AN AMERICAN GETS A NICKNAME

US Marines on Guam
1899

Chamorros love to give nicknames to others, and sometimes even an American will get one.

Before the war, an American Marine officer was in charge of some local men.  The Marines at the time doubled as the police department on Guam.

This one officer had both a strong Southern accent and a lisp.  So he had trouble saying the name of one of his men, Cerilo.

Whenever the officer had to call on Cerilo, "Shirley" came out instead.

So guess what the Chamorros called this American Marine?  Yes, "Shirley."

Chamorros will take your most obvious defect, your most unforgettable mistake or most prominent physical feature and make a nickname out of it.

Luckily, perhaps, for "Shirley," he got his marching orders and was assigned elsewhere - where he wouldn't be called "Shirley."