Visited Morong, Bataan

[VeeVee]

Finally visited Morong, Bataan with my friend Karl. I promised Ed Ramsey back in 2009 that on my next trip to the Philippines I'd visit Morong and take pictures for him. After visiting Layac, we took the new highway to Subic and went down Bataan's west road down to Morong.

More background info on Morong:
pinoyhistory.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=books&action=display&thread=299

(click pictures for bigger)

The bridge over the Batalan river. A WW2 old timer told us this was a bamboo footbridge back in 1942.


The Batalan river while crossing the bridge. Morong town is on the left.


Morong church, the area where the first shots were fired prior to Troop E-F's last cavalry charge.




Municipal hall across the west side of the church


This is the main road to the north side of the church. This could have been the road that then Lt. Ramsey charged down through.


We parked by the church and walked toward the beach and swamp area. It wasn't too long of a walk but the tropical heat was intense. This was around 1:30pm.

The swamp area. It's less of a swamp now and is more of a waterway tributary near the mouth of the river.




Nearing the beach


At the beach... making our way to the mouth of the river

[VeeVee]

Morong as seen from the estuary at the mouth of the river


Other scenes from the mouth of the river


Back at the church with my walking buddies, Karl and Edwin.

[VeeVee]

After we got back to the church, we took a breather. An older gentleman in a bicycle saw and circled around us and struck a conversation. We clearly looked like outsiders. I told him that we were there to take pictures for a couple of WW2 veterans who fought there. I showed him my Bataan book and satellite images. He then told me that there were quite a few WW2 vets in Morong still and insisted that he take us to one of them.

He took us to the house of Pepito Quimlat who was with the guerrillas in Morong in WW2. He told us he was only 14 years old at that time and his primary duties with the guerrillas in Bataan was to spy at the Japanese and also serve as a courier.

Here we were at the driveway of his house having a chat. He signed my Bataan book too, the one I have vets sign.




After we left his house, we drove down the national road for a couple of kilometers just to see the area. The road is of course paved now but was the rutted trail that Col. Ramsey described in his book as the road they went up on horseback to retake the town of Morong in 1942.


Crossing the bridge on the way back to Subic

[oklahoma]

Hey Vic....Flat out good stuff. Thanks so much for posting. You have re-fired my interest in this long forgotten action. Gotta bone up on all this once again. Somewhere on the Scout or the Corregidor website is an excellent aerial photo of Morong taken from a low flying aircraft (Cessna type,etc I would imagine). It clearly shows the church. Whatever, I now can't find said pic. Will keep trying. I have to start writing down these web addresses. Can't trust to my 78 year old memory as I used to. Postscript...I think I mentioned to you in the past that the military academy that Edwin Ramsey attended back in the 1930s was located in my home town, Claremore, Oklahoma. It is now a liberal arts, regional college. ROTC,etc was dropped back in the 1960s. The school celebrated it's 100th aniversary a couple of years ago and, as I understand it, Lieutenant Ramsey was an honored guest.

[VeeVee]

Thanks Okla. I haven't emailed the pictures to Col. Ramsey yet. When I last saw him in May, he looked good and healthy. He said he felt good too. Will be sending him the pictures in the next couple of days.

[VeeVee]

I sent Col. Ramsey the pictures and I asked where the church was as they were coming down the road. Here is his reply:

Victor;
The church would have been several yards to my right. I could only see it well once I was in the village, and then mainly the rear/southwest part of it which I could see well when I was already in dismounted action. Thanks for the pictures.

Regards,
Ed Ramsey

This is the road on the south side of the church. The church would be on your right as you come down this road coming from the Bataan west road. This is where they charged down.

I imagine it was a dirt lane in 1942 and nipa and bamboo houses on either side.

[26th]

Hey Vic

Nice stuff. Any extra dirt from there? Per Felipe my uncle was there also.

Cya soon

[VeeVee]

I actually have no dirt from there. Just a couple of vials from Layac. You'd have to go to someone's property to get a soil sample.

[26th]

Well

Rudy

[oklahoma]

Hey Vic....A quick question. Is the "lead off" photo of the two machine gunners a re-enactment shot or a photo from 1942. It, to me anyhow, has a real or authenic "feel" to it. Just curious. The overactive imagination rears its ugly head once again. Cheers.

[VeeVee]

Hi Okla, that's photo from the Bataan reenactment in Virginia last week. From this thread:

pinoyhistory.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=photosreenacting&action=display&thread=1501

Pretty good huh?

[oklahoma]

Hey Vic....Better than pretty good. Some of these pics could have come out of an old 1941-42 Life Magazine.

[jnmodeller]

i miss this one, great shots Vic!

[av8tor]

Hi Jnmodeller,

I might be going to the Philippines next month. I was wondering if I can take pictures of you guys out there. My e-mail address dmplata(at)aol(dot)com


Thanks,

Don

[VeeVee]

Bumping this up as research material for the guys in the Philippines who are planning something in Morong for April 9th...

[VeeVee]

72 Years ago...