Dec. 26, 2013
Today would have been his 94th birthday. Below are some of the mementos of WWII he gave including his USN training aid for Morse code; (He was a signal man in the US Navy), his dog tags and the medals he got.
Along with my uncle Cenon Aldana-Cosme and Constancio G. Cosme, he walked the second Death March after the Fall of Corregidor, the infamous first Death March was in April after the Fall of Bataan. Ironically the Fall of both Bataan and Corregidor are holidays in the Philippines while they have never held a single Liberation Day Parade of celebration whatsoever.since the end of WWII.
By 1948 when quisling president Manuel A. Roxas died, he had hoped the old U.S. Navy in the Philippines will be reinstated but the sham republic survived. So he went to Guam where he eventually worked as a fireman for the U.S. Air Force throughout the Korean War and beyond.
My mom didn’t want to join him on Guam insisting that the Philippines is U.S. Territory and that the U.S. government should be involved in the post-WWII administration of the islands.
Below: His U.S. Air Force Fireman Badge and button.