Biographical Summary
Bernard is the founder and principal collaborator of the CHamoru Roots Genealogy Project (http://www.chamorroroots.com), which contains over 400,000 names and continues to grow.
He is the fourth of eight children born to Eustaquio Anderson Punzalan (manggåfan CHe’/Pansi) and Rosita Leon Guerrero Cruz (manggåfan Jai/Mafongfong/Matias/Pa’eng) of Tamuning, Guam.
Bernard’s wife, the former Josephine Marie Guerrero Manibusan (manggåfan Robat/Le’le/Åkåling) is from Mogfog, Dededo. In 2003, they relocated to Spanaway, Washington in order for their sons to complete their educational goals. Bernard and Josephine currently have three sons, one daughter, two daughter-in-laws and grandchildren: Brandon, Sherezada, Guafi and Hongge; Bryant, Melissa, Ma’tua and Ma’ina; Bernard II and Hånom; Adesneidy Martinez and Elizabeth.
At the age of 14, Bernard was one of the first and one of the youngest members of the 1st and 2nd Guam Youth Congress, representing the village of Tamuning. He later graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Guam with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration. In addition, he received his Master of Public Administration degree from Bellevue University, Nebraska.
His career includes more than 20 years of combined enlisted and commissioned officer service with the US Army Reserves, US Army Active Duty, and finally retiring as a Captain with the Guam Army National Guard in 1999, with branch qualifications in human resources, and military finance and accounting. From 1991 to 1993 he was a Personnel Specialist IV with the Department of Administration. From 1993 to 1997, he worked with the Guam Historic Preservation Office (where his interest in genealogy began) as a Program Coordinator serving as the network administrator. From 1997 to 2003, he worked with the Guam Economic Development Authority and held the position of Program Coordinator IV, Administration and Operations Manager and Business Development Director. In 1999 and 2001 Bernard was awarded Manager of the Year, under the Governor’s Employee Recognition Program.
From 2005 – 2009, Bernard worked as a Grants and Contracts Manager with The Geneva Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Lakewood, Washington that supports and promotes the advancement of military medicine through research and development.
Following that assignment, Bernard was subsequently recruited and hired in the federal civil service with the Department of the Army, now under the Defense Health Agency, as a Grants Manager/Technology Transfer Specialist at the Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Punzalan currently oversees and manages medical research grants and technology transfer agreements leading to the development inventions and patents. In 2013, he was awarded a Department of the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service in recognition of meritorious achievement for his work.
Bernard and his families’ journey have weaved in and out of the diaspora. For the last four generations his family has U.S. military service. Prior to his Army duty assignments, his father Pak served and retired from the U.S. Air Force. As a result, Bernard was born at Laramie Air Force Base, Wyoming. Bernard’s grandfather and his namesake, Bernardo del Mundo Punzalan, a Filipino, served and retired from the U.S. Navy, settled on Guam since his initial assignment in 1917. The older two of Bernard’s sons currently serve in the U.S. Air Force.
Despite his absence away from Guam, he remains attached to his heritage by actively promoting, protecting and preserving the CHamoru culture and history through genealogy. He has transcribed and published several books including the 1920, 1930, and 1940 Guam census books, is a contributing author for Guampedia.com (http://www.guampedia.com/bernard-t-punzalan/), and periodically conducts presentations on CHamoru genealogy. He is also the founder and facilitator of the Facebook’s CHamoru Roots ~ Hale’ Chamorro discussion group.
In addition, his efforts involved leading the CHamoru Diaspora Project, initially presented at the 12th Festival Arts of the Pacific, which included serving as a member of the Diaspora Planning Committee, and serving as the Training Coordinator to orient all the selected delegates from the diaspora who represented Guam during the Festival.
For the past couple of years, Bernard has engaged and collaborated with the Kumisión i Fino’ CHamoru yan i Fina’nå’guen i Historia yan i Lina’la’ i Taotao Tåno’ (Commission on CHamoru Language and the Teaching of the History and Culture of the Indigenous People of Guam). A CHamoru Genealogy Workshop and Symposium was conducted in 2022 and 2024, respectively, in collaboration with the Kumision.
