Saturday we had an adventure to Corregidor Island. It was a fantastic tour of the historic gateway to Manila bay. The island was the last to surrender to the Japanese in world war 2, and it is full of history. I'll share a few photos here.....
Setting off on our journey at dawn in Caloocan City
View from the harbor... When we realized what was going into our lungs.... Over the ocean it had an eerie vibe....
Fishing boats in Manila Bay
Our arrival at Corregidor Island
Ruins of an American military barracks. The Americans built up this island during their occupation for 40 years from 1900 until WWII.
"A country without ruins is a country without a history, and a country without history is a country without a memory."
Battery storage and cannons. The islands at the mouth of Manila Bay had overlapping crossfire which made it a very protected harbor.
The beautiful memorial to Filipinos and Americans who died in WWII.
Sculpture to represent a flame.
My grandfather was stationed in both Pearl Harbor and Samar, Philippines while he was in the Navy. Seeing all of this, an amazing tribute to the partnership between two nations, was an incredibly moving experience. It makes me very proud to be American, and proud of our courageous soldiers.
Statue of the famous Douglas MacArthur.
The Filipino war heroes memorial
Lighthouse built by the Spaniards during their 300 year long occupation.
A Buddhist peace flower statue at the Japanese garden memorial. We heard an amazing story of a Japanese soldier who was living on a remote island during the war. He never received orders to surrender. In fact, the last orders he heard were 'do not surrender'. He stayed on this island until the 1970's, when he was discovered by a Japanese hiker. He had lived alone here for 30 years, as his fellow soldiers had all died. The Filipino government contacted Japan and his commanding officer was actually alive. He came down to this remote island to command the soldier to surrender. He then entered an industrialized Japan and could not adjust. He now lives in brazil as a cattle farmer. What an amazing story.
The Americans built a San Francisco like network of electric railroads throughout the island, with many storage tunnels. This was one of them. It was virtually bomb proof.
Coming back to beautiful Manila, and the smog has lifted!!
And on Sunday we headed out for a guided tour of Manila, the metropolis. It was really interesting but the big highlight was the American war memorial in Makati, which was breathtaking. Here are some pics.
There are about 20,000 soldiers headstones here. There are crosses for the Christians and Stars of David for the Jewish soldiers.
View from inside the chapel
There are about 80,000 MIA soldiers recognized on the walls of the memorial, grouped by Marines, Army/Air Force, and Navy. I found a few Beebes.
The mosaic maps inside were absolutely spectacular. At the bottom are some close ups.
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