Memorial Day 2016: The 11th Airborne Division: Liberators of Las Piñas, Rizal Philippines

May 30, 2016

“For me the biggest shock is finding out that there never was any Liberation Day Parade or celebration whatsoever in the Philippines since the war ended, while Guam had its 68th Liberation Day Parade last July 21, 2012!”

On Feb. 10, 1945 elements of the 148th Regiment 37th Div. approached the Paco railroad station defended by a contingent of 300 Japanese soldiers. Pvt. Cleto Rodriguez and PFC John Reese, Jr. of the “We’ll Do It” regiment came to within 60 yards of the station and engaged the 300 Japanese soldiers killing at least 82 and wounding many more. They ran out of ammunition and went back to their own lines.

Without covering fire, on their way back to their lines PFC John Reese, Jr. were killed by the Japanese. Later the station capitulated. For their actions Cleto Rodriguez and John Reese, Jr. (posthumously) were awarded the Medal of Honor.

So honor could be given after the death of the recipient. I do not see any reason why Filipino quislings and murderers could not be tried and convicted posthumously either. On top of the list is Manuel A. Roxas, Cory Aquino, among many, many others including those who were accessories after the fact.

On January 31, 1945 the 188th GIR landed on Nasugbu, while the 511th PIR 11th Airborne Division, commanded by Gen. Joseph Swing, was dropped on Tagaytay Ridge on February 3, 1945. They were the ones who liberated my home town, Las Piñas on Feb. 4, 1945, and on the same day reached the south side of Paranaque River bridge by 9 PM.

Private Elmer Fryar, Medal of Honor (MOH), died in Leyte on December 8, 1944, while another MOH recipient, PFC Manuel Perez Jr., died charging the pillboxes on Ft. McKinley in the suburbs of Manila on Feb. 13, 1945.

For me the biggest shock is finding out that there never was any Liberation Day Parade or celebration whatsoever in the Philippines since the war ended, while Guam had its 68th Liberation Day Parade last July 21, 2012!

On the 8th Row, 1st Column, you see Rod Serling, screenwriter, novelist, TV producer, best known as the narrator of the TV series Twilight Zone.

Imagine pro-Japanese traitors ending up as the leaders of that country after WWII. But in the Philippines, it’s the grandchildren of traitor-oligarchs–Aquino III and Roxas II–who are the top dogs of the country!

I am convinced Rod Serling got the Twilight Zone stories from the Philippines. What happened to the Philippines after WWII is straight from the scripts of that series.

From: History – Veterans Day 2012; 11th Airborne 511th PIR & Rod Serling

(Bienvenido Macario, USA)  Sun, Nov 11, 2012 at 6:21 AM

http://waisworld.org/go.jsp?id=02a&objectType=post&o=73200&objectTypeId=65420&topicId=123

This is the link of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 11th Airborne http://users.owt.com/leodonna/KIA-511th-WWII.htm  commanded by Maj. Gen. Joseph M. Swing. They were the ones who liberated Las Piñas on Feb. 4, 1945.  The 188th Glider Infantry Regiment has already landed in Nasugbu on Jan. 31, 1945.

Gen. Swing objected to a drop on Tagaytay Ridge unless his men could be supported by other units nearby. The 511th PIR made the jump on Feb. 3, 1945

Perhaps he didn’t want a repeat of the failed “Operation: Market Garden”. And sure enough on the night of Feb. 4, 1945, the Japanese launched a “Banzai attack” in Las Piñas. However the suicide attack fell on the recently released Filipino political prisoners from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, Rizal. Weak and famished, the political prisoners were making their way back to Manila and decided to spend the night at the public market. No U.S. soldier was killed in the attack.

Their entry was preceded by a very accurate artillery barrage on what is now the Central Elementary School which the Japanese used as a garrison. Not a shell fell outside the garrison’s perimeter.

In the early morning following the artillery barrage, Mrs. Cristobal was roused from her sleep by the incessant barking of dogs squabbling over a “big piece of bone.” It turned out to be a severed leg of a Japanese soldier one of the dogs found. The Japanese Army unit had already left Las Piñas.

At around 3pm elements of the 511th PIR began entering the town of Las Piñas from the south. Here’s a pop quiz: “How did the lead elements of the 511th PIR knew that it was safe to enter the town proper of Las Piñas?”

The local guerrilla leader Florencio Aldana on horseback, rode up to the south end of the town carrying an American flag and met the advancing elements of the 511th PIR.

The first encounter with the Japanese sailors defending Nichols (Genko Line)  was at the southern foot of the Paranaque Bridge. Japanese fired from the northeast side of the bridge in a village called Ibayo, Three GI’s were killed or wounded. Those who were wounded were brought to the rear i.e. back to Las Piñas Church which was then converted into a medical station.