Santos was active in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) while he was in high school, and enlisted in the US Air Force after he graduated.
He took on this issue not only because of the role it may have played leading to his daughter’s death, but also because of the hazardous dump sites and explosive ordnance that the US military had left around Guam after World War II.
Santos conducted several studies and held hearings, all of which pointed to the detrimental effects on the health of the land and the people after years of militarization on Guam.
Since the 1970s it was unusual for public leaders to be openly critical of US immigration policy and discuss the minoritization of Chamorros due to the influx of other ethnic groups.
Nevertheless, Angel Santos, in spite of his position on US immigration policy, made the transition to public servant when he was elected to the Guam Legislature in 1994.
Santos wanted to learn more about the SDA faith and found himself attracted to what he perceived as the more holistic religious experience of Seventh-day Adventists who not only emphasize prayer, but also exercise, eating right, not smoking or drinking and doing all things in moderation.
Santos believed that this was the type of change that Chamorros needed—to not only have lands returned, but to take care of their language, culture, environment, and even their bodies and health.
The large latte that stand in the park are originally from the Fena area, now known as Ordnance Annex—a site filled with the artifacts and remains of ancient Chamorros, but is now off limits to the public.