Blog 10

"When World War II started in 1941, my Grandpa and his family escaped towards the mountain because the houses were bombed and raided by the Japanese. Due to the harsh life in the mountain, three of his brothers and two sister died because of sickness. They only ate whatever they can harvest in the mountain like yams and some vegetable leaves to survive. Sometimes they will use their banca (small boat) to fish but when Japanese planes came to do an air raid, they have to hide in an enclosed area not to be seen!

They went under the Japanese regime. Sometime during the day, Grandpa said they were obliged to watch a Japanese show and taught how to count in and speak Japanese. You were not allowed to yawn or close their eyes at all!

If you don’t obey, or stay focused you get slapped many times or you get killed.

One day, a Japanese army was patrolling my grandpa’s area and my grandpa

saw how this Japanese soldier used his bayonet to toss a baby in the air and killed the baby with his bayonet. He cannot forget that grim sight.

His sister got spared by a bayonet because as the Japanese was going to attacked her, the door was swayed by the wind and the bayonet landed

and poked the door instead of his sister. His sister’s life got spared!

My Grandpa wanted to get drafted in the Philippine Army during this war at the age of 17, but his Mom freaked out and fainted when she knew! My Grandpa backed out!

As promised, Gen. MacArthur returns to the Philippines and lands on the island of Leyte. This marks the beginning in the liberation of the Philippines on May 20, 1944. That time, my Grandpa was already 19 years old. They ended up migrating to Bataan where he and his older brother were adapted by a priest and sent them to continue high school. Then he followed his brother and stayed in Manila after the liberation. His brother pursued to be a doctor and my Grandpa wanted to be a Pharmacist. He worked in a Pharmacy and learned how to mix medications and give shots for cough. Being a Pharmacist didn’t happen because he ended up being an Accountant. He migrated to a City close to Bataan called Olongapo, where the Americans established a military base facility. He applied as an Accountant at the Naval Supply Depot. This where his love story started…

He met my Grandma Amelia Salang who worked as a secretary of the Admiral in Naval Air Supply Cubi Point. They got married December 7, 1957."

Without WW2 and the US involvement in the Philippines I wouldn't even be here. It was because of the US my grandpa got a job and met my grandmother. And maybe if he did enlist, there's a good chance he wouldn't have met my grandmother either. Without the 4 freedoms it might not have been a priority to even liberate the Philippines from the Japanese atrocities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_Philippines_during_World_War_II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2U32LVgFYI