When I was 7 years old, I wanted to become a soldier. I believe it was a strong thought and feeling among my generation. It is not surprising. Babies born in the early ‘50s came out into the world just 5 years after the World War II ended. Growing up, stories about the war with Japan were fresh and persistent. So too, many soldiers from the occupying American forces and civilian US nationals remained and lived in Manila and other areas in the Philippines. .
The Philippines gained independence in 1946. The following year, the United States and the Philippines negotiated a treaty and allowed the U.S. Navy to recruit Filipinos. About 35,000 Filipinos served in the Navy, in the next 4 decades, initially as stewards and mess attendants. It was either the U.S. government’s active recruitment campaign, or that they opened the U.S. camp door on Philippine soil, to prospective recruits to conveniently walk in, that made it possible for many young men my age to get into the U.S. naval service.
Since it was a span of four decades from 1946 when the U.S. Navy recruitment was actively done, it bounds those, our high school years up to the time that we finished in 1969. It is no wonder then that many of my High School 1969 batchmates joined the U.S. naval force. In fact, our batch has the greatest number of all.
Back then, I heard many stories of neighbor’s families who successfully entered the U.S. Navy. It was always exciting news and widely talked about, when a neighbor’s family member was successfully accepted. Many of the recruits persisted and earned qualifications in their military service. As a result, they rose to officer levels and, the exceptional ones, became commanders.
Among other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, it was the U.S. Navy that was the most popular destination among Filipinos. About 20 of my school batch, out of about 120 graduates joined the U.S. military force. As diverse as their personalities are, theirs are good stories to know, coming from their own personal account. Their own personal motivation or encouragement from their own family or friends, got them there. Each has a story to tell.
Mags Pasadilla, from my high school class, surprised everyone of us when he skipped college at the UST. Without any plans of his own, a college buddy took him along to try their luck in the U.S. Navy in Subic. Mags ended up getting accepted and not the college friend. Later, he saw action in the famous Desert Storm in the 1980s in the Middle East. In the service, he was sent to further schooling up to the master’s degree level and retired as a Lt. Commander. Interestingly, on retirement, he went back to school on his own and took up Massage Therapy. After a long and distinguished career in the Navy, he indulges in his retirement career as a massage therapist, in genuine joy.
Oxie Occiano (Sylvestre in high school), had a colorful teenage life and his restlessness was in reality the impatience of a creative mind and the constant desire for action. His Dad was in the U.S. Navy himself, and one day Dad brought along young Oxie with him to the U.S.. Dad wanted son to be in the service too and he did get in. Son liked the work and gave it his time, but a different calling gnawed on him. Before long, son gave in to his natural disquiet and he put up a small food enterprise. When his father checked next on him, he couldn’t help but let him be, and so, set him loose to his own life pursuit. He eventually became an entrepreneur, a calling that germinated when he was in the service. Nowadays, Oxie connects the U.S. and the Philippines with his wine distribution business in Manila, sourced from his home in Napa Valley, California.
Donn Monasterio, comes from the family of the Monasterios from Goa, Partido district in Camarines Sur. Gogo (short for Domingo) to his friends in high school, joined the US Army when he got to the U.S. to join his parents. He finished college at the Ateneo de Naga College and then, served for a year in the army. He now lives in California and comes to San Pablo City on vacations at his beautiful village home.
There is also Joe Sambo, who hails from Magarao, Cam. Sur. He was in the Air Force as a Meteorology guy. He now lives in Arizona with his lovely wife, Mary. Remarkably, she was Joe’s ranking military officer in the organization. True love does bloom in the service.
To Larry Lee, it was the Air Force that he joined taking advantage of an educational assistance called the GI Bill. He thought of it as a ticket to pursue his dream of a medical career Two years on the job, as an engineering aide in a flight-testing facility, his supervisor recommended him to apply for US citizenship, a year earlier than normal. The citizenship effectively enabled him to move up into the USAF Officer Training School program. At the 4 year point of his enlistment he ditched his desire to become a doctor and went on with his AF career. He remained there for 28 years as an Acquisition and Logistics Officer. After retirement, he segued into the Department of Defense at the Pentagon. He took part in developing training classes with Akron University which teamed-up with graphic/technical illustrators of a Makati based technical firm. The firm which won numerous US graphic animation awards employed several Computer Programmers/Animators from the Ateneo de Naga University. He worked for another 13 years before he finally retired.
On retirement, many of my military pals settled down in the State of California. Oxie, Donn, and Mags live in the Northern part of California, as do Ed Tuy, Steve Abiog, and Caloy Orino. Pastor Cailipan lives at the Diamond Bar, CA. Mike Nosce, a much elusive batchmate who joined the U.S. after he graduated from De La Salle College in Manila, has taken up residence in Las Vegas, Nevada., while Percy Sambo lives in happy retirement in Virginia Beach. One of them, Dan Barrameda, a U.P. Diliman student in college before he joined the naval service, went back to the Philippines. After his discharge, he worked in California, before going home to Bicol, where he now lives.
Among them, we thought Art Manalo would be the least likely to become a soldier. He was fun in high school and in all his lifetime. He had a flair for stylish living. Avant-garde, that was him. He joined the U.S. Navy but left the service early for health reasons. He went into real estate in Los Angeles, CA and fully looked and acted the part, dress, talk and moves. He tried film making which brought him to Amsterdam under batchmate, Nanding Rubio’s good graces. Eventually, he went back to Bicol, where he was happiest. He passed away in 2007. We honor his memory, as we do, 2 other batch mates who have passed who joined the Philippine Armed Forces, namely Aurel Federis of the Army and Commodore Buddy Cuba, whose last distinguished role in the Philippine Navy was as official spokesperson for the Naval Force. Finally, we had other batchmates, Pete Celzo, Tito Salvosa and Ding Toribio, who, after retirement from civilian careers, became and are currently, auxiliary members of the Philippine Coast Guard, an excellent extension of their being former officers at the AdeNU ROTC.
There is something truly outstanding that I see about my friends who pursued their military careers in the United States. They have retired comfortably and live good family lives. To many, their military service paved for them the path to second careers in their return to civilian lives and raised their way of life to higher levels. Surely, the wonderful outcome in their lives is not exclusive. But they are here and here is now, a great blessing otherwise denied to many of the comrades they lost. Looking back, and seeing them, it’s plain that the path they took was worth its pains and well-rewarded too. Indeed, if there is something good and real that the U.S.-Philippines military bases agreement has accomplished for many Filipinos citing in particular my friends, this is one, that does count.
About the author: Alenn Nidea lives in New York City, NY. He is a Philippine attorney registered with the Office of Court Administration, New York State. He works as a financial professional and pursues an advocacy providing legal consulting services to the Filipino community in Queens, New York City.