We can now only hear portions of their stories and witness some events through faded photos and rusty relics. But for the around 30 living World War II veterans in the Cordillera region, the war is a chapter in their lives that age may soon snatch away but their stories will be always be inscribed not just on paper but in our hearts and minds.
Boys in battle
“I was just a boy of 18 years old when I first set foot on a Philippine shore. I was in the 6th Infantry Division. We pursued Yamashita all the way from Lingayen Gulf,” recalled 94-year-old World War II veteran American Len Warmington who was part of the liberation troops of US General Douglas McArthur.
Warmington is no different from many young Filipinos who fought to end the Pacific War and achieve freedom for the country.
Boys as young as 14 years old were forced to take up arms to liberate the country from the Japanese Imperial Army.
“I was really 14 years old then so I could not be enlisted. But I was persistent to become a soldier and I would even cry. So the medical examiners got fed up and just put 18 years old on my papers,” confessed World War II veteran Albert Bugtong who is now 92 years old.
When American forces led by Gen. McArthur returned to the Philippines on October 20, 1944, messengers, bolo men, and many more were called to volunteer their services to help defeat the Japanese military.
“We were runners then. We carried the messages and we didn’t have guns yet. But when General McArthur returned, he gave us guns so we could fight in the war,” shared Bugtong.
Miguel Toledo, another veteran who is now 98 years old, recounted how he was drafted as a soldier.
“I was a volunteer. I was a bolo man then. The commander of the bolo men told us to volunteer as soldiers,” he shared.
Road to victory
With successful US and Filipino military advances in major Japanese strongholds in Manila and Corregidor, campaigns led by the US Army in the Philippines, North Luzon (USAFIP, NL), they started crusades to liberate North Luzon.
The USAFIP, NL, mostly composed of Filipino guerrilla fighters under the command of US Colonel Russell Volckmann, began to take back towns from Japanese control.
The group further advanced to Bessang Pass, a cut through the Cordillera mountains and the final line of defense of Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
With slow and painful progress, Col. Volckmann called for reinforcement composed of the Company A of the 11th Infantry, Company L of the 121st Infantry, and Company D of the 66th Infantry.
“When the 121st could not hold up, Volckmann ordered the 66th Infantry, composed mostly of Igorot soldiers, to help defeat the Japanese defenses,” shared Sons and Daughters Association, Inc. officer Romy Balangay.
Bugtong who took part in the fighting at the critical pass described his assignment to Bessang.
“We were told to go to Bessang Pass as reinforcement for 121st. We did not have proper training then because were just runners who carried letters,” he said.
With little to no training and limited resources, the USAFIP, NL managed to make headway in the campaign towards capturing Bessang Pass.
“When we moved forward, someone died. We had a difficult life. My comrades who were cooking were also fired at,” detailed Toledo who also fought in the battle of Bessang Pass.
Death and hunger were just some of the hardships that the soldiers and guerillas experienced to finally claim Bessang Pass and paved the way to the capture of Japanese Gen.Yamashita in Ifugao.
A dying breed
As the years passed, like memories of fierce battles forgotten, the World War II veterans are now a handful.
Chief of the Veterans Memorial and Historical Division Maj. Gen. Restituto Aguilar said there are now less than 4,000 living World War II veterans in the country, of which about only 50 veterans are based in the Cordillera.
With every passing year, almost 1,500 World War II heroes die, Aguilar added.
One of them was Rizalino Alingbas who died on August 31, 2019, just days before the Victory Day celebration on September 2 in Kiangan and September 3 in Baguio City.
Carry on
The surviving veterans can only tell so much for us to have a glimpse of what life was like during the war.
Time may soon take the remaining living veterans but may their stories of selflessness and valor remain as inspiration to the younger generation.
War veteran Toledo hopes a book will be written about their stories for the future generations.
“My story is for the future generations to remember.” **JDP/JJPM-PIA CAR
