As a result of the Spanish-American War, Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installations on the island are some of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific; when Navy and Air Force bases in the Philippines were closed after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo[?], most of the forces stationed there were relocated to Guam.
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