Our heroes’ resting place: Is it really final?

This is the second part of the letter of Louis Jurika whose goal of finding the grave of the famous leader of the Cebu Area Command ended at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. As he wrote earlier, Col. Tito Casila finally found in their records the name of Col. James Cushing whose grave was located at Section I, Row 6, Plot M, with grave registration number CR-NR No. 264. So the elated Jurika drove toward this section of the Libingan.

"Once at the cemetery, we were immediately struck by the fact that there were no names upon the stone crosses row upon row, no rank, serial number, nor date of death — nothing! The crosses were uniformly blank. However, on a few crosses there were small metal medallions with names that had been affixed by surviving family members, but these were very few and far between. Luckily, the Colonel and his aides were there to confirm the right section and numbered row, and together we walked the line, counting off the alphabet audibly as we went past each cross.

"Imagine our shock when the row of crosses ended at the letter ‘J.’ We could not believe it. That was it, there were no more crosses — there was no ‘K,’ no ‘L,’ and most importantly no ‘M.’ The Colonel was stupefied, as were we. We went back and counted all over again to no avail. We cross-checked the section and row enough times that there was no way we were in the wrong place. It certainly gave new meaning to the old military requiem ‘Known But To God.’

"We left the Colonel and his aides to ponder this incredible situation and acquaint themselves with their own cemetery while we wandered among the nearby graves of some Philippine Presidents and notables. Metal plaques had been stolen off so many tombs and sepulchers that we no longer noticed after a while, and the ‘eternal flame’ at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier monument was not burning. According to one old gardener tending the cemetery, it had been extinguished for more years than he had been working there and he could not recall it ever being relit. Another ‘eternal flame’ that also looked as if it had not been lit for decades was memorable for the words below it that read ‘The Flame That Will Never Die.’ I took a photo of it.

"We thanked the Colonel and his staff for their help and got into our car with a feeling of sadness that Jim Cushing’s grave has been lost forever and his legacy erased from the memory of the people he had fought for. As well, nowhere in Cebu today is his name to be seen. If Cushing’s final resting place has been lost, consider that other Philippine patriots and heroes’ graves and records probably suffer the same fate. We also learned that it was not unusual for up to five people to have been buried under the same cross. Can this be possible?

"If the cemetery holds the remains of Philippine veterans from the campaigns for independence, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and conflicts against the Hukbalahap, then as a modern Filipino soldier confronted with the ultimate sacrifice in the face of terrorists, the NPA or Abu Sayyaf, I would have to wonder who might be confounded in looking for my neglected nameless grave someday.

"The cemetery is in forlorn shape, and as we drove out the gate past the golf course enjoyed by Philippine military officers, we couldn’t help but notice how well the golf course is watered and maintained compared to the nearby cemetery. Watching the golfers enjoying their smokes and drinks, whacking golf balls off the practice tees, we were struck by the seemingly inverted priorities and wondered what our heroes must be thinking as they sleep nearby.

"I also remembered that I had once promised my late father that I would someday find his best friend’s final resting place and lay a wreath upon it as thanks for what Jim Cushing did for the island and the people of Cebu and his beloved Philippines. Bobit, I only hope that someday I’ll have a good reason to return with that wreath...Keep me posted, Your friend... Lou"

I spent a weekend with Lou Jurika as we share the same passion for World War II history and when he told me that story, I asked him to write about it so it would come from him, not from me. Yes, he showed me photographs of his visit to the Libingan ng mga Bayani, including the one which shows the phrase "The Flame That Will Never Die!" Well, that photo showed only a burnt hole with no flame in it.

It brought me back to my first visit to the grave of fallen US President John F. Kennedy at Arlington Cemetery where I saw that eternal flame burning ever so brightly! Well, as Jurika told us, there’s to be no flame for our fallen heroes... perhaps because of lack of funds. But certainly, there’s lots of money for the maintenance of the Fort Bonifacio golf course!

As for Col. Jim Cushing, it is sad to note that this nation which owes this man a debt of gratitude could not even assure his mortal remains a final resting place. Indeed, the promise of a final resting place for a fallen soldier isn’t really final, thanks to incompetence and apathy even among our soldiers who probably think they’re just guarding another cemetery, no different from the Manila Memorial Park or the Queen City Memorial Garden.

George Satayana once quipped, "Those who do not remember their history are doomed to repeat it." If there’s anything that I admire in those great nations like the United States, France or Britain, it is how they revere their fallen heroes. In the Philippines, fallen heroes or dead soldiers are simply forgotten and eventually their graves removed — and what of their bones?

Blame should also be placed on the Department of Education (DepEd) for its failure to collect local wartime stories which should be taught to all students. I wonder if they even teach our school children in Tacloban, Leyte that the greatest naval battle of the world happened within their midst. If any, thanks to a misinformed DepEd, I learned more about US history during my school days than the Tres de Abril incident here in Cebu City. The 60th anniversary of the Liberation of Cebu a.k.a the Talisay Landings by the American Division is fast approaching and yes, we don’t even have a World War II monument in Cebu to honor fighters like Col. James Cushing who died a pauper on a steamer bound for Palawan. Indeed, I am ashamed to admit that we are an ungrateful and forgetful people!

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talk show, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday, at 8 p.m., only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable.