The American Cemetery in Manila

One of the stops the inas (the moms) were most interested in making was the American Cemetery in Manila.  The cemetery is a monument to the Americans and some of the Filipinos who died in the Philippines during World War 2.  Over 17,000 men are buried in the cemetery (more than in any other WW2 cemetery) and another 36,000+ who were never found are remembered in a quietly stunning stone memorial.

The cemetery is located in an area that has only recently become a developer’s playground.  When the land was designated for its purpose, certainly it was a beautiful spot – on a little rise with nice views and a peaceful feel – but it was also adjacent to a massive Filipino military base where the leaders of all the branches resided, met, and worked.  Only in the past few years (5? 10?) was it that the government moved the base and sold the land to one of the wealthiest families in the Philippines – the Ayalas.  Now it is quickly becoming the most sought after neighborhood and business district in Manila with lots of great restaurants, parks, and skyscrapers full of residences, offices, and hotels.  We affectionately call it “the Fort” in reference to its beginning as a military base.  Officially it is Bonifacio Global City.

Inside the cemetery is also, as you might imagine, a chapel.  Inside the chapel is one of the most amazing mosaics I have ever seen.  I tried to capture it, but the camera wouldn’t do it justice.  It’s very tall, for starters, and made of the tiniest little tiles.  I just loved the way the artist was able to make the light from God appear to diffuse with tile.

The other really interesting bit in the cemetery was another mosaic or collection of mosaics, really.  Inside the memorial to the over 36,000 men who were lost in the Philippines during the war but their bodies were never found, there are mosaics of the maps of the war, depicting the various battles and strategies of the main players.  These maps were also giant and showed just how much of the world we were really talking about during WW2 and how the Philippines played such a big part, especially in the Pacific front.

I wouldn’t say it was “fun” or a “good tourist destination” but it was educational, moving, and a lovely place to visit.  All three of us enjoyed our afternoon there.

Corregidor, Part 4 – Three final tour highlights

Also on the Island of Corregidor is the Pacific War Memorial.

Inside the dome…

The dome top represents the American paratroopers who dropped in to Corregidor to free the island from the Japanese in 1945.  The use of new technology in WW2 astounds me.  I won’t go into huge detail here, but the use of planes, parachutes, and bikes in war were all totally revolutionary in WW2 in the Philippines alone.

So anyway, soldiers dropped on to the island in 1945 by way of parachutes.  The Japanese were totally caught off guard and were defeated.  The battle then moved to Manila and onward through the Philippines until the Japanese fully retreated.

In addition to the dome, there is a statue of a flame.  It’s constructed out of iron that is naturally rusting in the elements.  Consequently the shadows and color against the blue sky are quite stunning.

At the base

Another stop we made on the tour was to the old Spanish lighthouse at the island’s highpoint.

And one of our final stops was a statue of General Douglas MacArthur.  He led the American troops in the Philippines through the beginning of 1942 when we was given orders to flee with the president of the Philippines.  They disappeared in the night to Australia and then later traveled to America.  MacArthur is credited with a moving speech upon arrival in Australia where he declared vehemently, “I shall return…”  Committing to freeing the Philippines from Japan.  He was able to keep his promise and led the troops to return in 1945 for which he received a Medal of Honor a number of years later.

Corregidor, Part 3 – The Texas Aggie Connection

One other super cool part about Corregidor and the tunnels is the connection to Texas A&M.  As many of you know, Texas A&M University and the Corps of Cadets has historically been a great feeder to the US military.  Many of the alumni go on to become officers and serve great military careers.  This was especially true in the yesteryear, around WW2.

On April 21st, Texas A&M alum and students celebrate (or recognize) Muster Day.  It is a day when Aggies gather together to remember those who have fallen in the previous year and to share some camaraderie and Aggie spirit.

It just so happened that one of the generals at Corregidor was a Texas Aggie and after the initial Japanese attack on Dec 8, 1941, General Moore and the US and Filipino troops retreated to Corregidor to fight and hold out as long as possible.  They were forced to surrender in May of 1942, not long after the Aggies at Corregidor held their Muster Day in Malinta Tunnel on April 21, 1942.  A plaque commemorates the spot where General Moore held the last Muster before surrender.

 

 

You can read more about the Aggie Muster tradition here.  The page specifically speaks about this Corregidor Muster of 1942. “Still remembering and honoring the time spent in Aggieland, the tradition of mustering has grown in strength, meaning, and spirit. By 1929, meeting had grown worldwide, and in 1942 Aggie Muster gained international recognition. Twenty-five men, led by General George Moore ’08, mustered during the Japanese Siege of the Philippine island of Corregidor. Knowing that Muster might soon be called for them, these Aggies embodied the essence of commitment, dedication, and friendship- the Aggie Spirit. They risked their lives to honor their beliefs and values. That small group of Aggies on an outpost during World War II inspired what has developed into one of our greatest traditions.”

After Corregidor fell, the survivors became POWs.  The Aggies continued to sneak around and meet for Muster in the following years.  When the US troops returned and freed the Philippines from the Japanese in 1945, the Aggie troops again held a public Muster Day on April 21, 1946.  Below is a picture of Mark with the picture of all the Aggies at Muster in 1946.  Later that year (July 4th, 1946), the Philippines was granted its independence and became a free country.

The Corregidor Muster is an integral part of Aggie lore and Mark was, of course, really excited to finally get to go to the spot he’s heard about all these years, but I was really impressed too.  There’s a feeling about Corregidor that just breaths of history and WW2 and pride for country and place even while coupled with loss and suffering.  Having the personal Aggie connection just made it all so much more real.

I could imagine the men, boys really, gathering in the dimly lit tunnel, reading the names of their friends who had died in the struggle between Dec 8, 1941 and April 20, 1942.  I could imagine how far from their Texas home they felt and how they had hoped and prayed for a safe tomorrow for them, their families and the people of the Philippines.  It was moving to be able to imagine the scene in such a real way and also to know that the safe tomorrow wouldn’t come for 3 years.  Instead, at that point, the fight was just beginning.

Corregidor, Part 2 – The Tunnels

Another stop on our Corregidor tour was the Malinta Tunnel!  As you can see below, the tunnel was actually a giant system of tunnels designed and built by American engineers in the 1930s.  “Malinta” in Tagalog means “leeches” and the hill and tunnel are named as such because the construction workers talked about “malintas” so much that the non-Tagalog speaking people involved thought that they were referring to the tunnel project!

While we just walked through the one main tunnel, you can see below that there were many miles of tunnel built – containing offices, sleeping quarters, and a 1000 bed hospital.  All of this turned out to be verrrry useful when the Japanese bombed the island like crazy.

Mark went back later for a night tour of the tunnels and got to explore the lateral tunnels.  Many are more collapsed and full of rubble so it was a little more of a perilous adventure.  I thought they were going to be spooky and talk about scary ghosts a lot so I didn’t go.  I’m a scaredy cat!!

The next morning we were able to go back out though and went through a Japanese tunnel that the Japanese built after the Filipinos and Americans surrendered.  The tunnels they built were built during wartime and built with less engineering or materials.  They felt – and looked – more like caves.

We also saw a glorious sunrise over Manila Bay just before we went exploring in the Japanese tunnel!

Corregidor, Part 1 – The History and the Ruins

Mark and I finally had the opportunity to go to Corregidor for the weekend! It was an awesome trip and probably my favorite thing we’ve done so far since living here.

Corregidor is an island in Manila Bay and when the Philippines was a US colony (1900-1935ish), the US built it up as a strategic military location to protect Manila from naval attack.  In it’s hay day, Corregidor housed 8,000 troops – Filipino and American – and had plenty of canon/battery power to destroy any ship that entered the Bay.  For the 8,000 troops there were all the benefits of a base – commissary, swimming pools, places to live, rec halls, and a hospital.  Additionally, the Americans built a tunnel system to use in case of attack.

If you think about it, in 1900, planes were not a major consideration for how someone might attack another country.  Instead, a country could only attack by land or by water.  But if you’re an island nation, the only way someone is going to attack by land is if they first arrive by water.  Therefore, a little island that could keep an eye on the entryways to the big island and take out any ship that passed was a great idea.

Unfortunately, from the moment WW2 began, air power was the name of the game.  Japan attacked the Philippines just 6 hours after Pearl Harbor by air and bombed the heck out of Manila and Corregidor.  Leaders decided to declare Manila an open city in an attempt to spare civilian life and Filipino American troops retreated to the Bataan peninsula and to the island of Corregidor.  Unfortunately, supplies were not sufficient to sustain indefinite resistance and the US was unable to send reinforcements.  Instead, General MacArthur was ordered to flee with the president of the Philippines to Australia and eventually the US to regroup and make a plan.

The Filipino American troops on Corregidor held out as long as they could, but eventually were forced to surrender to the Japanese in May of 1942.  The Philippines entered the period known as the Japanese Occupation and Corregidor became a Japanese stronghold and a POW camp until 1945 when US troops and General MacArthur returned to take back the Philippines.

There’s so much more to this story, but this is sufficient to show that Corregidor is now a historical relic.  The island is shaped like a tadpole and is dotted with the military ruins around which the jungle has grown mostly unchecked for many years.  There is simultaneously an eerie quiet, a sense of historical richness, and a lushness of jungle and natural beauty.

When we arrived on the island by ferry, we immediately climbed on an open air bus for our day long historical tour.  The buses are modeled after the trolly street cars that were originally the only machine powered transportation on the island – because of course the island infrastructure was also built originally before automobiles were commonplace.

 

We proceeded to drive all over the island with our tour guide looking at ruins and semi ruin battery areas.  Here are some of the ruins.  You can see that because the buildings were built from reinforced concrete, they held up “well” despite the 1,000s of bombs that were dropped on them over a 6 month period at the beginning of the war and a few more weeks at the end of the war.

 

And here is one of me with a giant canon 🙂