A tribute to my parents on their 79th wedding anniversary if they are here today
From fellow blogger, Rosalinda Morgan, we receive a first hand account of when Smitty was on Luzon…
With the war going on in Ukraine, I thought of the war in the Philippines when I was a baby. War is a terrible thing, and in memory of my parent’s 79th wedding anniversary, I’m reposting this story of how Dad’s decision saved our lives from the massacre. Otherwise, my three brothers and I won’t be here today. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! Love you both and miss you every day!
I sent this story four years ago to a fellow blogger, GPCox, who blogs about WWII in the Pacific at https://PacificParatrooper.wordpress.com. It is an excerpt from my book, BAHALA NA, Come What May. If you’re a fan of WWII Pacific Theatre, go and visit Pacific Paratrooper and say hello to GP.
Thank you.

My father told me this story of what happened…
View original post 1,017 more words
Posted on March 21, 2022, in First-hand Accounts, SMITTY, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 11th airborne, Army, Luzon, Philippines, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 104 Comments.
This was an amazing story. The personal story really brings the brutality of war out to the top. Thanks for sharing.
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Yes, it most certainly does at that Tim. Thank you for commenting.
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🙂
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You are welcome.
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Such a well-told story of their gladness to see the American soldiers as they were evacuated from place to place. Always nice to hear war stories with a happy ending.
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We sure do need them once in a while, eh?! Thank you, Bev!
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This post is very touching. One’s parents never die. They have entered immortality, and you will remember them for the rest of your life.
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Rose had a wonderful relationship with her parents and I feel you are right – they have entered immortality.
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👍🏻👌
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Thanks so much for sharing Rosalinda’s story, GP. It’s one of those we all need to read often in this war-torn world. Grateful to all those who share sad stories made better by those who are willing to fight for right.
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How wonderfully worded, Bette. Thank you!!
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👍🏻
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Wonderful. I was curious about how the people of the Philipines coped during the war. It was extremely dangerous I see.
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Yes, that’s why I was so happy to see that Rose had a story from her parents, especially about the exact time my father was there.
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I wish I had more first hand stories from my own father, but he did not want to talk about it.
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Quite understandable! They all handled it in their own way.
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This was a wonderful story, the stories that need to be told, and need to be heard.
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Thank you, Jennie. That’s exactly how I feel about them.
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You’re welcome, GP.
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Thanks for your support and like
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Sure thing!
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😊
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Such a good reminder that family stories matter. Enjoyed this very much!
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Every story, argument and war all have more than 2 sides. The eye-witness reports are very important.
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Thanks for sharing such beautiful story.
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Rose’s story of her family’s plight is very pertinent to this part of the war. Thank you for reading it, Kally!
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👍🏻! It’s really nice
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Amazing! What a wonderful tribute to some wonderful parents! Thank you for sharing this with us, GP!
(((HUGS)))
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My pleasure. Rose has some wonderful information on her site.
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👍🏻
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Nice photography
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Yes, Rose did a good job.
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❤️👍👍 I love it! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for coming by.
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😊
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Remind me not to hide in sugar cane fields. I’m wondering whether the Japanese deliberately torched them. They were certainly capable of it.
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That could very well be.
PS. I just started working on my review of your book. I’m far from a polished author, so it takes me a while. 🙄😬
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I’m happy you read it! Many thanks.
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Excellent, I hope I do right by it in my review.
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👍🏻
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May God Bless you with Good health and Long Life always
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And you as well.
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TQ🙂
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I often notice and take time to read her comments on your blog, GP, so it was especially nice to get this bit of background. It’s quite a tale, and the connection to your father’s amazing. We never know what connections will pop up in this inter-webby world!
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You bet! It sure makes the world a whole lot smaller!
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Thanks for sharing her account of what her family experienced. It is part of the reality of war.
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And to correspond to the 11th Airborne’s landing!? I was thrilled.
Thank you for reading it, John.
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Having that connection is a real plus!
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Exactly!
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My parents would have been married 80 years this year. Pearl Harbor happened 2 weeks later. Dad was in the Army Reserves, so he left right away. We must be close to the same age.
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We probably are pretty close in age. Too bad we couldn’t keep that generation around longer!!
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A good story that is worth of a repost! Thanks for sharing it.
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It is my pleasure.
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💞😃👍
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Thanks for this share, GP. It is so enlightening.
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How often could I find a story from the Filipino side that corresponds to the 11th Airborne landing? I was stunned.
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This looks interesting! Running over to Rosalinda’s blog to read it now.
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Thank you for taking the time, Liz.
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You’re welcome, GP. It was a compelling first-hand account. I’m glad I read it.
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https://pacificparatrooper.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/gif-thank-you.webp
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👍🏻
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so great to be connected like this – goin to read the full post now
🙂
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Thank you very much!
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A great story, GP. Thank you for sharing it.
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I am happy you liked it, Dolly! There’s so much we can still learn from that generation.
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Most definitely, GP.
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What a great story.
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I’m so happy you liked it, Jacqui!
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Thanks for the re-post.
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What do you think the odds were that I’d find someone with a story from when my father landed on Luzon? I was amazed!
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Great story, GP. Once again, I’m thankful.
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I appreciate you reading their story, TW.
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It’s amazing that you came across it, and a bit weird (to me) how it parallels the situation in Ukraine right now.
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And hence the line, “History repeats itself.”
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Lump in throat
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So glad you found it that profound, Joy. I appreciate your feelings.
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Thanks, GP, for reposting. It’s one of those stories that should be told in the hope that we will learn from history.
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You are more than welcome, Rose. What are the odds I would find someone with a story from the Filipino side of the Luzon story, eh?
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I’m glad Smitty and his fellow paratroopers landed close enough for my parents to hear and witness the shooting exchange between the Americans and the Japanese after the landing but far enough to avoid being shot at.
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Amen! I’m so glad you chose to publish this story.
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Powerful GP…powerful. They would be proud of you!
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I can’t take credit for this one, this is all Rosalinda and her parents.
Thank you for dropping in.
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So very pertinent today, GP
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Thank you. There’s so much we can still learn from them.
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what a story!
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I’m so glad you had the time to read it Beth!! Thank you.
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I loved it! You do such good work, GP.
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Thank you, Cindy, but I can’t take credit for this one – it’s all Rosalinda here.
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Wonderful share, GP. Initially I was confused and thought that was your parents but the man did not look like your pictures of Smitty. I then wondered how Smitty would have had time to have sired a child in the Philippines. (Some of us are a little slow…) The two make a very handsome older couple.
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Yes, they do. I can understand the confusion, but I’m glad you found the story interesting in the long run!
Thanks!
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Thank you for sharing this, GP. What an incredible story.
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I’m so glad you found it interesting, Jill!!
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Thanks for sharing this story, GP. I hope you have a wonderful week.
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And you as well, Dan. Thank you for taking the time to read this story.
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nice to share it
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Thank you.
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Amazing Story, Thanks for re-posting GP.
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It is always great to hear the eye-witness account rather than from a disassociated historian.
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Good reblog, GP. I have been over and read the story.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you for doing so, Pete. I greatly appreciate it!
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Thank goodness for that mercy. Hopefully there are many more like it to be retold in the coming decades.
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That sure would be nice, wouldn’t it?
Thank you!
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Thank you, Ned.
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