Obama hails WWII heroine

MANILA, Philippines - At 94, World War II heroine and retired nurse Carolina Delfin has seen it all.

From removing shrapnel from a boy’s genitals to attending to bloodied civilians hacked by Japanese soldiers, Delfin has experienced things that could stretch to the limit what even the most dedicated medical worker could take.

Gaining recognition was farthest from Delfin’s mind when she was providing relief to war victims. For her, it was a way of serving her compatriots and expressing her love for a country in its darkest hours.

Little did she know that her selfless acts during the Japanese occupation would be lauded decades later by the world’s most powerful leader.

Delfin, now wheelchair-bound, was one of the heroes praised by US President Barack Obama in a speech before some 500 active and retired Filipino and US servicemen at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City yesterday.

“We are truly honored to have some of these extraordinary veterans here with us today. Among them are men who fought at Bataan and Corregidor, and a survivor of those hellish prisoner of war camps,” Obama told his audience.

“Some fought in the resistance, including nurse Carolina Garcia Delfin. These veterans are now in their 90s. They are an inspiration to us all, and I’d ask those who can stand to stand or give a wave so that we can all salute their service,” he said.

Delfin was surprised to hear her name mentioned by the American president.

“Well, it was very big consolation that I was able to do something for my country which I never, never thought I could do. I thought I was just one ordinary soldier, you know, following orders,” she said in an interview.

“In fact, I’ve been trying to forget all those things that happened before. I was trying to forget because it made me feel so unhappy, you know, sickly. But I feel happy that I was able to do something for my country,” she added.

Obama also said he was proud to be in the Philippines to commemorate defining moments of World War II, namely the 70th anniversary of the Leyte landing, the beginning of the liberation of the Philippines.

“In those years of occupation, Filipino resistance fighters kept up the struggle. And hundreds of thousands of Filipinos fought under the American flag,” he said.

Obama admitted that many Filipino war veterans suffered injustice because they were denied the compensation they had been promised.

“My administration, working with Congress and others, has worked to right this wrong. We passed a law, reviewed the records, processed claims, and nearly 20,000 Filipino veterans from World War II and their families finally received the compensation they had earned,” he said.