Congress has renamed a post office in Guam after a local radio personality.
Rep. Madeleine Bordallo of Guam proposed the name change for the Barrigada post office in order to honor John Pangelinan Gerber, a lifetime resident of the island. He was a former Marine and disc jockey who died in 2010.
After serving during the Vietnam War, Gerber returned to Barrigada and became a radio personality in his hometown, pioneering a program he called “Wireless Rock” on KUAM(AM). He also opened his own record store — Wireless Rock Music Box — named after his show.
Gerber was also instrumental in his own rebranding initiative: in 2004, he advocated for the island’s Marine Drive to be renamed Marine Corps Drive to ensure that visitors recognize that it honors the efforts of the servicemen who liberated the island during World War II.
In addition, he was a posthumous recipient of the Colonel John H. Magruder Award, given by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for his efforts to bring continued awareness to Marine Corps history in Guam.
