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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 22:55:45 GMT -5
Bataan Death March survivor, Walt Straka, is helped to the Bataan Memorial by Sgt.1st Class Tony Magnan at the Brainerd Training and Community Center in Brainerd Monday , the 70th anniversary of the fall of Bataan and the beginning of the 60 mile Death March. Straka, who is 92 years old, lives on his own in the Brainerd area.[Brainerd] Ceremony marks 70th anniversary on a bitter spring day[/u][/url][/size] (Brainerd Dispatch, 04/09/12) Taps’ haunting melody hung in air that on a spring day couldn’t be described as anything other than bitter. It didn’t deter people from braving a harsh gusty wind at the National Guard Armory in Brainerd Monday morning to gather for the Bataan Memorial Service for Company A, 194th Tank Battalion. People gathered to remember those who didn’t return and honor those who did. “We are here today to honor the sacrifice of these soldiers and their families,” said guest speaker, Dan Holmes, honorary colonel with the 194th Tank Regiment. “These were ‘the Battling Bastards of Bataan,’ They had no support — no mama, no papa and no Uncle Sam. But they kept the Japanese at bay long enough for U.S. military to react and keep the Japanese from our shores. We owe much to these men.” Holmes said in the midst of 1937 with the Great Depression, joining the National Guard provided extra income, a nice uniform and Saturday night dances in a new Brainerd armory. “Little did these National Guard soldiers know what was in their future,” Holmes said. They fought on the Bataan peninsula until they were out of food and ammunition. With no reinforcements coming, they were forced to surrender to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. But many did not survive the infamous Death March or the Japanese prison camps. Carol Alverson of Nisswa attended her first Bataan Memorial Ceremony Monday. Alverson read about Brainerd’s Bataan survivor Walt Straka and wanted to attend. She took refuge along the armory’s wall away from the wind, wishing she hadn’t taken winter gear out of her car the day before. American flawgs lined the armory parking lot with veterans, members of the National Guard and Patriot Guard in attendance, along with area residents. There was a mix of ages but many in the group were older. Alverson said she hopes younger generations remember the sacrifice at Bataan. “I think it’s going to be forgotten and that worries me,” she said. “I’m glad to see the turnout there is for such a cold day.” Alverson said the Billie Brown American Legion Post in Nisswa, formed in 1946 and named for one of the 194th who didn’t make it home, is now looking to help soldiers who will soon be returning from service in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait through the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon campaign. In his remarks, Holmes noted many of the families of the men at Bataan didn’t know about their loved one’s fate for 42 months. Don Samuelson’s father survived the Death March but not the prison camp that followed. They didn’t get word of his death until a year after the fact. Samuelson, former long-time Brainerd Legislator, said his grandfather refused to believe the news. After Monday’s ceremony, Samuelson said the ceremony brought back a lot of thoughts. It was a cold day when the soldiers left Brainerd, Samuelson said. In June, Samuelson went out with his mom and sister in a caravan of Brainerd families who went to see the soldiers at Fort Lewis in Washington state. In August, they learned the soldiers would be shipped out as the first tank unit sent to the Far East before World War II. The Samuelsons were renting a place in Olympia, Wash. “I remember that day when my dad came home,” Samuelson said. “He came in the kitchen and said to my mother they were leaving.” Samuelson said his dad, who was older with young children, didn’t have to ship out but he went with the men. “We came home not knowing what to expect next,” Samuelson said. For Christmas of 1941, the Samuelson family gathered to record a message to send overseas. Samuelson was 7 years old. He still has a copy of the recording. He doubts it ever reached his father. Finally, the families and the community came to understand the depth of their losses. “Those were sad times for us and the other families,” Samuelson said. Money raised by the community for a memorial went into the carillon bells that chime each hour from the Crow Wing County Historic Courthouse in Brainerd. “Brainerd has really hung in there,” Samuelson said. “They’ve had this ceremony every single year and they voted to never forget.” During the ceremony, each man’s name lost with the Brainerd tank company in Bataan was read aloud and a flower placed at the memorial. Bataan survivor Walt Straka was part of the 70th anniversary wreath-laying ceremony. Now men from Brainerd-based Headquarters Company, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 194th Armor (HCC 1/194 CAB) are based in Kuwait and serving in Iraq. They are part of what’s been described as the second largest deployment of the Minnesota National Guard since World War II. At the Bataan memorial, Capt. Rob Grutsch said the 1/194thCAB has been involved in more than 600 missions. Lt. Col Brian Melton, 1/194th commander, is at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s for medical issues while deployed in February. “We as citizens must never let our government leave soldiers untrained or partially trained and unsupported,” Holmes said. “So I would expect to see you all in attendance every year — even after these veterans are gone.”
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 22:57:45 GMT -5
WW2 historical markers remind Pinoys of Bataan's role on Day of Valor[/u][/url][/size] (GMA News, 04/09/12) BALANGA City, Bataan - Much attention is focused on the War Memorial Shrine in Mt. Samat in Pilar, Bataan on Monday due to the observance of the 70th Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor, and more so with President Benigno Aquino “Noynoy” Aquino III as guest of honor and speaker. At this hallowed mountain stands the huge 92-meter-high War Memorial Cross some 555 meters above sea level. War records showed that Gen. Masaharu Homma, commanding general of the Japanese Imperial Army, unleashed the full fury of an all-out offensive in Bataan on April 3, 1942 that turned Mt. Samat like an inferno. But the shrine is not just the only memorial in Bataan. Today, travelers heading to Mt. Samat, upon passing the big arch dividing Pampanga and Bataan, will notice some historical markers that symbolize the important role Bataan played during World War II. These can be found along the stretch of MacArthur Highway from Hermosa to Mariveles. A few meters from the territorial arch lies the Bataan and Democracy marker in Balsik, Hermosa town. It says that it recognizes the role of Bataan in the fight for freedom and the preservation of democracy. KM 72 of the Death March marker comes in next which calls attention to the fact that Filipino and American soldiers were subjected to the harsh 111-kilometer Death March. The soldiers hiked 72 kilometers from Mariveles, Bataan. It should not be forgotten that for many years before the celebration was known as Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan), April 9 used to be celebrated as Fall of Bataan or Bataan Day. This was to commemorate that sad part in history when in 1942, Maj. Gen. Edward King, Jr., commanding general of the Luzon forces of the United States Armed Forces in Far East, surrendered his command in Bataan to Col. Mootoo Nakayama of the 14th Japanese Army. This scene was vividly depicted in the Surrender Monument at the Balanga Elementary School in Balanga City that Homma used as his command post. The historical markers do not only depict the fall of the province but also the bravery and heroism of thousands of Filipino and American soldiers in defending Bataan. At the Layac junction in Dinalupihan, the Front Line of Defense monument stands. It was at this site that combined Filipino and American soldiers put up the first strong line of defense against the invading Japanese soldiers. At the approach of a big bridge in Orani, a stone-marble Death March marker can be seen “dedicated to the heroism and courage of Filipino soldiers.” In Bgy. Mabatang in Abucay, heavy fighting took place as depicted in the Abucay-Morong Line marker. A century-old acacia tree still stands near the municipal hall of Abucay, as do the big sampalok tree in Sta. Rosa, Pilar and some mango trees in Balanga—all deaf-mute witnesses to the horrors of war. A Filipino soldier marker is located in front of the Church of Abucay that became the headquarters of Japanese soldiers after Bataan fell on April 9, 1942. In Pilar town, meanwhile, the Flaming Sword monument majestically stands as a “symbol of courage and gallantry in the face of external forces to fight for the nation’s freedom and peace.” This was where Filipino and American soldiers coming from two directions—Mariveles and Bagac—forced to take part in the grueling Death March met. KM 26 Death March marker shows the Death March came from Bagac some 26 kilometers away. KM 41, on the other hand, indicates marchers hiked 41 kilometers from the Death March starting point in Mariveles.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:00:47 GMT -5
REARMAMENT President Aquino speaks about the modernization of the Philippine military at ceremonies marking Araw ng Kagitingan at the Mount Samat Shrine in Bataan on Monday. Aquino assures war veterans of better health services; vows AFP modernization[/u][/url][/size] (Philippine Inquirer, 04/09/12) PILAR, Bataan—President Benigno Aquino III assured Filipino war veterans of subsidized health services and vowed to continue the modernization of the Armed Forces in Monday’s Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) rites that paid tribute to Filipino and American soldiers who fought the Japanese 70 years ago. Mr. Aquino, who addressed the elderly soldiers and their relatives gathered at the Dambana ng Kagitingan entirely in Filipino, got thunderous applause when he announced that from March 31, 599 hospitals had been accredited by Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) as regional and provincial extensions, making it easy for the veterans to access medical benefits. “The state honors our veterans and I believe we should repay their sacrifices by caring for them,” he said. Colonel Roberto Gacayan, 85, a war veteran from La Union province, urged Mr. Aquino and legislators not to ignore the plight of the war veterans. “It seems that the government has been slowly forgetting what we did during the war. We hope that our benefits will be increased … We will not live long and we hope that in the remaining years of our lives, we get to feel our true worth,” Gacayan, who heads the Confederation of World War II Veterans’ Sons and Daughters Inc., said. “If it had not been for our sacrifices, the youth will not experience the freedom they are enjoying today,” he said. Veterans’ welfare According to Mr. Aquino, VMMC has been subsidizing services for cataract surgery, coronary angiogram procedure and cardiac bypass operations. The President again drew applause when he cited the direct remittance servicing system of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), which is done through the banks or automated teller machines. This has enabled war veterans to receive their pensions faster and in correct amounts, he said. The veterans’ list has also been purged, enabling government to generate savings that are used to support more pensioners, he said. Ernesto Carolina, the PVAO administrator, said the House committee on veterans affairs had approved an increase in the old-age pension from P5,000 to P10,000, with an increase of P1,000 a year for the next five years. A bill is also pending in Congress seeking to increase the burial assistance from P10,000 to P20,000. Carolina said the PVAO had paid P4 billion to eligible pensioners, with the funds coming from the savings made from the purging of illegal claimants. He said the hospitalization benefits in PVAO-accredited hospitals had been doubled to P800 for a maximum of 45 days. The PVAO also pays for the premium of veterans’ membership in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. Pensions for old age, disability and death are paid to nearly 250,000 veterans, their spouses and descendants, he said. Leslie Bassett, deputy chief of mission of the United States Embassy, said that in the past two years, more than 18,000 Filipino veterans had received a total of over $220 million from the US government’s Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Program. Modern military The President told the war veterans that his administration was working to fully upgrade the capacity of the AFP. “What we want is that should the situation turn into a conflict, we are able to give a fight,” he said in Filipino. He then enumerated the latest purchases for the AFP: a Hamilton class cutter, renamed as BRP Gregorio del Pilar, and four combat utility helicopters. At least 138 projects under the defense acquisition system are scheduled for completion within five years, he said. Good governance Mr. Aquino said these are being done because of the good governance of his administration, adding that “integrity and honor result in programs that benefit our people.” “I know that the morale of government troops is high not only because of housing or combat allowance but also because they know that we have removed the culture of corruption in the [AFP] leadership,” he said. Mr. Aquino began his speech with lengthy quotes from Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon and General Douglas MacArthur, the American general and commander of US forces in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. “I am greatly concerned as well regarding all the soldiers I have called to the colors and who are now manning the firing line. I want to decide in my own mind whether there is justification in allowing all these men to be killed, when for the final outcome of the war the shedding of their blood may be wholly unnecessary,” he said, quoting Quezon. “It is no joke being responsible for the lives of thousands, millions of your countrymen. President Quezon might have asked himself: What is at stake? Is the sacrifice worth it?” Mr. Aquino said. He said he did not want the loss of lives. “This is the root of our determination to strengthen our armed forces,” he said. “All that we have been doing now to lay the groundwork for reforms, improve the economy and lift our brethren from poverty, come from a single thought: We owe it to those who sacrificed before us to make sure that it is worth it, very, very worth it to live free in the Philippines,” he said. The occasion, he added, should also be a time to celebrate the strength of character of Filipinos “to fight the enemy with bravery, honor and love for country as the sharpest weapon of all.” Mr. Aquino also praised the Philippines’ strong alliance with the United States, and confirmed the futility of violence and necessity of working with neighboring nations. Bataan Day in the US In her speech, Bassett said some 7,000 people in the United States, including war veterans and students in New Mexico, had joined a reenactment of the Death March yesterday to pass what she called “the torch of memory.” “Some carried heavy packs to make the journey harder but not as hard as the cruel Calvary our heroes endured,” she said. “Bataan commemoration takes place today across the United States … and in the many homes where veterans and their memories still dwell. On the high seas, the sailors of the USS Bataan will pause to commemorate this day, including Master Chief Noel Vergara, whose grandfather, Romeo Miranda, was a hero of Bataan,” she said. Bassett stressed the importance of preserving freedom that Filipino and American soldiers had fought hard to win. “Filipino and American soldiers relied on one another to survive the Death March and what came after. Today their children and grandchildren … proudly continue that tradition of friendship and mutual support,” she said. “Today we live in an era of technological marvel. But you cannot download freedom from the Internet or buy liberty off the shelf. The heroes of Bataan remind us not to take what we have for granted but to cherish our freedom,” she said. Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Toshinao Urabe, who also spoke in Filipino, extended his country’s sincerest apology and deep sense of remorse for the Japanese atrocities during World War II. He said the Japanese of today are “a far cry” from the Japanese during the war. Urabe said the United States, the Philippines and Japan had forged stronger ties and were now allies and friends. He stressed the importance of unity among the three countries. “Sa pagkakaisa, tayo ay lalakas; sa pagkakawatak-watak, tayo ay babagsak (In unity, we will be strong; in conflict, we will fall),” he said. Aside from war veterans and their families, former President Fidel Ramos, top military and police officials, Cabinet members, local officials and diplomats attended the Araw ng Kagitingan ceremonies at Mount Samat Shrine.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:02:25 GMT -5
Oldest living Filipino WWII veteran is 111 years old [/u][/url][/size] (Zamboanga Today, 04/10/12) At 111 years old, Alfonso C. Fabros, the oldest surviving Filipino veteran of World War II and probably the whole world, recalls with pride his war exploits in fighting the Japanese Imperial Army, particularly his great escape following the fall of Bataan 70 years ago. Fabros’ wartime experience could have been relegated to the dustbin of history were it not for meticulous effort of retired Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), in keeping the records of WWII veterans intact through the years. Tracing the whereabouts of the aging Fabros, who lives in Calaanan, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, was facilitated by Ms. Jet Rivera, PVAO public information officer. Partly deaf and practically blind, Fabros’ testimony was relayed to this writer through a phone conservation with his 54-year-old daughter, Ella Fabros Gandalera, and Analee Gandalera, Ella’s sister-in-law, over the weekend. The two women said they have heard the aging Fabros relating about his combat experience during the Second World War in the jungles of Central and Northern Luzon. Fabros was 41 years old when the Pacific War broke out on December 8, 1941. He was recruited as a soldier in the 1st Regular Division, Philippine Army, under the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and was deployed in Bataan where Filipino and American troops defended the strategic peninsula until it was captured by the highly superior Japanese Imperial Army on April 9, 1942. The battle in Bataan was a defining moment of the Filipino and American soldiers who, despite the overwhelming odds, fought the Japanese forces in fierce combat for four months that delayed the Japanese’s timetable of the war in the Philippines. The Japanese thought they could conquer the Philippines in a month or two but they miscalculated the fighting spirit of the Bataan defenders who stood their ground until they ran out of ammunition, food, water and medicine that forced them to surrender. But before Bataan fell, Fabros and some of the Filipino and American soldiers were able to escape, thus sparing themselves of being part of the infamous “Death March” of captured Fil-Am troops who were forced to march 100 kilometers from Bataan to Capas, Tarlac. Fabros joined the guerrilla forces in Luzon where he continued his fight against the Japanese invaders. During the three years of his being a guerrilla member, Fabros was lucky of not being wounded. Ella said her father told his siblings that the guerrillas had to survive eating root crops, fruits and vegetables which were abundant in the jungles. The guerrillas had to use the hit-and-run tactics when mounting an attack on the Japanese. During the phone interview, Ella credited her father’s surviving the war and long life to his being a religious man. “My father does not forget to pray everyday. In fact, he keeps the Holy Bible inside his room since he could not read anymore because he is blind due to old age,” she said. Asked about what her father eats, Ella said: “My father loves to eat all kinds of foods without prohibition even at his present age of 111 years,” Ella said. “He loves to drink beer and chews nganga, a rolled tobacco leaves during his pastime,” she added. “But what struck us, the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, is that the grand patriarch smokes one pack of cigarettes a day and it seems he’s okay, enjoying life in his advancing years,” Ella said. “Aside from being blind and could hardly hear, my father’s blood pressure is normal. He complains of some pains in his legs. He can walk with some help from his sons,” she said. Ella said her father’s monthly pension is P5,000 a month and is looking forward to the promise by PVAO that the amount will be doubled in due time. The last time Fabros received his pension was on April 2, 2012. “My father is the one getting his monthly pension from Land Bank in Cabanatuan City,” she said. Carlito Gandalera, Ella’s husband, is the one always accompanying the older Fabros in getting his pension. “Ten years ago, when my father was still 101 years old, he would always watch television and tuned in the radio, but now no more,” she said. “Nowadays,” Ella said, “my father would ask his children about the weather, if there is a typhoon coming.” Ella said her father was born on February 13, 1901 in Balaoan, La Union. Her mother died in 2000 at the age of 80. The Fabros have 12 children but only four are alive -- Florentino, 73; Florencio, 66; Gerry, 64; and Ella, 54. “My father and mother have over 50 grandchildren and great grandchildren and counting with one to be born in a few months from now,” she said. Despite his age, Fabros plans to attend the 70th celebration of the Bataan Death March, telling his children he can still make it to commemorate the historic event to be held in Capas, Tarlac on Tuesday, April 10. As an aging veteran, Fabros' regimen in life is eat, sleep, drink, smoke, walk around the house a little as his daily routine exercise. But most of all, he prays everyday to thank the Good Lord for His abundant blessings and enjoy life to the fullest until he breaths his last.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:06:36 GMT -5
Dan Crowley, of Simsbury, recognizes a friend before he gave a talk to more than 100 at the Simsbury Public Library on the 70th anniversary of the Bataan Death March and the surrender of the Philippines. Simsbury Ceremony Marks 70th Anniversary Of Bataan Death March [/u][/url][/size] (Hartford Courant, 04/10/12) SIMSBURY —— "No mama. No papa. No Uncle Sam." That was the phrase coined by reporter Frank Hewlett to describe the atrocities American and Filipino prisoners of war suffered at the hands of their Japanese captors during the Battle of Bataan, which preceded the infamous Bataan death march in World War II. Dan Crowley, one of only two living Bataan POWs in Connecticut, joined WWII veterans and current members of the military to mark the 70th anniversary of the death march Monday at the Simsbury Public Library. [Sample Our Free Breaking News Alert And 3 P.M. News Newsletters] The attendees packed themselves into Project Room 1, spilling out into the hallway. Before his talk, Crowley and the 150 or so people in attendance clapped and sang along with performer Courtney Drummey to "This Land is Your Land" and "America the Beautiful." Silence fell over the room as Crowley, 89, stepped to the podium and discussed the death march, in which 78,000 prisoners were forced to walk up the Bataan peninsula on the island of West Luzon in the Philippines. "My job is to speak for the dead," Crowley said. Some veterans wiped tears from their cheeks. Referring to the Battle of Bataan as the "doorway to hell," Crowley said those prisoners taken captive afterward were forced by the Japanese to walk for six days and approximately 66 miles to Camp O'Donnell. Crowley and a handful of men refused to surrender and managed to escape to nearby Corregidor Island, thus avoiding the march, but they were captured abouth a month later. He spent the remainder of World War II as a slave laborer for the Japanese, both in the Philippines and later at the Ashio copper mine in Japan. "It's hard for us to imagine, going about our busy days, what Dan and the other [prisoners] suffered at the hands of their Japanese captors," said First Selectwoman Mary Glassman. "It's amazing what the human strength and courage will do." Rep. Linda Schofield, who later presented a proclamation from the General Assembly in recognition of the death march, thanked Crowley for keeping the sacrifice U.S. servicemen make in the forefront of the community's memory and for educating the public on World War II.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:08:39 GMT -5
REMEMBERING BATAAN — Many area residents turned out for a walk Monday marking the 70th anniversary of the Bataan Death March. The event was sponsored by the Brooke County Public Library and its Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Museum. Among them were Francis Dennison, who carried the banner; Tom Williams, who carried a photo of Abie Abraham, a survivor of the march who recently died and in whose honor it was held. Also participating were Christine Abraham, his wife; and Chuck Moses, his cousin, both of Butler, Pa.Death march recalled in Wellsburg walk[/u][/url][/size] (Herald Star, 04/10/12) WELLSBURG - The wife and cousin of a survivor of the Bataan Death March joined about 30 area residents Monday in remembering the many American and Filipino troops who suffered and died following a battle to defend the Philippine Islands against Japanese invasion. The walk was held on the 70th anniversary of the infamous march. It was sponsored by the Brooke County Public Library and its Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Museum in memory of Abie Abraham of Butler, Pa., a survivor of the march who died March 22 at the age of 98. Mary Kay Wallace, library director, said Assistant Director Joyce McAlpine suggested honoring Abraham in that way, noting he had been a supporter of the small museum within the library that grew from an exhibit created by Ed Jackfert, a Wellsburg man who also served in the Philippines, and his wife, Henrietta. A frequent visitor to the museum, Abraham donated to it a samurai sword given to him by a Japanese major who had been captured on the Philippine Islands at the end of World War II. Abraham's wife, Christine, said her husband welcomed the opportunity to speak to schools, colleges, universities and various groups about his experience and that of others in the march. She said Abraham and others had gone without supplies for months and were starving when they were captured but were given no food or water by their captors as they were marched for 65 miles to areas where they could be transported by train and ships to prisoner of war work camps. Christine said Abraham spoke of being transported with many other soldiers in a hot, tightly packed boxcar with little ventilation. "It was so tight, all they could do was stand," said Christine, adding many of the men had contracted dysentery and malaria and were feverish. Jane Kraina, museum coordinator, said Abraham was among only about 50,000 who had survived the march. Many had been beaten or bayoneted "for such infractions as not keeping up or trying to drink from artisan wells on the side of the road," she said. Chuck Moses, Abraham's young cousin, noted the Americans and Filipinos had fought against the Japanese invaders for five months before their capture and had been without food and other supplies for some time. Bill Burress of Richmond, a member of the World War II Living History Regiment also on hand for the event, said the troops were deployed at the onset of the war and weren't well prepared for battle, equipped largely with weapons and equipment used in World War I. Burress and fellow re-enactor Dan Evans of Pittsburgh brought a pup tent and 1942 model Jeep similar to those used by the troops and drove ahead of the walk in the vintage vehicle. Burress said though Gen. Douglas MacArthur had requested more troops for the Philippines, American troops were focused on removing Nazi invaders from Europe, leaving the soldiers on the islands outnumbered. The capture and savage treatment of the soldiers wasn't made known to the public during the war or fully acknowledged for many years after, he said. "It was almost a secret. A lot of letters were censored. They kept a lid on information. The public today would be outraged," Burress said. But Abraham was among survivors who would see that the atrocities of the march and the prisoner of war camps and the sacrifices of his fellow soldiers weren't forgotten. "He went back for two years to help find the remains of the soldiers (who died during the march). MacArthur asked him to," said Moses. He recalled Abraham telling him the general pointed to a stack of letters, saying, "All of these mothers want to know about their sons." Moses said Filippino citizens had buried the fallen soldiers and aided Abraham in locating their graves, and he had kept notes about soldiers, living and dead, at the same POW camp as he. Moses added Abraham's testimony was key to bringing justice against the Japanese captors, including Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma, who ordered the march and was hanged for his involvement. He added Abraham also brought attention to the march through two books, "The Ghost of Bataan Speaks" and "Oh God, Where Are You?" He said despite his experiences, Abraham maintained a sense of humor, which may have helped him to cope with the ordeal; and didn't harbor resentment against the Japanese. Moses said, "He said, if I remember correctly, 'Keeping hate in your heart makes you die young.'" Kraina said she hopes the walk will become an annual event and is continuing to raise funds for an addition to the library to house the many writings, photos and artifacts that have been donated to the library by veterans who served in the Philippines and their families.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:10:40 GMT -5
Capas town commemorates WWII Death March[/u][/url][/size] (Philippine Information Agency, 04/11/12) CAPAS, Tarlac, April 11 (PIA) -- President Benigno S. Aquino III’s aunt and former Tarlac governor spearheaded on Tuesday the 70th remembrance ceremony for the soldiers who were part of the infamous 1942 Death March at the Capas National Shrine in Tarlac. In the celebration dubbed, “Paggunita sa Capas,” former governor Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco offered a wreath to the shrine then observed a moment of silence as a member of the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and a high school student led the tolling of bell. This was followed by the conferment of medallions, plaques, and certificates of recognition to World War II servicemen Major General Rafael Zagala (Posthumous), Major General Ismael Lapus (Posthumous), Antonio Diaz (Posthumous), Capt. Jose Calugas Sr. (Posthumous), Ret. Cmdr. Francisco Costales, Ret. Sgt. Blas Diego, Pedro Gapay, and Ret. Pvt. Alfonso Fabros who is presently the oldest living Philippine veteran at 111 years old. Special awards were likewise handed out to United States Department of Veterans Affairs-Manila director Jonathan Skelly, Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor National Commander Emeritus Ret. Col. Rafael Estrada, and seven Czech heroes. Czechs Jan Bzoch, Pavel Fuchs, Leo Herman, Jaroslav Hrdina, Fred Lenk, Josef Varak, and Antonin Volny were in Manila at the height of the Japanese invasion and decided to enlist themselves to the Allied forces pretending to be Americans. In her speech, Cojuangco said, “All the impossible was made possible because of the veterans’ resilience. Their stories are sad but their deeds left us to love and defend liberty and honor them as heroes.” Cojuangco added that, “these prisoners of war consisting of Filipino, American, and Czech servicemen gave up their lives for the Pearl of the Orient - Our County, the Philippines. May their values of duty and commitment echo throughout lands and seas evermore. Mabuhay silang lahat! (Long live all of them).” According to historical accounts, Japanese troops forcibly ordered 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers to walk for five to six days with no food and water. Almost 10,000 soldiers failed to reach their prison camp in Capas alive. The camp was turned over by the Clark Air Base Military Reservation to the Philippine government on April 9, 1982. Former President Corazon Aquino proclaimed it as Capas National Shrine on December 7, 1991. The shrine encompasses 54 hectares of parkland where the Bataan Death March ended. About 35 hectares of land had been planted with rows of trees to represent each of the deceased at the camp and to promote environmental consciousness. On April 9, 2003, a new memorial wall and obelisk was unveiled. The 70-meter obelisk towers above the former internment camp. It is surrounded by a black marble wall engraved with the names of the Filipinos and Americans known to have died at the location. “Paggunita sa Capas” serves as one of the major activities of the annual commemoration of Philippine Veterans Week. This year’s observance is guided by the theme, “Beterano: Tagasulong ng Tunay at Walang Humpay na Pagbabago (Veterans: Catalysts of Genuine and Lasting Change).”
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:12:12 GMT -5
US diplomat asks Filipinos to give importance to freedom[/u][/url][/size] (Philippine Information Agency, 04/11/12) PILAR, Bataan, April 11 (PIA) -- As Filipinos fought for independence from the Japanese army 70 years ago during World War II, the United States Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission asked Filipinos to cherish the precious freedom the veterans have fought for years ago. US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Lesli Bassett said, “Freedom cannot be downloaded from the Internet, or buy liberty off the shell even though we live in an era of technological marvels.” She said this during the 70th commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valour) held at Mt. Samat Shrine, this town. “The heroes of Bataan remind us not to take what we have for granted, but to cherish our freedoms that have been won at such extraordinary cost,” she explained. Bassett also said that “the memory of Bataan is powerfully preserved here at this memorial in Mt. Samat Shrine. I want to assure you that its flame burns brightly as well across the United States. This year in New Mexico almost 7,000 people participated in a re-enactment of the death march, trudging through desert sand.” Bataan commemorations take place Monday across the United States, at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, at Brainerd Armory in Minnesota, and in the many homes where veterans’ and their memories dwell. On the high seas the sailors of the USS Bataan will pause to commemorate this date, including Masterchief Aircraft Maintenanceman (AW/SW) Noel Vergara, whose grandfather, Romeo Miranda, was a hero of Bataan.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:13:34 GMT -5
California legislators remember ‘Fall of Bataan’ anniversary[/u][/url][/size] (Philippine Inquirer Global, 04/11/12) “The fall of Bataan marked the largest surrender in American military history since the Civil War’s Battle of Harper’s Ferry, but it also delayed the momentum of the Japanese invasion of the Pacific and prevented a complete takeover by the Axis forces,” Congresswoman Jackie Speier said. About 63,000 Filipino and 12,000 American soldiers were forced to march 60 miles to reach their prison camps. Some 15,000 died during what is known as the Bataan Death March. “When Filipino and American veterans think of Bataan, they not only remember the devastations of war and the loss of loved ones, they also remember the friendship of two countries that fought side by side,” Speier said. “Filipino veterans defended our country exactly like Americans veterans defended it and they deserve the same recognition. We cannot afford to have half-American veterans. On this 70th Anniversary of Bataan I urge my colleagues in Congress to make all WWII Filipino veterans fully eligible for the same benefits that other US veterans receive,” said Speier. A quarter million Filipinos fought in defense of the United States against the Japanese in WWII—about half were killed during war. The Filipino veterans were promised benefits by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but Congress passed an act in 1946 that stripped them of their benefits. Congresswoman Speier introduced H.R. 210, the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act, to restore the benefits. The bill has currently 90 cosponsors. California Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), who represents the largest Filipino community outside of the Philippines and he has long fought for full recognition and benefits for Filipino WWII veterans, hailed the “incredible determination and bravery” of the Filipino veterans. “Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Bataan Death March… Thousands of Filipino and American soldiers were killed as a result of this war crime. While these troops were defeated at Bataan, their incredible determination and bravery stopped the momentum of the Japanese invasion of US military bases in the Pacific,” said Yee. “As Americans, we must remember their sacrifice and honor their contribution. In particular, we must remember that without the help of these Filipino soldiers, the course of American history may have been quite different,” Yee said. “We owe a great debt of gratitude to the Filipino veterans, who unfortunately to this day, have still not received their fair share of military benefits and proper recognition.”
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:16:41 GMT -5
Pittsburg [California] honors anniversary of WWII Philippines death march[/u][/url][/size] (San Jose Mercury News, 04/11/12) Pittsburg was once a big military town, and many of its residents are veterans, but none seem to remain who survived the Bataan Death March of 1942. It was 70 years ago now, in the thick of World War II, that the Japanese army defeated U.S. and Filipino forces at the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. The Japanese soldiers then began a horrific forced march of 78,000 prisoners of war that would span 65 miles and leave thousands dead. According to the National Museum of the Air Force website, "Some of the guards made a sport of hurting or killing the POWs. The marchers were beaten with rifle butts, shot or bayoneted without reason. Most of the POWs got rid of their helmets because some Japanese soldiers on passing trucks hit them with rifle butts. Some enemy soldiers savagely toyed with POWs by dragging them behind trucks with a rope around the neck." Pittsburg resident Flora Dolojan was just 4 years old, having fled the region with her mother, when her father was among the soldiers captured. He escaped and fled to the island of Basilan, where Dolojan and her mother joined him, and the family hid from enemy forces until the end of the war. Now, Dolojan says, it's time to honor the sacrifice and bravery of the soldiers who gave their lives trying to defend the Philippines and who endured the horrible march. An official commemoration will begin at noon Saturday with a luncheon, followed by a memorial program at 2 p.m. at the Filipino-American Cultural Center in Pittsburg. Dolojan, president of the Fil-American Association of Pittsburg, has been collecting written accounts from survivors and their families, which will be on display in exhibits that open at the center at 10 a.m. Saturday. Widows of the prisoners who marched will be present, but Dolojan said she's been unable to find any survivors who remain in Pittsburg. Pittsburg resident Roger Tumbaga, also the son of a soldier who marched, said he sees the anniversary as "a rededication of our appreciation, our faithfulness for their service. We wouldn't be here if not for our fathers, and we will never forget their courage." There will also be a memorial Mass on Sunday at noon, at The Good Shepherd Church at 3200 Harbor St. in Pittsburg.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 11, 2012 23:18:06 GMT -5
The fall of Cebu[/u][/url][/size] (Philippine Inquirer, 04/12/12) The irony was not lost on me yesterday as we quietly remembered the 70th anniversary of the fall of Cebu into the hands of the invading Imperial Japanese Forces a day after Bataan fell. Talk around was not about our ongoing dig through 1,500 years of the pre-history of this northwestern Cebu town of San Remigio. Instead, we were regularly pestered with questions about whether we found Japanese gold bars or that the altar of the local parish church is said to contain a boxful of them. Seventy years after the Japanese forces overran Cebu’s defenses, it is not funny that in lieu of remembering the dark years of occupation, people are more enthralled with tales of this guy or that one finding the so-called Yamanutsa treasure. It does not surprise us at all when visitors from other towns drop by our ongoing archaeological excavations at the Lapyahan Public Beach and ask in jest (or maybe seriously?) “Unsa na man, naa na ang treasure ni Yamanutsa?” (So, have you now found Yamanutsa’s treasure?) or something to that effect. How sad for all of us that the days when life hanged in the balance has all been swept away by those Tagalog movies that glorified the idea that indeed the Japanese left tons of gold bars here in the Philippines, the only place in Asia where their drive to conquer was eventually stopped! Why of all places would the Japanese, for example, bury gold in Cebu when the anti-Japanese resistance here was so overwhelmingly successful that after the war, the Cebu Area Command, the main guerrilla army in Cebu, was recognized as having eliminated the largest number of Japanese soldiers (I think about 6,000) ever in the history of the WWII underground. It is this sad memory loss that compelled me and my “Kabilin” video crew of Sugbo TV to develop six interrelated episodes chronicling the experience of various survivors and their children or grandchildren to recall those three tumultuous years. Airing starting yesterday at 11:30 a.m. and every six hours thereafter on Skycable Channel 14 (as well as other cable operators in some towns and cities), the Fall of Cebu chronicles eyewitness accounts of 98-year-old Rosario “Nang Saling” Yap-Estrada of Barili, who was a pharmacist in the guerrilla underground medical unit in the south, of her arrest and interrogation on suspicion of hiding vital medicines (which she actually did but with a brave face denied it before her Japanese captors). In Moalboal, the Women’s Auxiliary Corps (WAC) member Monica Babiera-Sandalo, now 94, recounted her work procuring food and medicine for the guerrillas based in the mountains of Ronda, while her townmate, Maximo “Toto” Oshiro, recalled to us his father on the other side of the war. Toto recalls how his father came to Cebu at the age of 14 ostensibly to introduce the now-banned fishing method called muro-ami in the 1920s only to be drafted into the Imperial Japanese Navy during the war. He married a local lass by then in Moalboal and sired a number of children, including Toto. Locals aver that it was his father that saved many guerrillas from certain death. But the father did not survive the war, having died during the battle for the liberation of Dumaguete around March 1945, his body never found to this day. In Alegria, we chanced upon Nicolasa Hijara to ask her about the war mementos of her late mother, Cruza, and instead got many exciting and unexpected facts like the one where his cousin eloped with a young lass who caught the eye of a young Japanese soldier stationed at the Spanish-era watchtower that is now part of the beautiful Alegria Heritage Park. The family paid a heavy price for that: their ancestral house was burned to the ground, including everything in it. Over in Barili, Ray Estrada, one of the curators at Museo Sugbo, recalled the grisly death of his granduncle Teodoro B. Estrada who was bayoneted to death with others and thrown off the cliff at Palalong, just one among the many massacres that were committed there, not just involving Barilinhons but also those coming from the dreaded Kempeitai/Secret Police Headquarters at the Cebu Normal School. There are many more stories to tell and I most certainly hope that beyond all those fake-lore about Yamanutsa treasure, we, too, will recall the valiant defense put up by those who came ahead of us 70 years ago who, despite the knowledge that they were outnumbered, trudged on and fought against battalions of approaching well-armed Japanese soldiers on their way to Cebu City. It is not that Cebu fell into the enemy that we must commemorate. It is that despite knowing it would fall that day, many stood undeterred if only to fire that last shot of resistance. This we must never forget.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 17, 2012 20:14:43 GMT -5
The Hill Air Force Base Honor Guard honors those missing in action during the Missing Man Ceremony at a VA luncheon honoring former prisoners of war and those missing in action at the Salt Lake Airport Hilton in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 13, 2012.Former Utah POWs honored for service and sacrifice[/u][/url][/size] (KSL Salt Lake City, 04/13/12) SALT LAKE CITY — It's a brotherhood no one chose to join: being a former prisoner of war. About two dozen of Utah's former POWs were honored Friday for their service and sacrifice as part of National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. Most of the surviving POWs fought in World War II, but a handful survived torture, starvation, and solitary confinement in Korea and Vietnam. There are 50 surviving former POWs in Utah. That's down from 80 just three years ago. Seven passed away in the past year. Jay C. Hess of Farmington was among those honored. He flew more than 30 combat missions as an Air Force fighter pilot in Vietnam. He was shot down in August 1967 near the Chinese-North Vietnamese border. When he ejected from his plane, Hess hit the ground hard and was knocked unconscious as panels in his parachute were blown out. He was captured and thrown into the "Hanoi Hilton" POW prison. "(They would) tie your hands and arms behind your back and rotate them over your head and tie it to your feet in front," he said. It caused nerve damage, and it took six months to a year to recover from that kind of torture. His faith helped him endure the harsh treatment. "You dream that you'll come home someday to that land you cherish," he said. He kept that dream alive every day as he endured torture and starvation over 2,029 days: more than five years. "I feel like I was a born-again American with a greater appreciation," he said. He has a greater appreciation for freedom, family and military friends. “I don’t live being a POW anymore,” he said. “I’m celebrating my 40th year of freedom, and I appreciate that.” He said he also got a lot of support from the other POWs. “They were helping you, you were helping them,” he said. After he came home, he taught ROTC for 22 years at Clearfield High School. Hess said there are plans in the works for a 40th reunion with other Vietnam POWs next year. April 9 is National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. It was April 9, 1942, when starving and exhausted U.S. forces at Bataan in the Philippines surrendered to the invading Japanese during World War II. Seventy-five thousand American and Filipino troops were forced to march 70 miles to a POW camp — an infamous trek that became known as the "Bataan Death March." More than 600 American soldiers died from maltreatment and murder; the rest faced years of brutal captivity. While appreciating their freedom, some of former POWs at Friday’s ceremony had their thoughts on Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho — the only current U.S. prisoner of war. “It’s heartbreaking,” Hess said. “His situation, likely being alone, is very difficult. I hope he’s the kind of guy that can handle it by himself.” The 26-year-old was taken prisoner in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, and is being held by the Haqqani network, a Pakistani-based group with ties to the Taliban and al-Qaida. Bergdahl grew up a few miles south of the resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. He was a member of the 4th Brigade Combat Team in the 25th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska, at the time he was taken prisoner. In a video his captors posted on YouTube in late February, Bowe said, “It’s very unnerving to be prisoner.” He appeared scared, upset and eager to come home. “I have a very, very good family that I love back home, and I miss them every day that I’m gone,” he said. “I miss them, and I’m afraid that I might never see them again, and that I’ll never be able to tell them I love them again. I’ll never be able to hug them.” According to recent reports, Bergdahl escaped in December only to be recaptured. Several groups across the country have filed several petitions demanding Bergdahl's release. Former POWs hope he will make it out alive. “The will to hang on, and never, never give up is built in us,” Hess said. Bergdahl's family's only hope of communication is the Internet. In a video posted on the Internet last May, his father, Bob Bergdahl, said, “I pray this video may be shown to our only son. God bless you. We love you. You are not forgotten. You are not forgotten.”
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Post by friscohare on Apr 17, 2012 20:15:44 GMT -5
Araw ng Kagitingan[/u][/url][/size] (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04/16/12) Seventy years ago in 1942, Maj. Gen. Edward King Jr. surrendered an army of 76,000 Filipinos and Americans to a Japanese force of 54,000 under Gen. Masaharu Homma. Of those 76,000, 12,000 were Americans. It was the single largest capitulation of a US-led military force in American history, culminating in the Bataan Death March. Last Monday, the nation marked the 70th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan. Now known as “Araw ng Kagitingan,” so as to put emphasis on valor rather than on defeat and surrender, we remembered the courage and the bravery of our soldiers who fought a war not of their own making. My memories of this period were those of a young boy growing up under unusual circumstances. There was not much food to go around but we were never hungry or starving. There was a sense of fear, a sense of having to minimize if not avoid contact with strange-looking soldiers who appeared from out of nowhere. They wore dun-colored uniforms and rubber-soled canvass boots, split-toed with the big toe separated from the rest of the toes. They had funny-looking headgear with cloth flaps at the back hanging over their necks. At school, we were taught new songs never before heard; we were introduced to a new alphabet made up of peculiar characters. All throughout the Japanese occupation, I never heard of Bataan and Corregidor or what happened in those places during the early months of 1942. After the return of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, we were told of the fighting that took place in the Bataan peninsula and the valiant stand of Filipinos and Americans and their subsequent surrender. We heard stories of the brutal and inhuman treatment, by Japanese soldiers, of prisoners of war and the sufferings inflicted upon our people by the new conquerors. Atrocities are part of the nature of any conflict. The perpetrators are the strong and the powerful, the victims are the weak and the defenseless. In the Philippine-American War that lasted more than three years (1899-1902), an estimated 300,000 civilians were killed by American forces. Long before the term “waterboarding” became part of the CIA vocabulary, the US Army routinely carried out the “water cure” on captured Filipino rebels or suspected enemy civilians. In a pacification campaign carried out in the province of Samar in September 1901, US Army Gen. Jacob Smith gave the following orders to a Marine major: “I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn; the more you kill and burn the better you will please me.” Anyone 10 years and older were included in the kill-order. Smith’s handwritten instructions were, “the interior of Samar must be made a howling wilderness.” Perhaps one might say that after more than a century, Samar never fully recovered from the scorched-earth policy conducted by General Smith. Today it remains one of the most impoverished provinces in the country. Of course, the typhoons from the Pacific just add to the woes of the region. Let us put things in proper perspective. In 1940, we were a Commonwealth of the United States. We had no quarrel with Japan or the Japanese people. Unfortunately there were US Armed Forces stationed in the Philippines and when the United States and Japan were unable to resolve their differences over a number of issues, war became inevitable. Filipinos were taken in to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States and we fought alongside US soldiers with loyalty and determination. Legally as citizens of a Commonwealth of the United States, Filipinos were American nationals entitled to all benefits afforded those serving in the United States Armed Forces. However when the war ended, the US Congress passed a law, the “Rescission Act of 1946,” declaring that “the service of Filipinos shall not be deemed to be or to have been served in the military or national forces of the United States or any component thereof.” This effectively stripped Filipinos of their recognition as US veterans, and blew away whatever benefits they may have been entitled to. More than 60 years later, a new law was passed granting certain payments to eligible persons who served in the US Armed Forces during World War II to include Filipino veterans. If the eligible person was not a citizen of the United States, he was granted $9,000. For a citizen of the United States, the amount was $15,000. In February and March 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, some 117,000 Japanese-Americans (Niseis) living along the West Coast of the United States were herded into internment camps where they were kept under difficult living conditions. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the “Civil Liberties Act,” providing each of the surviving 60,000 Japanese-American internists with $20,000 along with an apology for a grave injustice. So much for our steadfast devotion to Uncle Sam and the red, white, and blue. By the way, the United States does not observe Bataan Day as a national holiday. Rightly so because it was a day of defeat. Seventy years after, very few Americans know what Bataan and Corregidor was all about, or where these places are located. * * * Let us continue to honor the valor and the bravery of the Filipino soldier. But perhaps, what is needed is to refocus our attention on battlefield victories, on our achievements as a nation, rather than dwelling on the tragedies of the past. My choice would be the Battle of Bessang Pass in Northern Luzon from February to April 1945. Dr. Cesar Pobre, a retired AFP colonel and one of our leading historians, came out with a book, “The Freedom Fighters of Northern Luzon.” The Battle of Bessang Pass forms part of his story. The after-battle report reads: “[F]ew men realize how significant and far-reaching were the results of the Battle for Bessang Pass. High above these scraggy mountains, 6,000 feet of desolate terrain, the sturdy Ilocano and Igorot were making history. Tirad Pass, looming in the northern horizon, watched the World War II version of valor and heroism. This time the great grandsons of the handful of insurrectos under Gen. Gregorio Del Pilar, were writing a new page of military history at another Pass. On that road, and on those high promontories, the day of decision and judgment was to be wrought.” Let me close by giving credit where credit is due. One of the steady pillars of strength in the Department of National Defense, under Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, is Veterans Administrator retired Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, a member of PMA class 1970, who has a reputation for getting things done. Through the years he has slowly been able to clean up the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), making it more responsive to the needs of our veterans and continuing the efforts to increase their meager benefits in the face of rising medical costs and expenses. The Filipino veteran is fortunate to have General Carolina at the helm of this vital agency.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 17, 2012 20:16:35 GMT -5
Liberated from Santo Tomas Internment Camp after two and a half years, nurses known as the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor leave Manila in February 1945.The Angels of Bataan and Corregidor: 70 Years Later[/u][/url][/size] (History Channel, 04/16/12) After the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines fell to the Japanese in April 1942, a cadre of Army and Navy nurses became the largest group of American women ever captured and imprisoned by an army. Malnourished, injured and ill, these nurses—all 77 of them—not only survived until their subsequent liberation by U.S. forces but also continued to perform their duties, dressing the wounds of soldiers and tending to the sick. Seventy years later, the courage of the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor, as they became known, remains legendary among nurses and within the military. Adventure in a Tropical ParadiseTo an Army or Navy nurse serving in the early 1940s, Manila must have looked like a bit of heaven on earth. The island posting offered palm trees, fine accommodations and few patients to attend. With plenty of free time, the nurses enjoyed golf, dining and romance under the tropical stars. Like most of the other military nurses serving in the Philippines, Josephine Nesbit had sought the assignment in order to experience a little adventure in an exotic locale. She was serving her second tour with the Army Nurse Corps in the winter of 1941. Lulled by the languorous pace of the tropics, Nesbit had no idea just how adventurous her posting was about to become. Japan AttacksThe morning of December 8, 1941, dawned as peacefully as any other at Sternberg Hospital in Manila. Nesbit reported for duty as the night nurses went off-shift. Then word came that the Japanese, in a sneak attack, had destroyed most of America’s Pacific fleet at the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Some nurses were incredulous, but then the details trickled in: 19 ships lost, thousands of soldiers and sailors killed. For some, a sense of panic set in. “Girls! Girls!” Nesbit, the veteran nurse, shouted in an attempt to maintain calm. “Girls, you’ve got to sleep today. You can’t weep and wail over this, because you have to work tonight.” Nesbit was right. Ten hours after bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese sent Zero fighter planes to strafe and bomb Manila. The previously sleepy Sternberg Hospital abruptly awoke to casualties. The Angels EmergeBy Christmas, the ground war was on. Nesbit and other medical personnel retreated to the Bataan Peninsula and set up a field hospital in the steamy jungle. Fighting mosquitoes, malaria and dysentery, the “Angels of Bataan” nursed sick and wounded soldiers lying outdoors in row after row of cots. Across 18 open-air wards, the Angels tended to 6,000 patients over the course of four months. Even as they bandaged wounds, bombs fell around them with sickening regularity. As food stockpiles dwindled, the nurses saw their rations reduced from three meals a day to two. Yet still they soldiered on, with Nesbit at the helm of their dangerous operation. A first lieutenant, she led the nursing staff and maintained discipline by enforcing regular working shifts. Uncompromising in her devotion to duty, Nesbit provided a voice of reassurance and understanding when her nurses needed it. Soon, they would need it more than ever. In early April of 1942, with the enemy nipping at their heels, the Americans retreated from Bataan to the island of Corregidor in Manila Bay. There, the nurses found themselves thrust into the hellish underground hospital of Malinta Tunnel, dug deep into the bowels of the island. On April 9, the weary, emaciated American soldiers of Bataan surrendered. On May 3, a dozen nurses escaped to Australia on the submarine USS Spearfish. The other nurses volunteered to stay at their posts in Malinta Tunnel, dressing wounds and administering medications amid constant shelling by Japanese forces. On May 6, Corregidor Island fell, and the remaining Americans were taken as prisoners of war. From Paradise to Prison CampRemoved to Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila, Nesbit and her former superior, Maude Davison, ran the camp hospital that ministered to soldiers, nurses and captive civilians. Over the course of two years, Nesbit and Davison maintained morale by imposing structure within their ranks, requiring nurses to work at least four-hour shifts each day—even as the Japanese cut the POWs’ daily rations to 700 calories. The calorie deprivation became so bad that some nurses reportedly prepared weeds, roots and flowers, which they sautéed in cold cream. Back home, Hollywood romanticized the nurses’ situation in patriotic movies such as “So Proudly We Hail,” starring Claudette Colbert. The reality was quite different, however. “Let me tell you, there was nothing romantic about it,” nurse Helen Cassiani Nestor would recall during a 1999 interview with the Associated Press. Still, she said, “our group proved [women] could go into the field and carry on and do a good job. People need to know that.” Liberation at LastIn January of 1945, Allied forces finally turned back the Japanese and retook the Philippine Islands. Shortly thereafter all POWs—including Nesbit, Davison, Cassiani and the other nurses—were liberated. While thousands of men had died during the course of the Philippines Campaign, all 77 nurses made it through alive and still nursing until the end. None of the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor are thought to survive today, yet their legacy lives on. As the first American women to see combat, they paved the way for today’s female soldiers. They also remain legendary among all nurses, 70 years after their remarkable story began.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 17, 2012 21:59:35 GMT -5
Pinoy heroes to be honored in Memphis Intl Festival in May[/u][/url][/size] (GMA, 04/18/12) During the Memphis International Festival in the United States in May, a special tribute will be given to Philippine heroes — from those in the Second World War in the 1940s to the EDSA Revolution in 1986. In a news release, the Department of Foreign Affairs said there will be exhibits about Philippine heroes in the city's local museums, galleries, and public places. One of the exhibits, "Revolution Revisited" to be held at the National Civil Rights Museum, is a photography exhibit by Kim Komenich that captures the historic "People Power" revolt in the Philippines in 1986. "During the period leading to the People Power Revolution, Komenich was a photographer for the San Francisco Examiner and this assignment garnered him the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography," the DFA said. A second exhibit titled "The Corregidor Island Story," to be held at the Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island, will outline the importance of the island dubbed as "the rock" during World War II. It will include artifacts from life on the island during the key time periods and influential battles. "Visitors to the island can explore its history, visit sites such as the Malinta Tunnel and learn about General Douglas MacArthur and the remarkable determination of Filipino and American soldiers," it said. A third exhibit, "Floating Warps and Guiding Heddles" at the Brooks Museum of Art, features Philippine textiles from the Museo Ilocos Norte. The fourth exhibit, "An Untold Triumph" at the Blount Auditorium in Rhodes College, is a documentary by director Noel Izon. It captures the stories of Filipino-Americans who volunteered their services to the US Army and helped liberate the Philippines from Japanese occupation during World War II. The film "delivers touching personal accounts of the men's contributions and sacrifices during the war," the DFA said. It won Best Documentary at its world premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival and was aired on PBS. A brief demonstration of Filipino martial arts will precede the screening, the DFA said. Meanwhile, there will also be an exhibit featuring the works of some of the best Filipino painters of the 19th century. "Beautiful and important fine prints from the groundbreaking book on Philippine botany, Flora de Filipinas, will be illustrated with exquisite detail and beauty. The exhibit will take place at a gallery in the Memphis Botanic Garden, a 96-acre campus of sweeping vistas, with lakes, woodlands and display gardens," the DFA said.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 21, 2012 18:11:18 GMT -5
Ben Alpuerto, a Bataan Death March survivor, and his wife, Evelyn Alpuerto, visit with Jeff Milligan of the VA North Texas Health Care System. Dwindling group of POWs reminisces at Dallas VA hospital [/u][/url][/size] (The Dallas Morning News, 04/20/12) _____________________________________________ Dan Crowley, 89, spoke about his experiences in the Battle of Bataan, the Battle of Corregidor and his slave labor in Japanes prisoner of war camps during a remembrance event April 9 at the Simsbury Public Library. Veteran Dan Crowley draws overflow crowd for Bataan Death March event[/u][/url][/size] (Foothills Media Group, 04/20/12) SIMSBURY — Men waited in line to shake his hand, and women kissed him, after Dan Crowley, an 89-year-old U.S. Army veteran, related his experiences in the Battle of Bataan, the Battle of Corregidor and being forced into slave labor as a prisoner of war April 9 at the Simsbury Public Library. Hundreds turned out to hear him speak, and Simsbury Police had to direct traffic in the parking lot. The activity room where Crowley spoke has a capacity of 150, but visitors young and old spilled from each entrance, grateful to hear the voice of history tell his tale. Crowley, a Simsbury resident, coordinated the event to take place on the 70th anniversary of America’s surrender to the Imperial Japanese Army, April 9, 1942, one of the darkest days for Allied forces in World War II. About 12,000 American soldiers and 60,000 Philippino soldiers laid down their arms that day, after fighting for months to exhaustion on the Philippine peninsula of Bataan. The next day their Japanese guards forced them to begin marching about 65 miles inland, in the notorious Bataan Death March, during which Japanese soldiers committed untold atrocities on their captives. But Crowley and a group of his fellow soldiers refused to surrender, instead making their way to the island of Corregidor, where they continued to fight Japanese forces for another month. But Corregidor fell to the Japanese May 6, 1942, and Crowley was a Japanese prisoner of war for the next 42 months, until Japan surrendered, ending World War 11. After preliminary activities that included remarks from local clergy,the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard reserves from Plainville posting the colors, Courtney Drummey singing the National Anthem and remarks from Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman and State Rep. Linda Schofield, Crowley began his remarks with a question. “Why are we here?” he asked. “The answer is on the National Archives. ‘What is Past is Prologue,’ and ‘Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty’ are both inscribed on National Archives building. But our leaders of the 1930s forgot this. They abdicated their responsibilities.” Crowley went on to describe the lack of preparation for war by Allied forces, which left Japan free to develop and train a superior army and navy, and drag the world into bloody war for almost four years. “The surrender by the United States on April 9 and again on Corregidor May 6 was the beginning of hell on Earth,” he said. More than a few tears were shed as Crowley conjured up the terrible experiences of World War II in the Pacific. He also honored the heroism of the Battle of Midway, in June 1942, which he said saved the United States from a Japanese invasion. “There was nothing standing between them (the Japanese) and California’s shores,” he said. Crowley invoked the names of Moses, Isreali leader Menachem Begin, Gandhi and Irish patriot Michael Collins in his remarks, who all worked to free their people from bondage. “Bataan was a shining banner for all peoples of the world,” he said. “Untrained Americans of all branches became infantrymen, holding off one of the mightiest armies for four months. They saved Australia and India. The price was unrelenting brutal punishment for three and a half years.” Crowley said we should remember all those who fought the Japanese in World War II. “I’m here to speak for the dead,” he said. “We gather to remember all the men, Philippine and American, who paid the price for unpreparedness. Someone always pays. Today there is once more a drum beat to slash our military. Don’t let them do it.” The crowd rose in unison to give him a standing ovation, and he continued. “Speak out,” he said. “Freedom and liberty cost, but the cost is far cheaper than servitude.” After Crowley spoke, Cantor Mark Perman, of Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation Emek Shalom, sang “Let there be Peace on Earth,” “America” and a medley of American service songs, including “Anchors Aweigh,” “As the Caissons go Rolling Along” and “Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder.” When Perman sand “God Bless America,” the crowd stood and joined in. Afterwards, Frank Shea, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Korean War, played “Taps” on the trumpet. Again the crowd jumped to their feet, and veterans, including Crowley, stood at attention and saluted.
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Post by friscohare on Apr 21, 2012 18:11:53 GMT -5
Lester Tenney, 91, in his La Costa home A soldier's long march back from hell [/u][/url][/size] WWII's Bataan Death March shaped 91-year-old Lester Tenney's life (U-T San Diego, 04/21/12) Seventy years ago this month, a young GI was among the 76,000 Americans and Filipinos forced to surrender to the Japanese on a Philippine peninsula, Bataan. Ordered to lay down his arms, Staff Sgt. Lester Tenney — already wounded and suffering from malaria and dysentery — experienced an odd sense of peace. “It was a feeling of relaxation,” recalled Tenney, now a 91-year-old La Costa resident. “Like a relief in a certain way.” He paused. “We were not expecting anything as bad as it was.” Tenney’s next eight days were a nightmare of unrelieved horror. He battled hunger, thirst and captors who regarded their prisoners as a subhuman species, unworthy of life. The Bataan Death March, as the grim episode is now known, tested Tenney’s courage and intelligence. On the 80-plus-mile trek, he realized that every step could have been his last. “I remember yesterday like it happened today,” Tenney said. “I’ll never forget. I’ve learned to forgive, but I’ll never forget.” It’s often said that World War II defined a generation of Americans. Yet even as this “Greatest Generation” vanishes — in the United States, one veteran of this conflict dies every two minutes — this war has been handed down to their descendants as a cultural heirloom. World War II still inspires popular books (today, Laura Hillenbrand’s “Unbroken,” about an Olympic athlete’s ordeal in a Japanese POW camp, marks its 74th week on The New York Times best seller list), movies (“The King’s Speech” won four Oscars including Best Picture in 2011) and TV series (HBO’s “The Pacific” won eight Emmys in 2010, more than any other program). Beyond these stirring tales, though, what will these veterans leave behind? What is their legacy? That question has special resonance in San Diego County, where an estimated 20,000 men and women who served in World War II — and where the entire 3.1 million population occupies a region remade by that conflict. Starting in 1940, as the nation prepared to meet the Axis threat, new military camps appeared on the San Diego landscape. Existing naval bases expanded. The city, home to 203,000 people in 1940, ballooned to 390,000 residents by 1943, thanks an influx of sailors and marines, plus factory workers churning out military aircraft. New residents needed housing; homes were built, streets paved, schools opened and neighborhoods created in Linda Vista, Kearny Mesa and other parts of the city. You can still see physical landmarks of the era. But there are invisible landmarks, too. For many veterans, the war was the central episode in their lives. Lester Tenney, for instance, found that this crucible molded his views on work, politics, international relations, life. His past continues to inform our present. Descent into hellEven as Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, imperial forces were moving against other U.S. outposts in the Pacific. By late December, a Japanese army had invaded the Philippines, battering U.S. and Filipino troops. For four months, the Allies retreated. Falling back on the Bataan peninsula, they eventually ran out of food, ammunition and room to maneuver. On April 9, Major Gen. Edward P. King ordered his command of 60,000 Filipinos and 15,000 Americans to surrender. Tenney, a 21-year-old tank commander, was among them. “General King told us, ‘I want you all to remember — you didn’t surrender. Instead, you were surrendered,’” Tenney said. The men may have taken some pride in that, but they were able to take little else into captivity. Historians estimate that 76,000 prisoners started on the Bataan Death March. By the time the last man staggered to their destination, a prison camp roughly 80 miles away, they had left behind as many as 11,000 dead. Tenney’s ordeal began when his captors ordered his four-man crew to wait on a roadside lined with thousands of defeated men. Japanese guards gathered 100 or so at a time and marched them away. The men had no idea where they were going. There were no announcements. No explanations. No rules except the ones you learned by observing — or by dying. “If you fell down, you died,” Tenney said. “If you stopped walking, you died. You were not allowed to talk. If you started to talk, they’d beat you or kill you.” The first four days, there was no food or water. Temperatures rose past a humid 112 degrees. Some men, crazed, began screaming. They were killed. One day, Tenney filled his canteen at a pipe leading from a well. The next man bent low to sip directly from the pipe; a guard thrust a bayonet through his neck, killing him. Initially focused on his own predicament, the young GI gradually became aware of his fellow captives’ plight — and they of his. Midway through the march, a Japanese officer on horseback swung a sword at Tenney, slicing open his left shoulder. Tenney staggered, but two friends supported him, keeping him upright even as a medic stitched up the wound. Determined to survive, Tenney set short-term goals. He fixed his eyes on a grove of trees: “I have to make it to the trees.” He did. Then he spotted a cluster of water buffalo: “Nothing is going to stop me from getting to that herd of carabao.” Over the next three years and four months, Tenney would be beaten, starved and worked as a slave in the Philippines and Japan. His life was in constant danger, but nothing ever approached the horror of his first eight days in captivity. “It was awful,” he said of that 80-plus-mile walk on Bataan, his voice breaking. “It was awful. It was inhumane, It was barbaric.” Rebuilding a lifeTenney came home from the war with eight teeth in his mouth — the rest had been knocked out by his captors — and a case of malaria that he’s never quite shaken. But perhaps the greatest pains he suffered were emotional. His wife, believing that Tenney had died in the war, had remarried. Nightmares haunted his sleep, shame his waking hours. “I wasn’t so proud of being a prisoner of war,” he said. Slowly, though, he rebuilt his life. In 1959, he met the love of his life, Betty Levi. They married the next year. He earned a doctorate in business from the University of Southern California. Professor Tenney taught insurance and finance at Arizona State and San Diego State, retiring from teaching in 1993. In 1968, a mix-up at his son’s school left the Tenney’s playing host to a foreign exchange student — from Japan. This led to a lifelong friendship between Tenney and Toru Tasaka, a friendship that brought Tenney back to Japan for a series of peacetime visits. There, he’s discussed his wartime experiences with school children and reporters. He’s also attended signings of the Japanese edition of his 1995 memoir, “My Hitch in Hell.” “I’ve learned to forgive the Japanese,” he said, “and have a lot of Japanese friends.” But Tenney still has some unfinished business with his former captors. Among the companies bidding on California’s multi-billion-dollar high-speed rail project is Mitsui, the conglomerate that used Tenney and other POWs as slaves during the war. While the Japanese government has formally apologized for the horrors it inflicted on its captives, Mitsui never has. “That’s my final mission,” Tenney said. “So far, I’ve had no response.” This week, when he and Betty are in Washington, D.C., he’s sure to bring up this topic with a new friend. The Tenneys have been invited to have breakfast with Ichiro Fujisaki, ambassador of Japan to the United States. Lasting lessonsFor Tenney, the war was a cruel and unforgiving school. But he still remembers the lessons learned there. Later in life, when confronted with a large project, he would think back to Bataan and how he would focus on the next grove of trees or herd of water buffalo. “I still set goals for myself — I’ve done that all my life.” Not surprisingly, this man who worked 12-hour days in Japanese coal mines does not shrink from long hours. “I’m never afraid to work.” The war also instilled in him a lifesaving respect for education. When Tenney arrived in Japan as a POW in fall 1942, he was beaten by guards who had issued commands that were — to him — unintelligible. “I swore I would never be beaten again because I didn’t understand them. So I made it a point to learn Japanese.” Tenney has shared these lessons with his university students, as well as the classrooms and veterans groups he still addresses. The war made him the man he is today, but he prays no one will again be molded in this savage fashion. “I’m hoping that society learned that there is nothing good that comes from a war, A war means that young people are going to die — that’s it, young people. The older ones aren’t going to die. They sit behind a desk some place.”
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Post by friscohare on May 7, 2012 1:02:21 GMT -5
DAV Stands With Bataan Death March Survivors[/u][/url][/size] (WSJ, 04/27/12) WASHINGTON, Apr 27, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) was honored to stand with five former World War II prisoners of war who survived in 1942 the Bataan Death March or the siege of Corregidor during the 70th anniversary of the defense of the Philippines held in Washington, D.C., to call for apologies from Japanese companies that abused these POWs as slave laborers. The DAV has joined these heroes in asking Japanese companies that used American POW slave labor, which include Mitsui, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo and Kawasaki to follow the example of their government and apologize to the American POWs and establish a meaningful program of remembrance. An estimated 27,000 American troops were prisoners of Japan during the war. Some 40 percent died in captivity. The majority of those Americans were forced to work on military projects or for private Japanese companies producing war materiel. No Japanese company has acknowledged or apologized for the use of POW forced labor. "These American heroes are not seeking compensation," said DAV Washington Headquarters Executive Director Barry Jesinoski. "They just want their due respect, an apology and the preservation of their history." In 2010, Japan issued an official apology for the abuse and misuse of the Americans they held prisoner in World War II. This week Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is visiting Washington. The DAV co-hosted a luncheon for the former POWs with contemporary wounded warriors in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. The 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation's disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation's disabled veterans and their families. More information is available at www.dav.org .
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Post by friscohare on May 7, 2012 1:04:39 GMT -5
Bataan: Yet another story [/u][/url][/size] (BusinessMirror.com.ph, 04/28/12) ‘I RECYCLED my urine to drink!” Thus declares Col. Anselmo de la Rea, BC’s only surviving—and still “standing” in his 90s—veteran of the Fall of Bataan, the Death March and Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac. A founding member of the Philippine Veterans and Ex-Servicemen Society of British Columbia, Canada, he now lives in Surrey. He leans his head as if to peer through his memories of what could still be one of the most unimaginable specters of war: The transfer of 78,000 captured Filipino and American contingent in Bataan to the prison camp in Tarlac. The sun on this spring morning counters the grimness of his story. A rueful smile passes through the colonel’s countenance; in his mind, he is holding his water canteen, which the Japanese sentries would fill with water once a day during the six-day march or, more precisely, trudge, as other historical records describe it. “I would sip half of it throughout the day, and soak a hanky with the remaining half,” he says. He needed to wipe his own self with that wet hanky or his burnt skin would slough off. Along with the water, he and his fellow prisoners of war (POWs) would get as the only meal for the day a fist-sized serving of salt-dipped rice and one boiled sweet potato; by the time of their Bataan surrender, POWs had been weakened by malnutrition and malaria. But for Colonel de la Rea stamina is akin to virtue: “Most of those who survived come from poor families; those who died or surrendered belonged to wealthy families. I survived because I grew up poor and I’m used to all that.” Reinforcements and rations promised in Gen. Douglas McArthur’s War Plan Orange took too long. “What came instead were Japanese reinforcements,” he quips. The Japanese Imperial Army that had landed in Lingayen and Mauban were by then massing in from opposite sides toward Manila. General MacArthur had moved the Commonwealth government to Corregidor, and ordered the formation of a main defense line in Bataan. “And all we had were Springfield bolt-action rifles from WWI, some water-cooled machine guns and very few cannons,” de la Rea continues. In the mass the Japanese assembled were about 12,000 Americans and 66,000 Filipinos. Colonel de la Rea was then only a year past his four-year ROTC and two-month summer cadre training. Three months before that imminent war, Filipinos like him were inducted to the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (Usaffe). “We were not allowed to talk while walking,” Colonel de la Rea remembers. “A few times while we were on bivouac at night, I would sneak to a swamp, where carabaos soaked, and fill my water canteen. Then using my shirt or hanky as a filter, drink the water,” he says. The prisoners dug pits or trenches along the way: The first to bury the dead, the second to use as toilets. “Some 200 died every day. We were ordered to roll the bodies up with army blankets, carry them on bamboo poles to open fields where we dug a pit for burial,” the colonel recalls. What he remembers most are the giant fleas, which infested their clothes. He remembers how it became a game for them to squash these with their thumbnails. By June 6, when the Japanese ordered amnesty and rumors that those who could walk would be among the first batch, Colonel de la Rea flexed his leg muscles every day. He reveals that by this time, he had long gotten used to the stench in the prison camp. No one had taken a bath since Bataan. Too, everyone had turned into skin and bones with big heads so much so that no one could recall how they once looked. Around June 15, the camp started releasing the prisoners. “I walked from the camp to the train station in town,” he says, smiling now as he relives what he saw. “My father was waiting for me along with our town mayor. They gave me a biscuit and a bottle of sarsaparilla.” It had seemed to him like miracle food as he now enthuses, “I saw the light!” Mrs. de la Rea has been fussing about the lemon-cake slice on my saucer still untouched. They met after he retired from a 30-year stint with the PC. Their daughter, Irish, who works as an optometrist, finished at the University of British Columbia. The couple migrated to Canada in 1983, after a visit to one of his children from his first marriage. “After my first wife died, I married Thelma,” he says, finishing off his lemon cake with that half-smile, hinting at peace often belonging to those who had faced death.
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Post by friscohare on May 7, 2012 1:05:49 GMT -5
95-year old Filipino vet of 3 wars bares secret of longevity, survival techniques[/u][/url][/size] (ZamboTimes, 05/02/12) BACOOR, Cavite — At 95, retired Army Col. Vicente F. Alhambra, a veteran of three wars - World War II, Korean War and the Hukbalahap anti-insurgency campaign has revealed his secret to longevity and how he survived against all odds, including the infamous “Bataan Death March” unscathed with God on his side. “Remain active but most of all be prayerful,” Alhambra told this writer in an exclusive interview at his posh residential compound in Barangay Niñog II here on Tuesday four days before the 67th anniversary of the Fall of Corregidor on May 6. Corregidor is the rocky island fortress off Cavite where the last of the American and Filipino soldiers stood their ground under heavy bombardment by Japanese aircraft and artillery for 27 days after Bataan surrendered on April 9, 1942. It was the big guns at Corregidor Island that delayed the Japanese timetable of capturing Bataan in a blitzkrieg-like offensive that enabled then President Manuel L. Quezon and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, overall commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific, to escape to Australia en route to the United States in 1942. Present during the interview was retired Lt. Gen. Ernesto G. Carolina, administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), who came to visit Alhambra and to see for himself the robust health of the former guerrilla fighter. Alhambra walks without a cane and talks without stammering. His eyes are still clear, using only the reading glasses sparingly. Most of all, his memory can still recall what happened during the Second World War, including the identification of photos he has kept in his albums about the war and other activities while still in the active military service. To prove his sharpness, he related in detail his war exploits during World War II, Korean War and Huk campaign in the mid ‘50s. Alhambra’s appetite for hard work in military precision is still intact even in the twilight of his years. To manifest his stamina, Alhambra made a guided tour for Carolina and other visitors to see the fruit trees he planted over the years such as mango, calamansi, sampaloc, santol and other ornaments around his compound. “I water them everyday,” he said, smiling. In fact, Alhambra was proud to point out a mango tree planted by his parents 100 years ago. “It is still bearing fruits,” Alhambra said. He snoozes at 9pm after praying and is up at 5a.m. and after his morning prayer of thanksgiving to start the new day and take a hearty breakfast to keep him fit and healthy. Alhambra, who in his heydays as a young man can qualify as an actor, looks 20 years younger than his present age. “My simple formula to long life is to be always active day in and day out tending my garden, my poultry and doing other chores in the house to keep me busy. I also read my mails and the newspapers to keep me abreast of the news,” Alhambra. “But, most of all, I always pray to God for protection,” Alhambra said, which he said is his secret weapon, especially during World War II as a soldier and guerrilla fighter, the Korean War in 1950-53 and the fight against the Huks.” A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class of 1942, Alhambra and all his classmates were automatically drafted into the military service three months before graduation when World War II broke out following the bombing of the Philippines by Japanese planes on Dec. 8, 1941. He said the entire PMA class of 1942 that included Jose Crisol who became defense undersecretary in post war years reported to Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Mariano Castaneda for immediate deployment to fight the invading Japanese forces. “We were the first PMA class called to active duty,” Alhambra who looks in perfect health said with pride in his eyes. He recalled that Japanese warplanes bombed Baguio and Cavite where US naval forces were stationed at Sangley Point. Alhambra said he was enlisted into the 2nd Regular Division of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) assigned in Mariveles, Bataan. It was in Bataan that the bulk of Filipino and American forces stood their ground to defend the Philippines until they were forced to surrender on April 9, 1942 due to shortage of ammunition, food and medicines to sustain the Japanese onslaught. Alhambra vividly described the fall of Bataan as a sad day as he and his comrades-in-arms became prisoners of war (POWs) of the Japanese forces. He said he was lucky that he did not get sick during the Death March from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga and during his incarceration in Capas, Tarlac that lasted for several months before he and other POWs were freed. Alhambra said “as many as 500 POWs died a day due to malaria in the concentration camp. It was horrible!” “While I was held a prisoner of war, a woman friend of mine gave me a mosquito net. The mosquito net was handed to a friend who, in turn, gave it to me inside my cell.” Alhambra said. Alhambra also recalled the lack of food inside the concentration camp. “We survived eating ‘tinapa’ if at all it was available,” Alhambra said, adding “we were lucky to eat once a day and that would suffice for our breakfast, lunch and dinner rolled into one.” When liberation came, Alhambra found himself locked in battle this time against the Huks insurgents in Central Luzon. Again he survived but at the height of the insurgency campaign, Alhambra volunteered as a member of the 10th Battalion Combat Team (BCT) of the Philippine Expedition Force to Korea (PEFTOK), together with then 2nd Lt. Fidel V. Ramos who later became the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines in 1992-98, and then First Sergeant Maximo P. Young, a be-medaled Filipino soldier during the Korean War. “The Korean War was brutal,” Alhambra said. “But it was during the Korean War that proved again the bravery of the Filipino soldiers, who refused to back down against the wave by wave attacks by the enemy,” Alhambra proudly pointed out during the interview. The PEFTOK forces were highly trained in combat that of the 7,425 Filipino soldiers who fought in the Korean War, PEFTOK lost only 1,170 men. Alhambra retired in 1967 as a colonel in the Philippine Constabulary. As a war veteran pensioner, Alhambra goes to the PVAO office in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City to get his monthly pension. Still very sharp and witty at 95 years old, Alhambra said he will continue his daily routine of watering the trees he planted and doing other household chores and continue his prayers until the Lord calls him to His eternal Kingdom.
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