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"D + 60 YEARS" _________________ Paul C. O'Friel |
March 02, 2005 was the 60th Anniversary of the official raising of the US Flag on Corregidor. |
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RP, US soldiers mark Corregidor liberation Philippine and US soldiers raised their flags yesterday on Corregidor Island in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the island's liberation from Japanese forces in World War II.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone, and the envoys of Britain, Australia and New Zealand -- wartime allies of the United States -- offered wreaths at the Pacific War Memorial, where a brief program was held beside ruins of US garrisons. Beth
Day Romulo, president of the Corregidor Foundation, recalled "that glorious day
when Corregidor Island was finally retaken" following 14 days of fierce combat
between Japanese and US forces, including paratroopers from the 503rd Parachute
Regimental Combat Team. Military historians say that of 6,550 Japanese soldiers on the island, only 50 survived. The paratroopers lost 169 men. Romulo said Corregidor, also known as "The Rock" and now a tourist destination, should be preserved as a "dramatic reminder of the horrors of war and the courage of those who lived and died here." Ricciardone said commemorating the sacrifices of US and Filipino soldiers was an opportunity "to rededicate ourselves to paying that same price they paid to upholding ever and always the cause of freedom and democracy" by strengthening alliances "including some of those who were our adversaries in World War II." The Americans held a separate ceremony for the paratroopers attended by Major General Elbert N. Perkins, commander of the US Army Japan and 9th Theater Support Command.
"Once again, good men -- our best and brightest -- struggle so that others may live in liberty," it said.
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