Our first real full day in Manila found us at the Ayala Museum for the monthly lecture arranged by the Museum Volunteers of the Philippines (MVP). Regee's sister, Gracita, is a member of MVP but could not attend so we very happily went in her stead.
The lecture was actually a brief introduction to a new documentary (not yet commercially available) made by Director Donald Plata called "Forgotten Soldiers", written by Chris Schaeffer and narrated by Lou Diamond Philips.
It focuses on the critical role played by the United States Army's Philippine Scouts (PS) during the Japanese attack on the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor (resulting in the infamous Bataan Death March) and their later role in the liberation of Manila and, eventually, the invasion of Japan.
In spite of the unbelievable heroism of the Philippine Scouts during World War II, they remain a little known part of the United States Army. As the Director says, they seem to have "slipped into history"--hence the title "Forgotten Soldiers".
This documentary, six years in the making, traces their amazing story through a series of interviews with surviving American and Filipino members of that force; and through photos, re-enactments and original film footage from US, Philippine and Japanese sources.
The stubborn defense of the Bataan Peninsula by the American and Filipino forces for over four months, with the invaluable support of the Philippine Scouts, allowed the US Navy to re-group after Pearl Harbor and essentially prevented the Japanese from moving on Australia.
The Philippine Scouts were composed of Filipinos assigned to the United States Army Philippine Department, serving under American officers. They were first used in 1901 to help put down the Philippine Revolution then led by General Emilio Aguinaldo. By the time of World War II it was a highly trained elite force of about 2,000 American officers and 10,000 Filipino soldiers. It was divided into Infantry, Field Artillery, Cavalry and Coastal Artillery.
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese simultaneously attacked the US Navy's Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, bombed the US Army's Air Force at Clark Field in Luzon, and captured the British colonies of Hong Kong and Malaya. In the next three months, as the film relates, the Japanese had taken just about every country and island in the Western Pacific--but not the Philippines.
The Japanese landed over 40,000 crack troops on the shores of the Lingayen Gulf in December 1941. General Homma (who was leading the Japanese forces) had orders to complete the clearance of Bataan and Corregidor in 50 days. He was faced by some 80,000 American and Filipino troops. Unfortunately, the bulk of the Filipino armed forces were poorly trained and lacked proper military equipment. The American forces were, in large part, US National Guard troops supported by more experienced US Army units. The Philippine Scouts were the "backbone" of General MacArthur's forces. In a series of staggering and immensely bloody delaying tactics, led primarily by the Philippine Scouts, the highly equipped Japanese army was held at bay for next four months.
Interviews with American and Filipino survivors of the Philippine Scouts (all of whom were in their nineties) were incredibly moving. They described in very plain and humble terms what they had been ordered to do and what they were able to achieve under almost constant attack. They set up a series of "lines" across the Bataan Peninsula, fought the oncoming Japanese forces to a standstill, and then made rapid tactical retreats to the next "line". They had little food, no air support, limited ammunition, dwindling supplies of medicine and, unbeknown to them, absolutely no hope of reinforcements from the US or any other allied forces in the Pacific arena.
One of the surviving Scouts was a member of the Philippine Scouts attached to the renowned 26th US Cavalry. The cavalry was able to move rapidly, mount lightning attacks against superior Japanese forces and give support to the infantry in tight corners. Unfortunately, they were easily spotted from the air where the Japanese were totally unchallenged. This meant that they had to move through the jungle to avoid detection.
The photos of this Scout with his horse "Mike", and the footage of the cavalry in action, made it hard to believe that you were watching battles from the Second World War. In one sequence you see the PS cavalry charging the Japanese lines and driving right through them! As the Scout said, the Japanese soldiers were terrified of these huge horses coming straight at them. The cavalry charge that the Philippine Scouts mounted against the town of Morong on January 16, 1942, was the last cavalry charge ever by the US Cavalry.
Sadly, as food became scarce, those beautiful horses were taken off to be slaughtered. When "Mike" was led off, he looked back at his Scout master and, as he says, "I felt so sad and, to this day, I feel terrible". There was an audible gasp in the audience when he said this and many a tear was shed.
Ultimately, the US and Filipino forces were unable to prevail against the Japanese. But they did force the Japanese to halt their campaign on the Bataan Peninsula in order to bring in new forces to replace those killed and mauled by the Philippine Scouts.
When Corregidor fell, the agony of the Bataan Death March began. Any Americans or Filipinos wearing the uniform of the Philippine Scouts were treated far more harshly than their compatriots. Conditions on the Death March and in the Camp O'Donnell prisoner camp were beyond comprehension and of those 80,000 US and Filipino troops, only 40,000 survived the experience. That level of carnage should never be forgotten and neither should the heroism of the Philippine Scouts and all other US and Filipino forces who fought at Bataan and Corregidor. While the documentary might be entitled "Forgotten Soldiers", anyone who sees this documentary will never forget what these men and women achieved.
I say "men" in terms of the warriors you see in battle. I say "women" in terms of the scenes during the Battle of Corregidor that clearly show women military nurses. And it is well known that both men and women civilians in many villages along the route of the Death March risked their lives to save soldiers who somehow escaped. And, of course, the guerrilla movement which spread after the fall of Corregidor included both men and women--the latter being the other "forgotten soldiers" of this awful conflict.
Regee's uncle, Tito Bining, fought on the Bataan Peninsula and was part of the Bataan Death March. His mother (Regee's grandmother Lola Andrea) left Manila after hearing a rumor that he had escaped. She searched the villages along the route of the Death March. Miraculously, she found Tito Bining who had been taken in by villagers. When his mother found him he was near death. She got him transported back to Manila where he was nursed back to health. While never very strong after his terrible ordeals, he only died a couple of years ago in his nineties. So, this documentary was a very personal tribute for Regee and her family and for the families of all the "Forgotten Soldiers".
A few weeks later, we went up to Capas in Tarlac and saw the Death March Memorial Park and Camp O'Donnell nearby. It is a huge memorial and can be seen for miles around. A fitting memorial for all those who lost their lives to preserve our freedom. Let's not forget their sacrifice.
The lecture was actually a brief introduction to a new documentary (not yet commercially available) made by Director Donald Plata called "Forgotten Soldiers", written by Chris Schaeffer and narrated by Lou Diamond Philips.
 |
| Courtesy Platinum Multimedia LLC |
In spite of the unbelievable heroism of the Philippine Scouts during World War II, they remain a little known part of the United States Army. As the Director says, they seem to have "slipped into history"--hence the title "Forgotten Soldiers".
This documentary, six years in the making, traces their amazing story through a series of interviews with surviving American and Filipino members of that force; and through photos, re-enactments and original film footage from US, Philippine and Japanese sources.
The stubborn defense of the Bataan Peninsula by the American and Filipino forces for over four months, with the invaluable support of the Philippine Scouts, allowed the US Navy to re-group after Pearl Harbor and essentially prevented the Japanese from moving on Australia.
 |
| Courtesy Wikimedia Commons and Flickr's The Commons |
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese simultaneously attacked the US Navy's Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, bombed the US Army's Air Force at Clark Field in Luzon, and captured the British colonies of Hong Kong and Malaya. In the next three months, as the film relates, the Japanese had taken just about every country and island in the Western Pacific--but not the Philippines.
The Japanese landed over 40,000 crack troops on the shores of the Lingayen Gulf in December 1941. General Homma (who was leading the Japanese forces) had orders to complete the clearance of Bataan and Corregidor in 50 days. He was faced by some 80,000 American and Filipino troops. Unfortunately, the bulk of the Filipino armed forces were poorly trained and lacked proper military equipment. The American forces were, in large part, US National Guard troops supported by more experienced US Army units. The Philippine Scouts were the "backbone" of General MacArthur's forces. In a series of staggering and immensely bloody delaying tactics, led primarily by the Philippine Scouts, the highly equipped Japanese army was held at bay for next four months.
 |
| A Philippine Scout (Sgt. Francisco Bautista) Courtesy Philippine Scouts Heritage Society |
Interviews with American and Filipino survivors of the Philippine Scouts (all of whom were in their nineties) were incredibly moving. They described in very plain and humble terms what they had been ordered to do and what they were able to achieve under almost constant attack. They set up a series of "lines" across the Bataan Peninsula, fought the oncoming Japanese forces to a standstill, and then made rapid tactical retreats to the next "line". They had little food, no air support, limited ammunition, dwindling supplies of medicine and, unbeknown to them, absolutely no hope of reinforcements from the US or any other allied forces in the Pacific arena.
One of the surviving Scouts was a member of the Philippine Scouts attached to the renowned 26th US Cavalry. The cavalry was able to move rapidly, mount lightning attacks against superior Japanese forces and give support to the infantry in tight corners. Unfortunately, they were easily spotted from the air where the Japanese were totally unchallenged. This meant that they had to move through the jungle to avoid detection.
 |
| Courtesy Wikimedia Commons 26th Cavalry PI Scouts move into Pozorubbio |
The photos of this Scout with his horse "Mike", and the footage of the cavalry in action, made it hard to believe that you were watching battles from the Second World War. In one sequence you see the PS cavalry charging the Japanese lines and driving right through them! As the Scout said, the Japanese soldiers were terrified of these huge horses coming straight at them. The cavalry charge that the Philippine Scouts mounted against the town of Morong on January 16, 1942, was the last cavalry charge ever by the US Cavalry.
Sadly, as food became scarce, those beautiful horses were taken off to be slaughtered. When "Mike" was led off, he looked back at his Scout master and, as he says, "I felt so sad and, to this day, I feel terrible". There was an audible gasp in the audience when he said this and many a tear was shed.
Ultimately, the US and Filipino forces were unable to prevail against the Japanese. But they did force the Japanese to halt their campaign on the Bataan Peninsula in order to bring in new forces to replace those killed and mauled by the Philippine Scouts.
 |
| Bataan Death March. Attribution: Unknown |
When Corregidor fell, the agony of the Bataan Death March began. Any Americans or Filipinos wearing the uniform of the Philippine Scouts were treated far more harshly than their compatriots. Conditions on the Death March and in the Camp O'Donnell prisoner camp were beyond comprehension and of those 80,000 US and Filipino troops, only 40,000 survived the experience. That level of carnage should never be forgotten and neither should the heroism of the Philippine Scouts and all other US and Filipino forces who fought at Bataan and Corregidor. While the documentary might be entitled "Forgotten Soldiers", anyone who sees this documentary will never forget what these men and women achieved.
I say "men" in terms of the warriors you see in battle. I say "women" in terms of the scenes during the Battle of Corregidor that clearly show women military nurses. And it is well known that both men and women civilians in many villages along the route of the Death March risked their lives to save soldiers who somehow escaped. And, of course, the guerrilla movement which spread after the fall of Corregidor included both men and women--the latter being the other "forgotten soldiers" of this awful conflict.
Regee's uncle, Tito Bining, fought on the Bataan Peninsula and was part of the Bataan Death March. His mother (Regee's grandmother Lola Andrea) left Manila after hearing a rumor that he had escaped. She searched the villages along the route of the Death March. Miraculously, she found Tito Bining who had been taken in by villagers. When his mother found him he was near death. She got him transported back to Manila where he was nursed back to health. While never very strong after his terrible ordeals, he only died a couple of years ago in his nineties. So, this documentary was a very personal tribute for Regee and her family and for the families of all the "Forgotten Soldiers".
A few weeks later, we went up to Capas in Tarlac and saw the Death March Memorial Park and Camp O'Donnell nearby. It is a huge memorial and can be seen for miles around. A fitting memorial for all those who lost their lives to preserve our freedom. Let's not forget their sacrifice.
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