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Post by friscohare on May 29, 2012 23:33:04 GMT -5
The Rev. Gary Nagy of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hobart, Ind., saved a diary penned by U.S. Navy Aviation Ordinanceman Doyle Waggoner of Shreveport, a prisoner of war of the Japanese in World War II. Waggoner used scraps of paper for a diary in which he wrote recipes and the menus of meals he dreamed of while he was starved to death by his captors. Severely beaten for stealing rice, he later died in a slave labor camp. Nagy hopes to return the diary, saved by an uncle who was in captivity with Waggoner, to the dead sailor's family.Shreveport sailor's sacrifice underscores war's toll[/u][/url][/size] (Shreveport News, 05/28/12) Almost 70 years after he was murdered by his Japanese captors, the spirit of a Shreveporter taken prisoner early in World War II lives on through his diary. Navy Aviation Ordinanceman Doyle Waggoner didn't spend much of his 31 years in Shreveport, only a handful at most. He moved to Shreveport with his family from Arkansas around 1933, attended Fair Park High School and the following year joined the Navy. Days after the Pearl Harbor attack, Times readers saw his picture in an article listing area soldiers and sailors in harm's way. In May 1942, Waggoner was captured in the fall of the Bataan peninsula near Manila in the Philippine Islands and the loss of the island fortress of Corregidor. Originally imprisoned in the Philippines, he was sent to Japan in 1944 on one of the notorious "hell ships" to be sold to work as a slave at Nagoya Branch 2 Narumi, one of hundreds of labor camps set up in the Home Islands. He and the other prisoners were fed barely enough to stay alive, living on at most a cup of water and a half a cup of rice a day. The former Fair Park Indians football star is largely forgotten today, but he is an important part of World War II history and his memory has been resurrected by an Indiana minister's attempts to get his diary, miraculously intact after almost 70 years, returned to his family. "It is fascinating, but it is not ours to keep," said Gary Nagy, pastor of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Hobart, Ind. "It belongs to the family or a museum of something. It belongs to the family and let them do what they want." Nagy acquired the diary years ago from his uncle, Joe Nagy, who survived slavery in the same camp as Waggoner and saved the fragile papers. Cobbled from a cardboard rations box and a ragtag collection of discarded papers, the diary lovingly details the food and menus Waggoner dreamed of during his days of starvation and slavery. Numbered dinner menus list oyster dishes, noodle and vegetable soups, "mashed spuds," oatmeal cookies, creamed peas, fried onions, mango pie, corn chowder, "hamberg steak" and other dishes, as well as their recipes. It lists some people and places, but mainly the pages hold a vision of a better future for a man robbed of his youth and life while serving his nation.
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Post by friscohare on May 29, 2012 23:35:40 GMT -5
Names of honor: A look at how legions/VFWs are named[/u][/url][/size] (Dunkirk, NY Observer, 05/28/12) There are many American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts throughout the region. Some legions are named after someone who died or was seriously injured in battle. Below are the stories of how some of the posts were named. Frank Acquavia Memorial Post 1344 American Legion, Dunkirk The Dunkirk American Legion's name honors a local Pacific War hero, Frank Acquavia. Acquavia was born May 28, 1917 in Dunkirk. He was the son Mr. and Mrs. Rocco Acquavia of E. Second St. in Dunkirk. He attended Dunkirk Industrial High School. His hobby and favorite sport was boxing, and he was very active in the Dunkirk athletic association. He had a brother, Paschel, and sisters, Mary, Nancy, Helen, Janet, Mrs. Louis Skelly and Mrs. Justin Leone He enlisted as private in the U.S. Army in April of 1940. In September of 1940, he was sent to the Philippines where he also continued boxing. In 1941, Acquavia was captured on Corregidor, an island in the Philippines, during the opening days of the Pacific War. While he was in Japanese custody, he and the other Americans prisoners were herded down to a sea plane landing pad area. Acquavia went to retrieve or find food that was hidden at a battery when a Japanese guard spotted him and opened fire, killing him instantly. This was witnessed by Jim Rosseoto, a close friend of Acquavia's from Fredonia. Acquavia's body was never recovered. His name is listed in the tablets of the missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. He was awarded two citations for gallantry: the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He was also awarded defense ribbons from Pearl Harbor, the American Theater of Operations in the Philippines and the South Pacific Theater of Operations. The American Legion Post 1344 was named in the memory of Acquavia with the support of many of his hometown friends on Jan. 7, 1946. Read more...
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Post by friscohare on May 29, 2012 23:37:11 GMT -5
North Andover honors memory of death march survivor[/u][/url][/size] (Eagle Tribune, Andover, MA, 05/28/12) NORTH ANDOVER — An estimated 76,000 American and Filipino soldiers were forced to march 80 miles after they surrendered to Japanese forces at Bataan in May 1942. Denied food and water and shot, bayoneted or beaten if they did not walk fast enough in the intense tropical heat of the Philippines, some 5,200 Americans died during the infamous Bataan Death March. Those who survived were transported to Japan in the bottoms of "hell ships," with little or no food or water. Many more died during that voyage. The prisoners of war who made it to Japan were forced to dig coal or work at other hard labor tasks. More than three years later, American troops liberated the POWs who did not succumb to the cruel working conditions. Today's Memorial Day parade in North Andover is dedicated to the memory of one of the men who survived the Bataan Death March, Technical Sgt. James Harvey. His widow, Ursula Harvey Cebula, is the guest of honor for the parade. Harvey, who enlisted in the Army in 1939, was born and brought up in Lawrence. He never lived in North Andover, but his widow has resided here for the past 50 years. "He weighed 89 pounds when he got out," Cebula recalled. Like many of his fellow prisoners, Harvey suffered from chronic dysentery and that probably contributed to the heart problem that caused his death at 45 in 1962, she said. Harvey and his comrades suffered merciless beatings during the march, Cebula said. A Japanese soldier slammed Harvey's left hand with the butt of his rifle and broke several bones, she said. The hand was deformed for the rest of his life and he was unable to close it. Harvey was assigned to the coastal artillery that battled the Japanese invaders for three months before surrendering. After being liberated from the Japanese and spending time at a rehabilitation hospital in San Francisco, Harvey could have left the military. When he returned to Lawrence, however, jobs were not plentiful, so he re-enlisted, his widow said. He joined the Air Force after it became a separate branch of the military and retired in 1962, Cebula said. Shortly after he retired, he died. Harvey, raised on Avon Street in Lawrence, was one of four brothers who served in World War II. One of them, Alexander Harvey, was killed in the Europe. James Harvey's postwar military service was less traumatic than his POW experience. He was the manager of an officers' club when he met Cebula, who was working there as a waitress. After Harvey's death, Ursula married his cousin, James Cebula, who was brought up with him in Lawrence. Cebula has since died. The harshness of his treatment as a POW did not make Harvey a mean-spirited man, Cebula said. "I still miss him," she said. "He was the nicest guy." Trained as a draftsperson, Cebula was employed by Raytheon for five years and also worked as an independent contractor. She and Harvey had three daughters, Ramona of Newburyport, Robin of Lunenburg and Ronnie of Methuen. A grandson, James Clark, is a U.S. Army veteran. "My father never spoke of his experiences to either myself or my sisters," Ramona Preston, who was 12 when her father died, wrote in an email to The Eagle-Tribune. "What I remember most is his ready laugh and loving temperament, even more amazing considering his experiences," she added. Veterans' Agent Edward Mitchell, a retired Navy chief petty officer, said the Patriotic Observance Committee, which organized today's parade, voted unanimously to honor Harvey for his sacrifice.
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Post by friscohare on May 29, 2012 23:39:57 GMT -5
War wounds still fresh for World War II veteran's daughter[/u][/url][/size] (Herald News, MA, 05/28/12) FALL RIVER — Seeing the photo of her father with Gen. Douglas MacArthur 67 years later still pulls at Doreen Saulnier’s heart strings. Saulnier’s father, the late Pfc. Joseph W. Pypniowski, was serving in Bataan in March 1945 when a photographer shot a picture of MacArthur and six other soldiers. Pypniowski is pictured on the left, holding a carbine, possibly as part of MacArthur’s security detail. The men are gazing down at dead Japanese troops. MacArthur was a well known and respected general who served during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. MacArthur received the Japanese surrender in September 1945. Pypniowski served for four years in the Army Infantry Regiment, Company G, No. 182, during World War II. Thanks to the power of the Internet, Saulnier, 65, recently acquired an original copy of the Nov. 5, 1945, Life magazine, where the photo ran on a full page. The magazine issue was called “The Fleet’s in,” and sold for 10 cents. “He taught me there was no winning or losing,” Saulnier said of her father, pushing back the tears. “He said we should celebrate how we came out of the storm, not carry the hurts of life.” Saulnier said the memory of her father is bittersweet. He died young, at the age of 52, after a long illness. She was about 20 at the time. After the war, Pypniowski came home to Fall River. They lived on Carver Street. Soon after, they moved to New Jersey where Pypniowski worked as a supervisor in a velour factory. Saulnier said her father had heart problems and bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract. “He was never the same after the war,” Saulnier said. “He was in the swamps (in Japan). There was nothing (doctors) could do but give him meds.” Pypniowski’s death unfortunately was just the beginning of the family’s heartache. Saulnier’s parents had eight children “one a year before the war, and three later. She delivered all of us at home,” Saulnier said. “When dad was (at war), Mom was manning the troops at home.” Three years after her father’s death, her mother died of a heart attack at the age of 54. “I think it was a broken heart,” Saulnier said. Just a few years later, Saulnier lost her husband to ALS. He was 33. She was 29 and left with their three young daughters. Saulnier said her faith got her through those dark times, and her memories. She has since lost three of her siblings. Saulnier has since remarried and is a grandmother. She works as a hair stylist for the Hebert-Hathaway Funeral Home. The first time Saulnier saw the photograph of her father with MacArthur, she was about 4 years old. She said her sister found it in a bin near their neighbor’s house. They immediately recognized their father. They took the photo home, but neither of her parents would say much about it. She also found his ribbons from the war, stuffed in a box. Again, there were no stories. Saulnier doesn’t know the story behind the photograph, but is glad to have the magazine, which is in excellent shape, and see her father as a young man. “He must have been trusted,” Saulnier said. “He was happy that he served his country, but not what it did to his family. He said it was something the country needed.”
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Post by friscohare on May 29, 2012 23:44:40 GMT -5
Michels: Memorial Day Is Really Day Of Thanksgiving[/u][/url][/size] (Yankton Press & Dakotan, 05/28/12) Monday’s ceremony in Yankton honored Memorial Day, but Lt. Gov. Matt Michels said the day could also be considered Thanksgiving Day. Michels, a Yankton attorney, served as featured speaker at the Memorial Park ceremony. A U.S. Navy veteran, Michels served with the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. “Memorial Day is actually a ‘thanksgiving,’ a ‘giving of our thanks’ to the Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Army, Navy, National Guard and Reserves — all military men, women and families — who served and gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” Michels told the Memorial Park audience... ...Michels literally followed the footsteps of history, seeing the location of one of the worst atrocities known to mankind. While serving a military assignment in the Philippines, he witnessed the site of the Bataan Death March conducted during World War II. Japanese troops forced the 70-mile march on American and Filipino prisoners of war already suffering from long battle. Approximately 72,000 prisoners started the Bataan march. By the end of the grueling week-long march through the jungle, about 18,000 to 20,000 died from starvation, dehydration and murder at the hands of Japanese troops. In recent years, people contend there has been a loss of respect for civic virtue and patriotism, Michels said. The concern is not new, he said, pointing to General Douglas MacArthur’s emphasis on “duty, honor and country” during a 1962 commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. “I say only the living can honor and memorialize those (fallen soldiers) who stake the ultimate claim to ‘duty, honor and country,’” Michels said. “Memorial Day is a holiday of action and not inaction. It is Thanksgiving. As children, we don’t know what to be thankful for unless we are taught to be thankful.”... Read more...
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Post by friscohare on May 30, 2012 20:38:13 GMT -5
111-yr-old Nueva Ecija war veteran endures[/u][/url][/size] (Inquirer News, 05/30/12) BONGABON, Nueva Ecija—At 111, Alfonso Fabros of Barangay Calaanan here may be the oldest surviving World War II veteran. Born in Balaoan, La Union, on Feb. 13, 1901, Fabros settled in Nueva Ecija after marrying a Bongabon lass. The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) acknowledged Fabros’ longevity by sending him a greeting card and a letter in February. Fabros is partly deaf and almost blind, but he showed up for the April 9 program of the 70th anniversary commemoration of the Bataan Death March in Capas, Tarlac. He also walked for a block to reach the Capas National Shrine, with little help from relatives who went with him. Fabros received a medal and a citation which read in part: “This plaque of recognition is awarded to Private Alfonso C. Fabros (Ret.) in grateful appreciation and recognition of his wartime service and honorable performance of his duties during World War II.” That was the first commendation received by Fabros for his war exploits. Fabros was 41 and had lived a quiet life with his wife, Emiliana, in Canaan West in Rizal town before he joined the fight against the Japanese Imperial Army. “I was recruited by [an officer named] Lieutenant Pelagio, then we went to Mauban, Tayabas (Quezon), and then to Bataan,” Fabros said. “I was given a rifle and ammunition to help defend Bataan,” he said. PVAO records showed Fabros was a member of the First Division of the Philippine Army under the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (Usaffe). He escaped before Bataan was overrun by Japanese forces. He was part of the guerrilla force for three years until the country was liberated. Fabros said his group subsisted on root crops, vegetables, edible leaves and fruits in the jungle where they hid. Fabros remembers being “in Bagumbayan (Luneta) rejoicing with the American soldiers when the war ended.” Since 1972, Fabros has been living in Barangay Calaanan with his children. Emiliana died in 2000 at age 80. “He loves to walk around the house but he does not like to be assisted,” said Ella Fabros-Gandarela, 54, one of Fabros’ four surviving children. “His blood pressure is normal, he has no ailments except for his rheumatism, and at his age, he is still strong,” Gandarela said. Fabros walks around with strings tied to his leg which his daughter said were amulets. “He usually sleeps at 8 in the evening, then he wakes up three hours later to drink coffee, chew his nganga and to smoke two to three sticks of cigarette. He then sleeps again, wakes up at four in the morning and drinks another cup of coffee,” Gandarela said. “He prays daily,” Gandarela said. “He sleeps for long hours during daytime in a hammock.” She said Fabros receives a monthly pension of P6,500 from the Philippine government and $1,158 a month from the US government.
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Post by VeeVee on May 31, 2012 21:01:13 GMT -5
Unbelievable. Is he 111 years old?
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Post by friscohare on Jun 26, 2012 22:28:34 GMT -5
Must WWII Veterans Sue?[/u][/url][/size] (Manila Bulletin, 06/10/12) MANILA, Philippines --- “If God did not want them sheared, He would not have made them sheep.” (Translation at end of column) Tomorrow, the 12th of June, 2012, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III leads the nation at the ceremonial hoisting of the flag at Rizal Park to mark the 114th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. Our flag has very strict protocol…blue field above, red below. Because if the red is above, it means that the country is at war. When the flag hangs vertically as against the wall in Batasan, the blue field is on its right (left to the eye of the observer). A mnemonic: imagine a man facing you – the blue is on his right arm, red on the left arm. But someone pointed out that the mural at Manila Hotel of the June 12, 1898, event at Kawit shows the flag hanging wrongly – red is on the right side and blue on the left! Aha, an artist’ mistake..? Tut, tut, said the resident historian… that was because the country was at war! When President Emilo Aguinaldo unfurled the flag at Kawit, our country stood tall and proud among nations… the first Republic in Asia. But this was interrupted because, after the Spanish-American War, President William McKinley prayed for divine guidance on what to do with the Philippine Islands…and, (as told by Raul Manglapus), a revelation mandated the US President “to Christianize the Catholics.” Which is why a wag quipped that ours is a country raised nearly four centuries in a convent and 50 years in Hollywood. During the benign period of the Philippine Commonwealth, the Thomasites taught us much…democracy, universal education, hygiene… and we were far ahead of our neighbors in sports. We also learned that our Land is Free because our Veterans were Brave. Which is why so much is owed to our WW 2 veterans …more than the pittance of $9,000 ($15,000 if they are residents in the USA). In American fair play, those who shared the same foxholes or the same Death March from Bataan (white, black, or brown) are entitled to the same benefits. Filipino veterans should take the Daang Matuwid of Senegalese and other foreign conscripts who fought under the French flag and were finally granted the same privileges as the French soldiers… after they sued the French government. Our veterans are barking up the wrong tree, trusting others to plead for them. They should take their case all the way to the US Supreme Court… fly the flag red-side-up until they get what has been denied them all these years. Sic Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago as the Veterans’ attorney-in-fact on those pikers! *Translation of above quotation by Oca Violago: “Mga anak ng tupa tayo, kaya pinagsasamantalahan!” FEEDBACK: jaz_aide@yahoo.com
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Post by friscohare on Jun 26, 2012 22:30:38 GMT -5
Former POW Harry Corre continues to serve as a patient advocate at the VA’s West Los Angeles campus.Former POWs Recall Escape From Bataan Death March[/u][/url][/size] (CBS LA, 06/11/12) LOS ANGELES (CBS) — They’re called “The Greatest Generation” for good reason: raised during the Great Depression, they fought on two fronts during the Second World War and came home to build the America we know today. But as KNX 1070′s Diane Thompson reports Harry Corre, Richard Peterson and Bill Sanchez are among those U.S. veterans who have suffered greatly after their service. “Every one of the POWs that I know of have PTSD and it affects everything that they do daily in their lives,” said Corre, one of a dozen former World War II POWs who meet every week at the Veterans Home of California in West Los Angeles. Like most of these men, Corre, 88, wears his battle scars proudly. He was a 19-year-old Army corporal serving in the 59th Coast Artillery Regiment when he escaped the infamous Bataan Death March by swimming in the middle of the night and escaping into the jungle. “I was on the Death March for three days and escaped from that, got to the coast, swam back to Corregidor, and then I was recaptured again a month later when the Philippines was surrendered,” recalled Corre. Air Force Sergeant Richard Peterson was shot down in his B-24 over occupied France, severely wounded and captured by the Germans. He ended up at the infamous Stalag Luft 4. “We had over 150 of us with bayonet wounds, dog bites, broken legs, rifle butts in the face, all from young brainwashed Hitler Youth kids that they used as guards,” Peterson said. Months later, Richard also survived an 86-day forced march from Lithuania to Poland in the brutal winter of 1945. Former Army intelligence officer Bill Sanchez was held as a prisoner-of-war by the Japanese Imperial Army for over three-and-a-half years at the notorious Cabana-tuan prison camp in the Philippines. “I was captured on Corregidor the same time Harry was,” said Sanchez. For their sacrifice and their service, KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO is proud to name Harry Corre, Richard Peterson and Bill Sanchez as the “KNX Heroes Of The Week”.
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Post by friscohare on Jun 26, 2012 22:32:50 GMT -5
WWII Veteran Receives Service Medals 70 Years Later[/u][/url][/size] (ABC 13 Virginia, 06/12/12) Lynchburg,VA - A Lynchburg resident survived starvation, imprisonment, and the infamous Bataan Death March during WWII. Now 70 years later, George Rogers is finally getting recognition for his bravery. Rogers has just recently received a Purple Heart and a Prisoner of War Medal. He says in spite of all the horrors he faced, he lives life with joy, and now closure that he has finally received the recognition he so rightly deserves. At 93-years-old George Rogers is proud of the life he has lived, one filled with children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. "Oh, man. God is good," said Rogers. It's a joy he once thought he would never live to see. "In that time I helped bury 1,600 Americans and that was all because of the march," said Rogers. While serving in the Philippines during WWII, Rogers and thousands of American and Philippino troops were taken prisoner by the Japanese and forced to march about 75 miles in just five days- a treacherous walk known as the Bataan Death March. "It was grueling, yes. But I just kept right on going with the help of the bayonets at the back of us," said Rogers. The POWs were taken to camps with little food or water but plenty of abuse. Rogers withered away to a mere 85 pounds. "Now the Lord was protecting me the whole time, because a lot of men died while I was in camp," he said. He credits that faith with giving him the patience to wait 70 years to finally receive these medals for his service. It's that same faith he credits with bringing him back safe and sound. "They transferred us to American warships. Then we came home to San Franciso. Praise the Lord." Rogers wife made has made a way for his story to be passed down to other generations. She made a book with Rogers' story and pictures as a POW. On Father's Day, Roger's Pastor Jonathan Falwell will share his story with his church.
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Post by friscohare on Jun 26, 2012 22:36:07 GMT -5
“TATAY” Greg with his grandchildrenCool, unflappable at 89[/u][/url][/size] (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 06/17/12) At 89, my father, Gregorio Frias Eroa, never fails to amaze. He remains cool and unflappable despite the ravages of time. Though his memory isn’t as sharp as before, Mang Greg, or Tiyo Gorio as his friends and relatives call him, never misses a beat when it comes to finances. To the consternation of my sister and guidance counselor Maricris, my father, wearing his trademark sports cap, spotless T-shirt and shorts, never fails to go to the bank to withdraw his monthly pension from the Veterans Administration. He also knows the exact date of the GSIS pension of my mother. He keeps himself updated on his bank accounts. The driver, whom he hired to man his tricycle, must also beware. My father will wait forever for his share of the day’s earnings. “I get nervous every time he’s going to check on his pension. Not even bad weather can prevent him from visiting his favorite ATM,” said my sister, afraid that “unscrupulous persons” may prey on her dad. My father isn’t a burden financially to us. Though not a businessman, he handles his finances very well. He uses his own money for medical checkup, which is a must since he lost his right kidney two years ago; he’s also hard of hearing and has poor eyesight. He was also a victim of a hit-and-run by a lady driver but survived the accident with only few bruises. But through it all, he never gets mad. His daily routine? On schooldays, he prepares baon for his grandchildren. After breakfast, he mingles with his driver-friends at the street corner, unmindful of the hustle and the bustle around him. No one connects better as he rides his trusty bike around the neighborhood. He religiously watches the evening news to catch up on the latest happenings in and around the country. I used to think that his demeanor could be attributed to his military upbringing. He served under the Philippine Scouts during the Japanese occupation. He took his oath as naturalized American at the US Embassy along Roxas Boulevard, but after enduring the killer-cold of New York decided to come home for good December of 1998. Before the New York experiment, my father served as personal driver of the nationalist Lorenzo M. Tañada, the Grand Old Man of Philippine politics. They both hail from the seaside, colorful town of Gumaca, Quezon. Rousing stories He used to delight me with rousing stories about the greatness of the man. He also lured me to sleep with stories on how freedom fighters crippled Japanese tanks, his dangerous work as a radioman carrying the standard backpack, and his stint as guard in Tarlac where Japanese prisoners of war were held. “It was an easy job,” he recalled with glee. “We didn’t guard the Japs strictly. We let them escape knowing that they would return because a public lusting for revenge would maul them to death. The prison camp was safer.” I marveled at his toughness. When told upon arrival at NAIA in 1996 that my mother had died of cardiac arrest, he showed little emotion, only sadness in his eyes. “Let’s go to the Duty Free first before going home. I hate to disappoint those looking for pasalubongs,” he said. I learned golden things—grace under pressure, humility, discipline and fear of the Almighty—from my father, which helped me a lot in guiding my children to the right path. And I know that I can’t go wrong.
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Post by friscohare on Jun 26, 2012 22:39:47 GMT -5
George Rogers receives his Purple Heart for service in World War II from Jonathan Falwell at Thomas Road Baptist Church on Sunday. Rogers, a longtime member of the church, endured the infamous Bataan Death March and helped dig graves for the dead.Purple Heart Awarded To Veteran During Church Service In Lynchburg[/u][/url][/size] (WDBJ 7, 06/17/12) His sacrifice was great. Today, a World War II veteran was honored in a big way during a Sunday church service in Lynchburg. While serving in the Philippines, Rogers was taken prisoner by the Japanese. At one point, he was forced to walk 75 miles in 5 days during what's called the Bataan Death March. He was deprived of water and food for prolonged periods. At one point, the 6’3” man weighed 85 pounds. He spent several years in a prison camp and, had to bury 1,600 of his fellow soldiers. For all that he went through, Pastor Jonathan Falwell presented Rogers with the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War medals. Today's presentation was symbolic since Rogers recently received the medals. During the special church service at the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, there was singing and praise. That was fitting for a man who said he relied on his faith to make it through his ordeal so long ago. "I was at ease through the whole thing because I knew the Lord was going to be with me and he was with me. He protected me all through prison camp,” he said. Rogers retired from Liberty University in 1999 after working for the University and its related ministries for more than 30 years. He last served as vice president of finance and administration. These days he spends most of his time reading, enjoying the company of his wife and some traveling.
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Post by friscohare on Jun 26, 2012 22:41:23 GMT -5
War vet makes hearfelt plea for FDA OK of surgery[/u][/url][/size] (U-T San Diego, 06/18/12) Decorated World War II hero Lester Tenney, who survived the infamous Bataan Death March and three years as a POW, is fighting a new battle at age 91. The Carlsbad resident testified before a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee in Washington, D.C. last week, in favor of an experimental heart valve replacement procedure. Tenney may owe his longevity to that less invasive procedure, which he underwent last year at Scripps Clinic in lieu of much riskier open-heart surgery. At first, he was refused for the transcatheter operation in which a Sapien heart valve is threaded to the heart through an incision in the groin or ribs. “Didn’t they know that I have too many things to do to call it quits,” he told the FDA committee. “I was only 90 years old at the time.” His testimony contributed to its unanimous endorsement (with one abstention) of broader use of the valve. "At Scripps, we have a long list of patients waiting for this approval. They will be thrilled with the news,” said Dr. Paul Teirstein, Tenney’s cardiologist. Currently, about one-third of an estimated 250,000 U.S. patients suffering from severe aortic stenosis are at too high risk for, or decline, open-heart surgery. The FDA is expected to rule later this year.
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Post by friscohare on Jun 26, 2012 22:45:15 GMT -5
A worker of Peregrine International maintains the Clark cemetery abandoned by the US military in 1991. 2 US senators push for support to maintain ‘neglected’ cemetery [/u][/url][/size] (BusinessMirror.com.ph, 06/25/12) CLARK FREEPORT—US Senators Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire, Rep.) and Mark Begich (Alaska, Democrat) have pushed for the approval of the bill that will allot funds for the American cemetery here where 8,300 American soldiers and their dependents are buried. Dennis Wright, president and chief executive officer of Peregrine International based here, recently visited Ayotte and Begich in the US to lobby for funds for the maintenance of the cemetery believed to have remains dating back to the 18th century. The US military, which used to have an air base here, left Clark just before Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991. They took care of the cemetery for some 90 years but abandoned it as they fled the devastation of the volcano. Ayotte and Begich introduced bipartisan S. 2320, Remembering America’s Forgotten Veterans Cemetery Act. This legislation would direct the American Battle Monuments Commission to restore, operate and maintain the Clark Veterans Cemetery. Lt. Guy Hilbero, executive officer of the ceremonial 26th US cavalry of the Philippine Scouts Memorial Regiment here, said members of the US Veterans of Foreign Wars (VWF) had deplored the “neglect” of the US government in preserving the cemetery, the only place in this former base where the American flag stands alongside the Philippine flag. “Good thing we have Dennis Wright and other concerned Americans based in Pampanga. Otherwise, the cemetery will be in total disarray,” said Hilbero, who is also tourism officer of Mabalacat, Pampanga. Earlier, US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. expressed support for Wright group’s lobbying for US federal government funding for the “neglected” US cemetery in this free port. The Clark cemetery was visited by Thomas when he first visited Pampanga. Records show that the cemetery is the burial site for at least 2,250 members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and Philippine Scouts, a branch of the Army during American occupation of the Philippines. It added that some of the remains also belonged to veterans of the Spanish-American war at the turn of the 20th century. Victims of the recent wars in Korean, Vietnam and Iraq had also been buried in the cemetery.
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Post by friscohare on Jul 5, 2012 16:26:46 GMT -5
James Bollich, World War II veteran and Bataan Death March survivor, stands in his home next to a framed American flag that his grandson, an Airman, had flown over a U.S. military installation in his honor. Bollich spent three and a half years a Prisoner of War in Manchuria from 1942 until the end of WWII. Bataan Death March survivor, La. native shares story[/u][/url][/size] (Air Force Global Strike Command, 07/03/12) LAFAYETTE, La. -- Fewer and fewer Americans today can recall where they were when they heard the news that Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, had been attacked by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941. As the number of first-hand accounts from World War II continues to decrease and new conflicts of the current era arise, earlier struggles begin to fade away, making it ever more important to preserve our nation's living history. At his home in Lafayette, La., in the midst of countless books and homemade art, one WWII veteran and former prisoner of war shares his experience of the war, one that is slightly different than most. Like many of his peers, James Bollich, barely out of his teenage years, joined the U.S. military in the midst of another world conflict brewing overseas. "It was about the time Germany occupied Paris, everybody at school was talking about the Army, and nobody was really studying like they should've been," recalled Bollich. "That's when I decided that before long we would be in the war and just like a young kid, I wanted to be part of it and I wanted the air corps." Against his mother's wishes, Bollich joined the U.S. Army Air Corps on Aug. 23, 1940 in Bossier City, La., at what was then Barksdale Field, and was assigned to the 16th Bomb Squadron, 27th Bomb Group. Bollich spent time at a base in Savannah, Ga., and then reported to technical school in Dallas, where he studied airplane mechanics and took part in maneuvers and exercises at an air field in Lake Charles, La., all before heading overseas. "As soon as the maneuvers ended we were shipped overseas," he said. "We left San Francisco November 1 and arrived in the Philippines on November 20, and 18 days later we were already at war with Japan." Four months later, 20-year-old Corporal Bollich would become a prisoner of war. When word got back to Bollich and his outfit that the Japanese had made a major landing about 35 miles from where they were, they were instructed to quickly pack-up and told that they would be evacuated, by boat, from Manila to the Bataan Peninsula across Manila Bay. Thousands of American and Filipino troops now occupied the Bataan Peninsula, leaving the U.S. Army responsible for feeding everybody, while in the meantime the Japanese controlled the surrounding seas and skies, making it difficult for American support to resupply these men. "We were running out of food," Bollich said frankly. "That's when we tried to get extra food by going up into the mountains. People ate monkeys, snakes, lizards, just about anything that they could find." When most food sources were exhausted, including mules, "essentially what we were living on was a slice of bread made out of rice flour, covered with gravy made out of water and rice flour. We were essentially starving to death and weren't in any shape to fight and the Japanese easily broke through our front lines," he said. When their front lines did eventually break, they were ordered to retreat to the tip of the Bataan Peninsula, where they eventually surrendered to the Japanese. "We were told to destroy all of our arms and ammunition. Finally here came the [Japanese]. They lined us up, counted us and started us out on what is now known as the [Bataan] Death March." For the next five and a half days, thousands of American and Filipino troops walked day and night enduring exhaustion and physical pain. "We had no idea what was ahead," said Bollich. "I'll never forget our old first sergeant, when the surrender came he said, 'we survived the war, the Japanese are going to take us and put us in a prison camp, we'll get fed, have water and rest and just sit and wait out the war.' That guy was dead within three weeks after we were captured. It didn't turn out that way at all." Bollich recalled marching out of the peninsula with Japanese guards on either side of the line of prisoners. "They took our wallets, anybody who had a ring they took those, took our dog tags. Then they began to beat us. They beat us with rifle butts, sabers, clubs, anything they could get their hands on. That went on all day long. They wouldn't let anybody have a drink of water or let us rest and they didn't feed us. "And then I think it was around the middle of the second day that people began to collapse. We hadn't had water in a day and a half and in the tropics it's almost beyond what you can take. And of course once anybody collapsed, the Japanese immediately killed them, it looked like they were really trying to kill us all." Upon arrival at the first prison camp, Camp O'Donnell, a former Philippine Army training camp, Bollich said the soldiers were met by the general who had called for their surrender. General King spoke in front of the crowd, assuring his men that he would take full responsibility for the surrender and for his troops not to feel bad. "Then the Japanese commander got up and laid down the rules of the camp," said Bollich. "He said that if any were broken, the person would be shot, which are words we expected to hear. But he was speaking through an interpreter and the interpreter said that you have come here to die. At first I didn't believe it and that he'd miss quoted the Japanese commander, but it didn't take us long to realize that he was telling the truth." Bollich admitted that the exact number of Americans who died on the march remains unknown, but is estimated anywhere between 800 to 2,000 troops. However, Bollich is surer of the death toll of the first 40 days of being in Camp O'Donnell, because he witnessed it. His best estimate is approximately another 1,800 Americans in that time period, averaging about 45 per day. "All we were doing was burying the dead," remembered Bollich. "I remember looking around and deciding that the way people were dying that within a few weeks we would all be dead. Our food was nothing but a handful of cooked rice a day. The barracks we stayed in were made out of bamboo with thatched roofs, no doors or windows. At night the mosquitos would chew us alive and during the day time the flies would get all over us. The big killer was dysentery. They had open latrines that had flies by the billions, covering our camp. Once you caught dysentery you were gone." Bollich recalled that within the first four weeks of confinement at Camp O'Donnell, three men escaped to find food and were caught trying to sneak back into the camp. For breaking the rules, the men were tortured for days until all the prisoners were called out to an area in the camp where the three men had dug their own graves and witnessed each man get executed. Bollich became one of 2,000 prisoners selected to be transported to Japan for confinement in another POW camp. He described the packed ship as having two holds, one in the front and one in the back, each holding 1,000 men. "We were only allowed two guys at a time to crawl up the steel ladder to go top side to use the latrine," he said. "A lot of the guys had dysentery and within a matter of a few hours, the place was already like a cesspool." He went on to describe the atmosphere below deck. "At night the hold was completely dark. There'd be crying and screaming and praying. And inevitably in the morning when the Japanese would open up the hold there'd be one or two POWs that had died. We'd just hand them up to the Japanese and the Japanese would just throw them over board." Conditions below deck got so bad that the ship docked in Taiwan so that the POWs could be taken off the ship and hosed down. "That was about seven months from the time we had surrendered and we were still in the same clothes that we surrendered in. That was the first water we had on our bodies in all that length of time," he said. After what seemed like many more days at sea, the boat reached its final destination: Pusan, Korea. Once everyone was pulled out of the ship, the POWs were put into trucks and transported to a military camp situated on the shore. The ones who were in weak physical condition stayed until they were strong enough to move again. "Of the 80 or 90 of us that stayed there [in the military camp] about 30 or 35 of us survived, the rest died and were taken out each day and cremated and their ashes were brought back and given to us," said Bollich. When the surviving POWs were strong enough to leave, they boarded trains and headed off to Mukden, Manchuria, which according to Bollich was "one of the coldest places in the world and that's where I stayed until the war ended." Once at the POW camp in Mukden when he became physically well enough to work, Bollich was sent to a factory originally set-up to manufacture automobile parts. In the midst of dozens of unopened crates containing American machines, the POWs were instructed to cement the factory floor, make sturdy foundations for the machines, set them up and start production. In his book, "Bataan Death March: A Soldier's Story," Bollich mentioned that although he and his fellow POWs were ordered to correctly perform certain tasks in the factory, they took the opportunity to be discreetly insubordinate. For example, he wrote that the men discovered smaller but important machine parts, such as handles, knobs, dials and screws, in empty crates. Once the small but necessary items were discovered, the POWs defiantly disposed of them in the holes they had dug, quickly filling them in with concrete and making it impossible for the machines to function. His life continued with little food and walking what he estimated as five miles either way to and from the factory day after day until the day the air raid sirens rang. Off in the distance, Bollich recalls seeing miles of contrails and big black planes flying toward the factory. When Japanese fighters took off to defend their positions, in his book Bollich describes the scene: "From the ground it looked like a swarm of mosquitoes going after a flock of geese and the comparison is good, because that is about how effective the Japanese fighters were." "They were B-29s," he continued. "[At the time] we didn't know what B-29s were, but we were happy to see them. After all that time, finally it looked like the war was maybe coming to an end. Those B-29s, I've never seen anything like it, it just looked like the sky was black with bombs." The B-29 bombs fell in December 1944, and eight months later Mukden POW camp was liberated. After three and a half years of confinement, Bollich was free and heading home. He and the remaining POWs were taken to a nearby railroad station and transported to Port Arthur, China where they boarded a ship for their journey back to the U.S. They finally docked in San Francisco, the same port Bollich left nearly four years earlier. Bollich rested in a hospital for five to six weeks before returning home to Louisiana. He described his return home as less than the jovial occasion he had dreamed about, as he learned that two of his brothers had been killed in the war, and his mother was devastated. Today, Bollich is part of a group that gets smaller as time passes. "As far as World War II, all my friends are gone. In my outfit I only know of one other guy who's still alive," he said. When asked how he managed to survive the Bataan Death March and then life in a prison camp, he has a very clear answer, "I couldn't imagine people going to my mother and saying that [I'd] died. I think that's what kept most young people alive, the fact that they had families to go to." Had he decided to give up, he's sure he could have found a quick end to the misery. "Everybody prayed, and apparently it didn't work for everybody. But maybe it did. I think things got so bad that a lot of guys prayed to die and if you wanted to give up you could die in a hurry. There were two or three times in my confinement that if I had decided to die I could of died within a couple of days," admitted Bollich. After Bollich returned home, he decided to remain in the reserves for three years, taking the time to decide if after his experience as a POW he could still stay in the military. He ultimately decided to pursue higher education, a choice he said helped him deal with the dreams of confinement that ensued upon his return to the states. "The thing about it," he said, "in prison camp, when you went to bed at night you'd dream about being free and then you woke up and you were still in that POW camp. When you got back home, at night when I'd go to bed, I'd dream I was back in POW camp, so I didn't want to sleep. And that really helped my studies, because instead of just staying up and doing nothing, I studied. So going to school helped a lot." After his experience as a POW and survivor of the death march, when asked what advice he'd give to young servicemembers facing challenges in their personal and professional lives, he suggests considering what veterans went through. "Talk to some of the old soldiers," he said. "Some of those Marines who fought in the Pacific and the soldiers who fought in Europe, look at what they went through." Bollich reflects on the decision to drop the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which effectively led to Japan's surrender in WWII, and wonders what would have happened had U.S. forces conducted a land invasion of the country instead. He said toward the end of the war, the Japanese higher command put out a directive to all of the POW camps saying the minute it was learned the Americans had landed on Japanese soil, the commander was to kill all of the POWs under their control. Bollich continued, "There was no doubt in my mind that had we not dropped the atomic bomb and we invaded Japan, not a single POW would have gotten home." And being honest about what may have been his fate, Bollich understands that, "of course, that includes me." Bollich has authored 11 books, including "Bataan Death March: A Soldier's Story," about his time as a POW.
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Post by friscohare on Jul 5, 2012 16:29:45 GMT -5
Retired Chief Master Sgt. Tillman Rutledge, 88, was recently honored for his 37 years as a VA volunteer by the United Way with their "unsung hero" award. Rutledge has devoted over 41, 000 hours to date. He is also a survivor of the Bataan Death March. Rutledge holds a photo of his wife, Joyce, who was one of the first 10 volunteers at the Audie Murphy VA Hospital. She passed away about 15 years ago according to Rutledge.After 70 years, veteran still has spirit of service[/u][/url][/size] (San Antonio Express-News, 07/03/12) At least two things in life are deeply personal to Tillman Rutledge: the brutalities of the Bataan Death March and the memory of his late wife, who inspired him to help veterans as a volunteer. Even a military city such as San Antonio has few veterans like Rutledge who have served the country for more than 70 years as a soldier, airman and now a volunteer at Audie Murphy VA Hospital. Today, he said, he'll try to spend time with his family and maybe visit patients at the VA. “It's Independence Day, but I don't think most appreciate the freedom they have in this country,” said Rutledge, 88. “They think it comes naturally. People are still paying for that freedom.” Last week, Rutledge, a volunteer at the VA for 37 years, received a standing ovation from several hundred San Antonians, including elite civic leaders, as he received the United Way's Unsung Hero Award for volunteer service. Joyce Brown, chief of voluntary service for the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, said Rutledge told her the sustained applause at the June 28 “Night of a Thousand Stars” banquet made it “one of the most special nights he's ever had.” Just a few hours earlier, as they waited at the VA for a ride to the dinner downtown, Rutledge met a young amputee who had lost both legs in Afghanistan. “I introduced them, and the two were in awe of each other,” Brown said. “It was such a personal moment; I had to back away and let them be alone.” Rutledge said he's since visited Army Pvt. Terence “Bo” Jones, the 21-year-old soldier from Twin Falls, Idaho, who was injured in February by an explosive in the deadly province of Kandahar. Jones is recovering at Audie Murphy's new Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center. “He is a miracle. His spirit is amazing,” Rutledge said. His wife of 44 years, Joyce Ann Rutledge, had been one of the first volunteers at Audie Murphy when her husband, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant, joined her in 1975. He took patients to appointments and did office support work, sometimes working 12- to-15-hour days. He has officially logged 41,218 volunteer hours. Although his wife died of kidney disease in 1997, Rutledge continues to help produce Protestant and Catholic services in the hospital chapel that are televised at the hospital Sundays. Rutledge, who served on Audie Murphy's customer service board, is a “local hero” known throughout the hospital for his resilience, Brown said. Sitting in his small dining room, where a wall is covered with war mementos, volunteer awards and a letter from President Bill Clinton, Rutledge softly reflected on his survival at Bataan. Well more than 10,000 U.S. and Filipino troops among more than 70,000 on the 70-mile march died from harsh treatment, starvation and disease. “It's amazing what you can do when you don't have any choice,” he said. Rutledge never knew his mother but proudly carries the name of his “hero” father, Daniel Tillman Rutledge, who raised three boys as a single parent in Merkel, a small town near Abilene. Rutledge lied about his age when he joined the Army and was captured by the Japanese at 17. While in captivity for 31/2 years, Rutledge endured beatings and was cut lightly in the stomach with a bayonet when a Japanese soldier seized a photo of his girlfriend. He later became sick with malaria and dysentery. Rutledge also recalls the kindness of other U.S. prisoners and a Japanese woman named Michiko who smuggled food to him. She brought him soybeans that he said saved his life. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and five Purple Hearts but is proudest of his Combat Infantry Badge. Rutledge said he remains devoted to sharing the story of Bataan and promoting volunteerism, particularly at VA hospitals and other VA facilities. “I'm proud to see young people volunteering,” he said. “Somebody's got to keep it going. Once you're into it for a while, it's something you can't do without.”
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Post by VeeVee on Jul 5, 2012 20:53:44 GMT -5
Heeey "Kuya Tillman" is in the news... Thanks for posting Friscohare. I corresponded with him via email and he didn't like being called "sir" or Mr. Rutledge. He wanted me to call him by his first name but knew that Filipinos are uncomfortable calling elders just by first name, so he insisted I call him Kuya Tillman instead A quote from him when I asked him if it was true that the 31st Infantry exchanged their M1's for 1903 rifles because the M1's supposedly jammed a lot: "I will state without reservations that we used the M1's thru-out, that there was some problems in the Jungles with jamming, as I told you mine did 2X's but cleared quickly, that there were no shortage of clips and clips could be refilled quickly, that I carried my M1 and 45 thruout until was ordered to disable them and dispose of same at mariveles, that the only 03's I saw in use were for sniper hunting. "
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Post by friscohare on Jul 14, 2012 0:34:46 GMT -5
Bataan solon eyes conversion of Mt. Samat Shrine into a tourist zone[/u][/url][/size] (Philippine Information Agency, 07/10/12) CITY OF BALANGA, Bataan, July 10 (PIA) -- A congressman from Bataan is eyeing the conversion of Mt. Samat Shrine into a tourist enterprise zone under a comprehensive tourism master plan. The shrine, which features the 302-feet Dambana ng Kagitingan, should be converted into a tourist enterprise zone under a new law, Second District Representative Albert Garcia said during the Strategic Planning Workshop for local government units and tourism stakeholders at the Bataan Tourism Center. Garcia said the planned law will not “take over or take away” the shrine dedicated to the valor of Filipino revolutionaries during the Second World War from the custody of the Department of National Defense. “We will make it more accommodating to joint ventures and investments for development. If not, we can’t sustain the purpose of why Mt. Samat is here,” said Garcia. The plan of converting the shrine into a tourist economic zone is part of the projected comprehensive tourism master plan for Bataan which Garcia said will integrate every tourism factor in the province and develop destinations, hotels, resorts and products among others. Department of Tourism Region 3 Director Ronnie Tiotuico said the first step in uplifting the tourism industry in the province is to produce a tourism development plan that will adapt the proposals of local government units and private stakeholders. “If there is no development plan, the local governments will make their own move. We need to create a common goal to make tourism economically visible. Tourism will create a ‘ripple effect’ of jobs and economic developments,” said Tiotuico. He said the Bataan government must come up with tour packages including the visit to Mt. Samat in Pilar town to attract more foreign and local travelers. Garcia added that aside from improving the tourism industry, the values of patriotism and love for the country will be instilled to the new generation. “Mt. Samat is known worldwide. The new generation should remember the ultimate sacrifice of the veterans,” Garcia said.
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Post by friscohare on Jul 14, 2012 0:37:21 GMT -5
World War II veteran Dan Crowley spoke with conviction at the July 9 Board of Selectmen meeting about being asked to move at a recent concert at Simsbury Meadows. World War II veteran asked to leave public property at patriotic concert[/u][/url][/size] (Simsbury News, 07/13/12) SIMSBURY — Refusal to surrender is nothing new for Dan Crowley, one of Simsbury’s most revered war veterans. So the 90-year-old Crowley did not cower during a recent Celebrate America concert at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows, when he said he was asked to move from a spot which he contends is public property. Crowley maintains he and other veterans have paid dearly to protect every citizen’s right to use such property, and added he is prepared to go to jail, and if necessary, wager a Constitutional challenge to defend that point. In 1942, Crowley eluded the Bataan Death March when he and a group of other soldiers declined to lay down their arms to the Japanese Imperial Army at Bataan. Instead they made their way to Corregidor and fought for another month until that island fell. He then endured 42 months of slave labor as a prisoner of war, which finally ended when Japan surrendered to the Allies, bringing World War II to a close. In April of this year, Crowley drew an overflow crowd that gave him several standing ovations during a talk he gave at the Simsbury Public Librar about his war experience. “We were brutalized,” Crowley said at Simsbury town hall July 9. “When you’ve been through something like that you’re not going to put up with this,” Crowley said, after addressing the Board of Selectmen about the concert incident. According to Crowley, not for economic reasons but due to the principle involved, he had not purchased tickets for the concert. Because of the intense sun on the evening of the concert, June 29, Crowley said he and a friend moved to a shady spot and were then approached by a concert worker who told them to move. When Crowley refused, he said the worker threatened to get a police officer. “I said, ‘Call the chief of police, tell him Dan Crowley is here and I’m ready to go to jail,’” Crowley said. Crowley said the officer who did respond handled the matter respectfully. First Selectman Mary Glassman said she was pleased about that. Simsbury Police Lt. Fred Sifodaskalakis said he was on duty at the concert and was alerted by a volunteer worker about a seating conflict. Sifodaskalakis noted he recognized Crowley. “I said to him (the volunteer),’Let me tell you what Mr. Crowley has done for our country and then you decide if you want to ask him to move,’” said Sifodaskalakis. Sifodaskalakis said the volunteer decided against having Crowley move, a PAC higher-up was contacted and Crowley was offered two free tickets. Although the area where Crowley was sitting is public property, according to Sifodaskalakis, the issue is that space was rented by HSO for the concert. However, Crowley asserts because the facility was not established by a foundation, a private entity renting it does not have the right to put fencing up on public property and then charge people to sit on the grounds. “How dare they,” he said. Two residents at the Monday night selectmen’s meeting expressed their disgust with the way they said Crowley was treated by the worker at the concert. They described it as a disgrace, particularly since this was supposed to be a patriotic event. Glassman apologized to Crowley. However, Glassman said Crowley had to wait until the end of the meeting to finish his remarks because he had used up his allotted time under public audience. Later, Crowley further told the board others who were outside the fence and on public property, including families and well-behaved young people, were scurried away by concert workers. “I told them, ‘Stand your ground,’” Crowley said. “We’ll all go to jail together — they don’t have enough cells to hold all of us.’” Tom Vincent, PAC manager, said in a phone interview July 10 he was backstage when the incident with Crowley began to unfold but was subsequently made aware of it. According to Vincent, on behalf of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, which was performing that night, and the town, Crowley and his guest were invited into the concert at no charge. Crowley said by phone on Wednesday although he appreciated the ticket offer, he did not go inside, based on the principle that he was on public property and a belief that the tickets should not have been handed out. As well, Crowley claims nylon fencing erected for the concert encroached on a walkway. “This was a paid event,” said Vincent. “People paid for tickets. You needed a ticket to enter.” HSO paid a fee to use the facility, Vincent said. “They have rules and regulations we’re supposed to follow,” he said. “There are unrestricted and restricted areas.” In addition, Vincent said, there are traffic flow and insurance issues to be taken into consideration. Vincent acknowledged it was a volunteer worker who asked Crowley to move. The importance of volunteers to the success of the concerts should not be overlooked, he added. “That’s important,” he said. ”We have volunteers who take tickets, park cars, (and perform other tasks).” Vincent said he is fully aware of Crowley’s service to the nation.
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Post by friscohare on Jul 14, 2012 14:47:03 GMT -5
The old man and the shoal. Retired Capt. Felipe Fernandez and the shoal where he used to fish.The 96-year-old scout and Scarborough Shoal[/u][/url][/size] (MST Sunday, 07/15/12) A grizzled Philippine Scout, who has been through three wars, urged the Philippines and China to exercise more civility in asserting national sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal where he used to fish in his youth. “Let us be civilized,” said 96-year-old Felipe Fernandez, a native of San Nicolas, Pangasinan who was a captain in the Philippine Scouts during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. “We should discuss our differences within the parameters of common decency.” “Arguing our differences will result in one being a loser and another a winner. That will only create animosity toward one another and maybe result in war. War is destructive. I have been in three of them and believe me, they are dreadful,” Fernandez said. Fernandez appeared to be amused when told of the diplomatic impasse between Manila and Beijing over Scarborough Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc, and he shared his experiences when he used to go fishing as a teenager. “During those years, business depression was severe and most of the students in the Pangasinan Academic and Vocational schools supplemented their finances by fishing,” he said. “We would go where the school of fish were, from the shores of La Union to the shores of Zambales.” On once occassion, Fernandez recalled he would go to Bajo de Masinloc when he was 17 years old with an old man, named Dado Sison, and other fishermen from January to March. Bajo de Masinloc is a triangle-shaped chain of reefs and rocks or very small islands 55 kilometers in circumference with a total area of 150 square kilometers between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon Island in the West Philippine Sea. “In 1932, 1933 and 1934, the shoal was just a group of tiny islets and at high tide they appeared just like a pile of dirt, the largest of them have a surface of just about 100 square meters,” he said. “It is very dangerous to cruise through the shoal at high tide because the boats might get snagged by the coral reef. One will see more islets during low tide. At low tide the alamang schools seek deeper waters so we go to the shoals to fish for balbalaki (snapper) where there are plenty of them feeding on plankton,” he added. Bajo de Masinloc is about 123 miles or 198 kilometer west of Subic Bay; the nearest landmass is Palauig, Zambales. “We used to fish in Zambales during those seasons when Lingayen Gulf waters are rough,” Fernandez said, recalling how they would sail to the shoal on boats, called taksay. “During those times, there were no Chinese fishermen in the area.” But he insisted that civility was still the key to the ongoing dispute over Bajo de Masinloc: “When colonization was mode of life, territorial grabbing may be all right. But today, when people are more civilized, people should live amicably by considering the inalienable rights of others,” said the old scout.
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