GoodnewsEverybody.com Filipino: Military-Spanish-American War, World War II History, etc...

After meeting former WWII vets in Morris and the surrounding area (some who've been in the Philipines), I (Salvador) started to do some re"search" (google) on the internet about historical events in my parents' homeland-Philippines. I took advantage visiting my parents (April 7th-17th of 2005-see Salvador's Family) by asking about their experience in WWII. Each story on my dad's side various because of different experiences between my dad (younger) and his brother (older). My dad (Cansiano) shared about grandpa-Benedicto (his dad), who was taken prisoner during the infamous Bataan Death March. Benedicto was fortunately made a cook in the prison camp, so he was able to eat and survive unlike the rest of the others. He did this for 2 years and returned home when the Japanese were defeated. Unfortunately, my great grandpa died fighting against the Japanese takeover

...previously written related stories

During the Japanese occupation, my dad told me that he fled to the mountains with his family to hide from the Japanese. "Grandpa" Benedicto went back to continue his regular job as bus inspector.

Great Grandfather Taken

I told Mr. Harla about my great-grandfather who was never seen (was actually seen after 3 years of captivity) after being taken away as a prisoner from my famiy during the infamous "Bataan March". I decided to reflect on what my dad told me of this sad time:

My Dad's Story

When I was growing-up, I remember stories of my dad about World War II. He told me that during WWII, he (4 years old at the time) remembered when the Japanese stormed into their county-particularly their hometown of Laguna. His family had to hide in the basement of their house located in the mountains in the city of Narcarlan. When they heard of the Japanese coming, dad told them all to hide (in the basement). However, my grand-father decided to come out of hiding and check above ground to see if the Japanese where still around their neighborhood. He was taken by the Japanese and walked with fellow prisoners during the infamous Bataan March. Fortunately, he survived 3 years (survived with the help of being a cook for the prisoners) in captivity and returned home. This wasn't so with my great-grandfather, who actually fought (with bamboo) against the Japanese and was killed.

My Mom's Story

I interviewed my Mom last week (Friday, July 6th of 2007) at Papa's Restaurant (awesome Italian sandwiches-gyros..hmm!-located on the corner of Maryland and White Bear Ave.) on her personal family's experience during WWII. She was born during the Japanese were landing in the Lingayen Gulf in the province of Labrador, so she couldn't personally tell any personal direct experiences. However, she shared some stories that her parents would later tell her as she got older. Her family was "forced" to house Japanese soldiers, which they were not a threat at all-as long as my mom's family was "nice". Like my dad's family, they escaped to the mountains for refuge. However, my mom's family somehow went back to their home during the Japanese occupation.

My Uncle's Story (father's brother)

Today (Wednesday, August 29th of 2007), I was able to interview my uncle about his WWII experience. My Uncle (6 years old) Totoy (older brother of my dad's) wasn't able to go to school for 3 years, so he was behind the curiculuum by 3 years by the time he started back to school after the war. According to my Uncle Totoy, he told me his dad was working for the bus company when taken by the Japanese. He was part of the "Bataan Death March" and was walking to Tarlac. Along the walk, his co-worker was shot because he couldn't walk. My grandpa fell too, pretending he died too. When he returned home, he became part of the Filipino Guerillas to help fight against the Japanese. His family would escape to the forest whenever Japanese were around the vicinity. Grandma would cook plenty of food at times to make sure they had enough food to eat whenever they hid in the forest. He would carry my dad and Aunt Toni at times when they would run to the forest because they were so small.

Towards the end of the war, the Japanese started hiding where they would hide-in the mountains. The Japanese would start burning towns, but my uncle's family's town was saved. It was a miracle to have their town saved, which he believes patron Saint Bartalame (sp?) was the reason for the town's protection. Unfortunately, many people were killed, which there were mass graves of Filipinos that died. My uncle remembered smelling the "dead" as the Japanese didn't cover the mass graves well. When the Americans came, they would cover the mass graves completely.

The schools in their town became a military camp for the Japanese until the Americans took over it. My Uncle was very pleased of the Americans, which he told me that they were very considerate (e.g. gave medicine, food, etc...). Ironically, just this past summer (2007), my uncle was walking around Battle Creek Park and met some WWII American Vets that fought in the Philippines. He met 3 (83, 86, 80's years old) of them walking together alone by the tennis courts.

Other Filipino Perspective?

PLEASE WRITE TO ME (Sal) at info@goodnewseverybody.com if you have any stories, links, resources, etc.. that you can recommmend to this site. THANK YOU-SALAMAT PO!

Stories of Americans that Walked with the Filipinos Captured

Related Sites:
-American Perspective

-

Filipino Perspective

-Overall Perspective

Events

Bataan Remembered, Posted at: 04/09/2009 1:33 PM (KSAX.com)
"A yearly gathering at the National Guard Armory in Brainerd took place today.
Hundreds gathered today to commemorate the members of company, 194th Tank Battalion and The Fall of Bataan.
The ceremony began with a wreath laying ceremony.
This was a tribute to the soldiers who fought and died protecting the Philippines and the prisoners of war who were forced to join the 80 mile prisoner transfer from Baatan Peninsula to Camp O'Donnell, known as the Death March of Baatan.
The Brainerd Death March has been known to draw Bataan Veterans and even a few surviving Death March Vets."

-Blessings!
"At about 4:00 o'clock the next morning, December 25, 1941-Christmas-Capt. Spoor and I went to the rear, to check on our supply and maintenance echelon at Geona...Across the street from the bivouac, was an old Catholic church...Nearly everyone was kneeling. Mass had not yet started. We looked at Christ upon the Cross. It seemed that He moved. We sat-almost paralyzed..A very old Filipina lady was approaching, hobbing on a cane....She smiled-the most beautiful smile I have ever seen-and said, "Merry Christmas" God bless you." She disappeared, within the church. All of my previous Christmases flashed through my mind. I suppose Spoor had the same thoughts. He broke the spell when he said, "That ought to carry us through Christmas!"-[pp. 91 Ch. 11 "The Agno River Rat Trap"]
"..After marching a short distance, we were herded into Zentsuji Prison Camp...We arrived at about 10:00am, January 16, 1943. For nearly to and one-half years, this was to be our home.
Another shakedown was in store for us...Inwardly, my prayers were feverent that the deception would pass again. It did!"-[pp. 279-280 Ch.29 "The Session on Food"]
"Never, do I expect to find the Christmas spirit anywhere, that was displayed at Zentsuji. It is almost indsecribable in its beauty and its sheer strength. It was a spirit fashioned by men who had a so little with which to work-a spirit that was close to Christ. We felt His presence."-[pp. 331 of Ch. 34-Christmas at Zentsuji]
"On Christmas night, both 1943 and 1944, the American staged "A Christmas Carol." It was a distinct success each time and the audience was truly appreciative. It had been rehearsed quite carefully. Even the Jap interpreters, who, under cam regulations had to be present, seemed to enjoy it. And the the day ended.
Without doubt, none of us ever experienced a Christmas such as that, before or since. The expensive gifts were missing, to be sure. But in their place was the real spirit of Christmas. It was a spirit, exemplified, in the small, homely offerings from one friend to the other-the shedding of arguments and petty dislikes which come to people living too close togehter. The important part was, what the spirit of the Christmas Child Himself was present, in that prison camp."-[pp 334]
-Camp Zentsuji
Lawrence Journal World
Zentsuji POW Camp, Center for Research Allied POWS Under the Japanese
Zentsuji, Kagawa, from Wikipedia
-Filipino People
"We began to see Filipino civilians along the road. They were very sympatheti, noting our misery. They risked death, by covertly tossing raw turnips to us."-[pp. 225 Ch. 24 "March of Death"]
"We left Cabanatuan Prison Camp at about 3:00am, November 5, 1942. Arriving at the town, we were herded into the hated box cars...
Whether or not we stopped at stations enroute, the blessed Filipinos were on hand to throw foodstuffs to us. At one station where we stopped, they had brought buckets of a kind of fruit drink. It was delicious. Very strangely, the Japs did not bother anyone at this station."-[pp. 259 Ch. 27 "The Hell Ship"]
-Filipino Scouts
"The Philippine Scouts (part of our regular army) had numbered 6,000 as a maximum...No finer soldeir was ever found. It was the highest ambition of the Filipino to become a Scout."-[pp. 77 Ch. 9 "The Rice Storage at Cabanatuan"]
"The Scouts immediately followed up, killing many Japs on either side of the beach, and putting the rest on the run. This was accomplished before the tanks could even make their way up the trail!'-[pp 200 Ch. 21 "Help is On the Way"]
Related Sites:
Philippine Scouts
Philippine Scout Heroes of WWII, by John A. Patterson
"Those who know the history of the Philippine Scouts stand in awe of their exploits during World War II. Even though they performed extraordinarily well before the war as regular U.S. Army soldiers charged with the defense of the Philippines, it is their spirited combat against the Japanese in one action after another from early December 1941, until the fall of the Philippines in May of 1942, for which they are most famous."
Wikipedia
"In the midst of the Battle of Bataan, on 11 March 1942, President Roosevelt had General Douglas MacArthur spirited out of the Philippines by PT boat and airplane. With the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor in shambles, and the Japanese Navy blockading the Philippines, there was no way to send adequate amounts of food, medicine, ammunition or reinforcements to Bataan. Even early on in the campaign, in January 1942, because the Fil-American military's food-stocks were judged as insufficient for the planned six-month siege, General MacArthur ordered that his forces be fed one-half daily rations. Of course, such a diet did not provide enough calories for men working and fighting in the tropical heat of the Philippines' Dry season. Nonetheless, the Scouts and the other soldiers held out for more than four months without adequate food or medicine, while malaria, dysentery and malnutrition ravaged their ranks, and Japanese attacks drove them further down the Bataan Peninsula."
-Hell Ships
Hell Ships, from harrisonheritage.com
Hell Ships Memorial
Wikipedia
"As Allied forces closed in, the Japanese began transferring POWs by sea. Similar to conditions on the Bataan Death March, prisoners were often crammed into cargo holds with little air, food or water for journeys that would last weeks. Many died due to asphyxia, starvation or dysentery. Some POWs in the heat, humidity, lack of oxygen, food, and water became delirious and unresponsive to their environment. Unlike weapons transports which were sometimes marked as Red Cross ships, these prisoner transports were unmarked and were targeted by Allied submarines and aircraft, unaware of their real purpose."
-KGEI (Raio station from San Francisco)
American Forces Radio and Television Service-The First Sixty Years
"The first radio broadcasts, however, were short-wave transmissions beamed to the Philippines by KGEI in San Francisco beginning in 1939. The response from the field was encouraging. In Asia, it was an answer to Japanese Radio Tokyo broadcasts that covered most of the continent. When McArthur was struggling to save Philippines from the Japanese KGEI broadcasts were the only sources of news and information coming from America. McArthur�s people set up a transmitter at Baatan and then rebroadcast KGEI programs. When the transmitter was, however, moved to Corrrgidor with Macarthur it was used solely for propaganda purposes that did not do anyone any good. In any case, MacArthur�s �Voice of Freedom� was an important step in the right direction." The History Of KTAB and KSFO San Francisco, California By John F. Schneider
*KGEI mentioned by E.B. many times
"KSFO's importance as a broadcast station did not end when it parted company with CBS. With the start of World War II, KSFO produced war news that rivaled, and occasionally surpassed, the networks. As the key station for the Universal Broadcasting Company, a new but short-lived network, KSFO provided extensive news coverage, as well as regular news commentator reports, to the rest of the nation. The station broadcast fifteen-minute newscasts hourly, emphasizing the national and world news, along with in- depth reporting and feature stories. And, in the mid and late forties, KSFO provided live coverage of many major news events. For example, the station had its own reporter on the scene to cover the Japanese surrender in 1945"
Related Sites:
Company C, 194th Tank Battalion in the Philippines, 1941-42, from military museum
"The 194th Tank Battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Ernest B. Miller and was comprised of M3 tanks, half-tracks, jeeps, and motorcycles. For nearly a month, the 194th Tank Battalion had fought along a series of phase, obstacle, and holding lines, executing a retrograde delay from both North and South Luzon. It had fought a number of sharp actions and contributed significantly to the success of the orderly delay of American and Filipino forces back to the Bataan Peninsula."
Miller Range Complex, pdf format from minnesota national guard
Japanese PSYOP During WWII, various leaflets/propoganda to deceive the countries they bombed!
*E.B. Miller mentions this in his book

Holidays

Miscellaneous

Movies

"The Bataan Death March"
Directed By: Kris Oskierko

Provinces (mentioned with the Bataan March):
-Zambales

Landmarks

Wars

-Spanish -American War, from Wikipedia
"..On August 13, with American commanders unaware that a peace protocol had been signed between Spain and the United States on the previous day, American forces captured the city from the Spanish.[10] This battle marked an end of Filipino-American collaboration, as Filipino forces were prevented from entering the captured city of Manila, an action which was deeply resented by the Filipinos and which later led to the Philippine-American War.[11]"
-Philippine-American War, from Wikipedia
"Admiral George Dewey, having engaged and defeated the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, ferried Aguinaldo back to the Philippines on May 19.[15] In a matter of months, the Philippine Army conquered nearly all of Spanish-held ground within the Philippines. With the exception of Manila, which was completely surrounded by the Philippine Army of 12,000, the Filipinos now controlled the Philippines. Aguinaldo also turned over 15,000 Spanish prisoners to the Americans, offering them valuable intelligence. On June 12, Aguinaldo declared independence at his house in Cavite El Viejo.
By August, the Spaniards had surrendered Manila, and the Americans had occupied it. Governor-General Fermin Jaudenes had made a secret agreement with Dewey and General Wesley Merritt. Jaudenes specifically requested to surrender only to the Americans. In order to save face, he proposed a mock battle with the Americans preceding the Spanish surrender; the Filipinos would not be allowed to enter the city. Dewey and Merritt agreed to this, and no one else in either camp knew about the agreement. On the eve of the mock battle, General Thomas M. Anderson telegraphed Aguinaldo, �Do not let your troops enter Manila without the permission of the American commander. On this side of the Pasig River you will be under fire�.[9]
The June 12 declaration of Philippine independence was not recognized by the United States or Spain, since the Spanish government ceded the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which was signed on December 10, 1898, in consideration for an indemnity for Spanish expenses and assets lost.[17]"
American opposition to the war
American Opposition to the war:
"Some Americans, notably William Jennings Bryan, Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie, Ernest Crosby, and other members of the American Anti-Imperialist League, strongly objected to the annexation of the Philippines. Other Americans mistakenly thought that the Philippines wanted to become part of the United States. Anti-imperialist movements claimed that the United States had betrayed its lofty goals of the Spanish�American War by becoming a colonial power, merely replacing Spain in the Philippines. Other anti-imperialists opposed annexation on racist grounds. Among these was Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina, who feared that annexation of the Philippines would lead to an influx of non-white immigrants, thus undermining white racial purity in America. As news of atrocities committed in subduing the Philippines arrived in the United States, support for the war flagged.
English Education:
"In August of 1901, hundreds of American teachers arrived in Manila aboard the U.S.S. Thomas. These "Thomasite" teachers quickly founded schools all over the Philippines. As soon as the Thomas anchored, the destruction of American power and control of the Philippines was preordained. It was inevitable once the Americans chose to allow � indeed, helped and supported � education in the Philippines that they could not long remain in control of the islands. The Americans, in a sense, planted the seeds of education and in planting those seeds ensured a harvest of freedom and an understandable disdain among Filipinos for conquerors.[56]"
Mark Twain famously opposed the war by using his influence in the press. He felt it betrayed the ideals of American democracy by not allowing the Filipino people to choose their own destiny.
-Korea

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