We Remember Bataan & Corregidor - Mariano Villarin

[VeeVee]

I just acquired an out of print book titled We Remember Bataan and Corregidor written by Mariano Villarin, a Bataan vet. A bonus is that the book has been signed by the author and I got it for half the price it's going for in Amazon.com.

We Remember Bataan and Corregidor

I have only read 12 pages and so far it's an excellent excellent book. It even has a brief history of the Span-Am/Fil-American war era and how the Americans came to be in the Philippines to set the stage. The first few pages of the Pre-War Philippines section is already so full of fresh narratives (to me at least), I can't wait to read more.

It has plenty of pictures, more of the people who will probably be mentioned in the book. However there are some good ones I've never seen before.


Click for bigger


Click for bigger


Villarin, second from left - check out their leggings


Spanish prisoners


Filipino soldiers - check out the gear


Capt. Wermuth and Scout aid - What kind of suspenders are those?

[legionnaire]

Those are medic suspenders his using I believe.

WOW great find! Vic. I can't believe you always get to discover these first!! The drawing on the cover is by that famous American war prisoner who did a series on his experiences as a POW.

My next reenactment uniform project are the guys oin the first photo. But using puttees and a campaign hat. I have the khaki jacket already.

Philip

[RayAdillO]

I have read Colonel Villarin's book and I liked it a lot because of the style of his prose which makes his semi-autobiography much more interesting than your usual philippine military history writer.

Of special note is the fact that he was actually a grandson of a Spanish naval officer who fought on board the flagship Maria Christina whose wreak remained just off the Cavite naval yard way up to the 1930's.

He was also one of the handful of Filipino Army officers who were forced to train at a Japanese Imperial Military Academy for possible service in the Japanese Army or a would have been Filipino "Co-Prosperity Sphere" Army projected to fight for the Axis cause. He was able to fool the Japanese to make his escape just after returning to Manila and right before the liberation.

He became a U.S. Army officer after the war and there is a footnote where he mentions having met my uncle George Ortega and other Filipinos in the U.S. Army. including Sergeant Jose Calugas M.H.

The Philippine Scouts Heritage Society posted a tribute in his memory:


Lt. Col. Mariano Villarin

Retired Philippine Scout Mariano Villarin passed away from natural causes at 92 on February 3, 2006 in Long Beach, California. Born in Manila, he graduated from Far Eastern University there with a degree in business administration. A veteran of WWII, he survived the Bataan Death March and POW camp, finally retiring from the U.S. Army Reserve in 1975 as a lieutenant colonel. Among his many military honors were the Bronze Star and the POW medal.

After his retirement, Lt. Col. Villarin, by then a U.S. citizen, became a federal auditor. In 1980 he moved from Minnesota to California and began working on his memoirs. Lt. Col. Villarin was perhaps best known as author of the book "We Remember Bataan and Corregidor". He belonged to many veterans' organizations, including the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society and the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. He also was a witness for the prosecution in the post-WWII trial of one of several women broadcasting Japanese wartime propaganda and known to U.S. servicemen in the Pacific as "Tokyo Rose".

Lt. Col. Villarin is survived by three children, Corinne, Larry and Jeanette and two grandchildren, Aaron and Rachel. His wife Margarett predeceased him in 2003.

WE SALUTE YOU COLONEL VILLARIN!

[VeeVee]

legionnaire said:

WOW great find! Vic. I can't believe you always get to discover these first!!

Have high speed internet, will go huntin'

[Larry Villarin]

hello to everybody

I came across this site by googling my father's name, Mariano Villarin, the author of the book, "We Remember Bataan and Corregidor." I notice that someone's post mentions it's out of print, and while that may be true, we still have copies for sale.
I remember my father writing it after he retired and he and my mother moved to Long Beach, CA. After he made his money back he dropped the price from $24.95 to $10.00. He passed away in 2006 and is missed greatly. We are selling the book for $10.00 plus $4.00 shipping and handling. Please write to 1910 Harding St., Long Beach CA 90805.

thanks for the memories
Larry Villarin and sisters Corinne and Jeanette

[VeeVee]

Hello Larry,
Are you the one whose picture also appears in the book marching along with your dad during a ADBC parade in Manila in the 1970's?

Thank you so much for making the book available to us at a really reasonable price to boot. Many thanks.

What I like so much about your dad's book is that it's very balanced. It's not just his memoirs but he put down the collective memoirs of his comrades both Americans and Filipinos. It covers gaping holes left by reading just the American-based stories and perspectives.

Nowhere else did I find any accounts on what the Filipino troops felt and thought when they were forcibly pressed by the Japanese to serve in the occupation era Phil. Constabulary. I've heard comments from some less-researched people that the occupation PC's were traitors. Heck they just needed to get out of Camp O'Donnell first to survive then worry about balancing their newfound positions to help the guerrillas while maintaining the appearance that they were pro-Japanese.

It's also the only book so far where I've read the detailed account on how the Pantingan river massacre happened after the surrender -- where the Filipino officers and NCO's of the 91st division where executed supposedly for their role in oblitering the Japanese in the Battle of the Pockets. The accounts were from the few comrades of your dad's who crawled out bleeding and barely survived it.

This book is truly a heritage and research gem. I thank your dad for summoning the courage to dig out the demons of the past just to write this book so the story could be told.

-victor

[legionnaire]

Hi Larry,

Will mail you a check for a copy of the book. Thanks for letting us all know.

Philip

[Ben House]

Larry Vallarin,

Are you still selling the book for $10 plus $4 postage?

I have an autographed copy that includes several  letters, pictures, and other materials pasted inside the book, but I have someone who would like a copy of the book.


Ben House
Texarkana, Arkansas 

[Jack Long]

Larry: you still have a copy or two? thanks, Jack Long, CWO3, USN, Ret.