Celebrating heroism

At the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, the remains of some 17,201 soldiers who died during World War II lie enshrined, with visitors taking several minutes to reflect on the lives of men and women who sacrificed their lives to uphold freedom. Many of them however have remained unidentified all these years, the graves of these “unknowns” marked by simple words that read, “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God.”

Every year, the Philippines and the United States celebrate Veterans Day at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial to commemorate the brave exploits and heroism of Filipino and American military men and women on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Over the years, relations between the two countries have remained deep and strong due to shared experiences that include the Bataan Death March during World War II.

The most recent Veterans Day ceremonies were led by US Ambassador Philip Goldberg and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang with Defense Undersecretary and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office chief Ernesto Carolina. As Ambassador Goldberg related, the flagpole of the US Embassy still bears the bullet marks from the Battle of Manila.

“The soldiers of our two countries have worked side by side in wars, in peacetime and in disasters,” the ambassador noted, particularly with the tragedy wrought by Super Typhoon Yolanda where once again, people saw the heroism of men and women from the military who took part in rescue and recovery efforts for victims and survivors.