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Post by VeeVee on Jan 21, 2012 22:23:28 GMT -5
Thanks for posting the pictures Donald!
How is Dionesio Perez? Last time I saw him he was not on a wheelchair yet. It's good to see him otherwise.
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Post by legionnaire on Jan 22, 2012 0:12:01 GMT -5
"Our greatest generation will never die......"
Thank YOU DON for "Remembering our Heroes!"
See you all at the Fort home of the Scouts for the Philippine Premier on 7th April ( Bataan week) !
MABUHAY ANG PHILIPPINE SCOUTS!
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Post by 26th on Jan 22, 2012 10:39:56 GMT -5
Don:
Congratulations on your film at the Museum. It brought tears to my eye's seeing Tejeda getting a hug.
Cya all soon at Fort Stotsenburg.
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Post by RayAdillO on Jan 22, 2012 21:21:14 GMT -5
Bravo Don! I always knew the southerners will love the show.
This is good, original, nothing too sappy or sentimentalist ala "Speilberg". The Philippine scouts ask not for government handouts nor their memorialization as victims of circumstance, only that America will remember that there was once The Philippine Division....the "Lost Division"....the "Forgotten Soldiers" who remain unheralded in the rolls of U.S. history.
FOR VALOR!
Ray
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av8tor
History Buff
Posts: 125
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Post by av8tor on Jan 22, 2012 21:31:11 GMT -5
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Post by VeeVee on Jan 22, 2012 23:23:24 GMT -5
Congrats Don, I'll send out some of the photos to the email list. This is what it's all about: Love Cheers!
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Post by 26th on Jan 22, 2012 23:38:05 GMT -5
Don
Do not thanks us..We love your passion for our history.
I hope that this film will continue its travels through the country.
The write up was wonderful. Thanks for all your hard work, mainly those long hours at night editing while your girls slept.
Peace Scout Don!!
Rudy
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av8tor
History Buff
Posts: 125
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Post by av8tor on Jan 23, 2012 7:57:36 GMT -5
Thanks for posting the pictures Donald! How is Dionesio Perez? Last time I saw him he was not on a wheelchair yet. It's good to see him otherwise. Mr. Perez is still doing good, in fact all of them are doing good, it was a long day for all of us. We were given a tour of the museum that afternoon. Our vets were offered wheel chair for the tour and some of them used it, except for Mr. Ely Arzaga. He walked during the tour and refused to take the elevator climbing the stairs instead. Our cavalryman was still charging! You should have seen his reaction upon seeing the museum's display of the Philippine Scouts. The American guests were in awe as he stood in attention and saluted the picture of the scouts. The museum have a good display for the Philippine Scouts. It even has a life-size manequin of a 26th cavalryman on a horse, his face and complexion distinctively Filipino. I will post some pictures of the museum tour later.
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Post by legionnaire on Jan 23, 2012 10:15:49 GMT -5
The museum have a good display for the Philippine Scouts. It even has a life-size manequin of a 26th cavalryman on a horse, his face and complexion distinctively Filipino. I will post some pictures of the museum tour later.Please really curious how they did the display.
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Post by frank on Jan 25, 2012 15:38:10 GMT -5
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av8tor
History Buff
Posts: 125
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Post by av8tor on Feb 6, 2012 15:50:29 GMT -5
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Post by VeeVee on Feb 13, 2012 19:32:03 GMT -5
Showing info passed on by Chris Schaeffer:
Confirmed, dates set: Jan 18, 6:00 pm. World Premier at National World War II Museum, New Orleans. Done. Feb 17 and 18, 5:00 pm. Beloit International Film Festival, Beloit, Wisconsin. (2 screenings) March 23 and 24, 7:00 pm. Bataan Memorial Death March, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. (2 screenings) April 7, 10:30 am. Philippine Scouts Heritage Society Reunion, Clark Field, Pampanga, Philippines. May 6, 2:00 pm. National Museum of the Pacific War. Fredericksburg, Texas.
Confirmed, dates approximate: April 9. Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico. April 9. Philippines Consulate, San Francisco. April 11 or 12. Philippines Consulate, New York.
Under discussion: April 9. Philippines Consulate, Los Angeles. April 9. Ortigas Foundation Library, Manila, Philippines. June or July. The National Mall, Washington, D.C.
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Post by VeeVee on Feb 19, 2012 10:54:27 GMT -5
"Forgotten Soldiers," the documentary film on the U.S. Army's Philippine Scouts wins Beloit International Film Festival's "Power of Film" Award! Congrats to producer and director Donald Plata and writer Chris Schaefer! beloitfilmfest.org/forgotten-soldiers/
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Post by VeeVee on Feb 28, 2012 7:43:40 GMT -5
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Post by legionnaire on Mar 7, 2012 18:47:05 GMT -5
For those in Manila, who cannot make it or will miss it at the First Philippine premier at 28th Annual Reunion at the home of the Philippine Scouts at Fort Stotsenburg. Please bring along Friends and family to see this Award winning Documentary. Mabuhay ang Philippine Scouts!
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Post by RayAdillO on Mar 27, 2012 20:10:26 GMT -5
Happy celebrations to you Don. I hope to watch it this time around in Manila.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 17, 2012 20:27:08 GMT -5
Doing justice to ‘forgotten soldiers’[/u][/url][/size] Manila-born US Navy vet worked six years on docu film of Philippine Scouts, heroes of WWII (Philippine Inquirer Central Luzon, 04/17/12) CLARK FREEPORT—Twenty-five years after leaving for the United States, Donald Plata was drawn to the military history of the country of his birth. Through research, he found that the Philippine Scouts (PS), which the US Army first organized in 1901, were the unsung heroes in America’s battle against the Japanese in the Philippines. He discovered through historical accounts that the Philippine Scouts formed the backbone of the defense forces in Bataan. But he felt there was a lack of recognition of the role of the PS in the country’s bloody battles, so he decided to make a film on them. Plata sold his Cessna 152 plane in 2006, bought filmmaking equipment, and proceeded to make a documentary on the PS that took six years to finish. It was a drastic move from the career path originally taken by the Manila-born engineer, a former US Navy man and airline executive. Through the Internet, Plata tried to link up with people whom he thought could help. Only one replied and he was more than 3,000 kilometers away—Jose Calugas Jr., the president of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society (PSHS) and son of Capt. Jose Calugas, the second Filipino recipient of the US Congressional Medal of Honor. Plata sourced footage from the National Archives, near his home in Washington DC. Filipino friends in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore helped him recreate the battles in Lingayen and Bataan. He interviewed surviving scouts living in Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was an urgent mission, because at the time, there were less than a hundred of them, most in their 80s and 90s. Today there’s only 70 left. Plata asked Chris Schaefer, author of “Bataan Diary,” to pen the script, and Lou Diamond Phillips, a Filipino-American actor, to narrate. The docu was first shown on Jan. 18 at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. Steven Spielberg’s “The Pacific” and Ken Banks’ “The War” were also screened there. Award In February, “Forgotten Soldiers” received the Power of Film Award, the highest award of the Beloit International Film Festival in Wisconsin. Shown recently at the 28th PSHS reunion at Clark, the film left many war veterans weeping. Clark was formerly Fort Stotsenburg, home base of the PS 26th Cavalry Regiment. Three of the six scouts featured in the docu came from the US for the Philippine premiere: Capt. Felipe Fernandez and Sgt. Dominador Figuracion, both with the 26th Cavalry Regiment, and Capt. Eulalio Arzaga Sr. of the Scout Car Platoon. Arzaga shared vivid accounts of PS battles and exploits. Fernandez held back tears at the memory of fallen comrades, and Figuracion took the time to correct misconceptions about the PS, such as being mistaken for Boy Scouts! Plata is currently working to get US screening deals.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 19, 2012 23:53:11 GMT -5
Philippine docu on WWII shown in San Francisco[/u][/url][/size] (Inquirer Global, 04/18/12) MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco held a special screening of the documentary film “Forgotten Soldiers” on April 12 in commemoration of “Araw ng Kagitingan” and the 70th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan. The full-length documentary was produced and directed by Filipino-American Donald Plata, written by Chris Schaefer and narrated by Lou Diamond Philips, the Philippine Consulate said. Using photographs, re-enactments, actual footages and accounts by survivors, the film depicts key events in the Philippines during World War II—from the defense and fall of Bataan and Corregidor until the defeat and surrender of the Japanese Imperial Armed forces. The film highlights the crucial role played by the Philippines during the war, the close ties between the Philippines and the United States and the achievements of the US Army’s Philippine Scouts, the consulate added. Present during the screening at the Philippine Center’s Social Hall, were Philippine Scout Pablo Mesina, a survivor of the Death March, as well as family members and descendants of Philippine Scouts and World War II veterans. They were joined in by various sectors of the Filipino-American community in the Bay Area. Deputy Consul General Alfonso A. Ver, meanwhile, extended the appreciation of the Philippine Consulate General to Plata and Schaefer for the opportunity to screen their film in San Francisco. Before the screening of the film, Bob Capistrano gave a brief background about the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society where he works as a historian. Meanwhile, Ron Muriera of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the Filipino-American National Historical Society and the official representative of Plata and Schaefer, introduced the film by reading a special message from the director and writer. Plata and Schaefer thanked those who came to the screening noting that many of them were relatives of World War II veterans who fought in the battles of Bataan and Corregidor. They added that the film was about the US Army’s Philippine Scouts who fought during the war but were often overlooked in the history books. These soldiers, along with soldiers of the Philippine Army, held off Japanese forces for four months during the beginning of World War II, the director and writer said in their statement. Plata and Schaefer also said they dedicated the film to the memory and bravery of the soldiers who fought in Bataan and Corregidor. The screening of the “Forgotten Soldier” represents the first Northern California screening of the film after its successful sold-out debut last January in New Orleans. “Forgotten Soldiers” was also featured at the Benoit Film Festival where it was given the “Power of Film Award”.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 19, 2012 23:56:32 GMT -5
Cool! The Forgotten Soldiers is spreading the word about the heroism of the Scouts! The US Army’s Philippine Scouts [/u][/url][/size] (Manila Times, 04/20/12) On April 10 the Ortigas Foundation Library under its new director, John Silva, showed a World War II documentary/re-enactment by Donald Plata, a Filipino-American based in San Francisco. Coming after the Bataan Day holiday (Araw ng Kagitingan), the film entitled The Forgotten Soldiers was apropos of the commemoration of the day when after months of fighting against overwhelming odds, the US and Philippine troops surrendered to the Japanese Imperial Forces at Bataan on April 9, 1942. A month later the last US-Philippine troops still holding out in Corregidor also surrendered and the war in the Philippines entered a new phase – guerrilla war with Japanese persecution of civilians as a reaction. This ended with the return of allied troops in late 1944 in Leyte and in Luzon in early 1945. Who were The Forgotten Soldiers? A very special group of highly trained, very courageous, elite group called the Philippine Scouts. They were Filipino soldiers serving as a cohesive group in the US Army under mostly American officers although there were also some Filipino officers. The Philippine Scouts originated at the turn of the century (1901) when the American occupation began and the American Army needed native troops to bolster its numbers. Many of them had originally been soldiers (Macabebe Scouts) under the Spanish Army and continued their military career under the new dispensation. In this day and age, it might reasonably be considered questionable that Filipinos were serving an occupying army but in the context of the times when the Philippine-American War had ended and pacification had come to the islands, being a Philippine Scout was a normal, soldiering job for Philippine nationals now considered part of the United States. From their ranks the US would choose soldiers to send to the US Military Academy (Vicente Lim, Fidel Segundo, Pastor Martelino who became generals and eventually transferred to the Philippine Army). The Philippine Scouts, however, were re-invented and enlarged before World War II (1919-20) when they were grouped as regiments of the US Army. These regiments were Infantry, Field Artillery, Cavalry and Coast Artillery. This was during the autonomous Philippine Commonwealth (but still under American tutelage and oversight) when the increasingly obvious imperialist designs of Japan in the Far East necessitated military defense of the Philippines. It is in World War II that the Philippine Scouts played a stellar role in defending their country and as the frontline troops of the US Army in the Pacific. They were the last line of defense against the invasion of Northern Luzon via the Lingayen Gulf landings of the Japanese and went on from the delaying battles of Luzon at an enormous loss of life to end up in Bataan and later Corregidor fighting to the last man against a larger, better-equipped foe but not any less courageous for the overwhelming odds. They suffered enormous loss of lives. Those who lived up to the surrender of Bataan and Corregidor became part of the Death March to Capas. More than half of whoever were alive then were dead in a few months for the atrocity that was the Death March and the hellishness of the Capas prisoner of war camp. Those who escaped the Death March became part of the guerrilla resistance joined later on by their comrades who had been released prisoners of war. Yet few in these times have heard of the Philippine Scouts as a separate and honored entity among the military forces that were part of World War II in this country. In their day they were a special elite force with PS after their names as part of the US Army Philippine Division. Now decades later, they seemed to have been swallowed up into anonymity, if not neglect, in the aftermath of World War II, also a fading memory or an unkown quantity to the majority of our population. After the war when the Philippines was granted Independence, the Philippine Scouts as part of the US Army were suddenly foreign nationals serving in the US Army. To solve this inconsistency, they were offered American citizenship. Philippine Scouts continued to serve in the US Army as members of the occupying force in Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Some of their progeny went on to highly successful military careers in the US reaching the rank of General in the US Military (Lt Gen. Edward Soriano, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, US Army and Gen. Oscar Hilman of the National Guard) In any case, with the passage of time and the loss of memory, the Philippine Scouts became forgotten soldiers specially after President Harry Truman decided to disband them a separate and special troops and integrate them in the US Army. They are remembered mostly by their families and themselves but remain a small cohesive group with a Philippine Scout Heritage Foundation, regular reunions and a record of earning the first US Medals of Valor earned in World War II (Sergeant Jose Calugas and two American officers). Interesting to note that the Philippine Scouts Cavalry Regiment the 26th) went on horseback to battle from Fort Stotsenberg (Clark Air Base) to Pangasinan where one of the last if not the last cavalry charge of the US Army took place, successfully at that, at the beginning of the war. One veteran interviewed in the film remembered his horse, Mike, who was such an intelligent creature with whom he had a unique bond. In retreating through mountain trails where other horses fell, he would turn to look at his master and then sure-footedly negotiate the trails as though saying we will get through this together. Sadly, when the cavalry had to retreat, in scarce resources, and extreme danger, the order came to slaughter the horses. They were brought to the Pozorrubio slaughterhouse and Mike turned once more to look at his master as he was marched off to his death. More than 60 years later the veteran who rode that horse was in near tears remembering him. Eventually, the cavalry men were decimated but not before they wrote an enduring chapter of courage and heroism in World War II, something that the well-done documentary/reenactment, Forgotten Soldiers by Donald Plata brings back to us to remember, admire and appreciate. There will be more free public showings by the Ortigas Library Foundation.
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Post by VeeVee on Jul 19, 2012 9:53:53 GMT -5
Per Chris Schaeffer:
Two screenings coming up early in August:
Aug 4, Long Beach, California. Art Theater of Long Beach at 10:00 am.
Aug 10, San Jose, California. Spirit of '45 "Unsung Heroes Film Festival" at 7:00 pm.
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