he had completed 5th grade.

A few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan also attacked Guam and brutally occupied it for 32 months. The U.S. recaptured the island in August 1944.