As a descendant of WWII veterans, I take pride in the legacy of heroism of my uncles and grandfathers who sacrificed and one gave the ultimate price for our freedom. Many of our museum guests were and are actually related to soldiers who fought and died in WWII; Filipinos, Aeta Negritos, Americans, Japanese, and to some extent, Australians, British, Canadians and Germans. Thus, with the vast exhibits of narratives and artifacts available at our WWII Museum, it is no wonder that many foreigners who are connected to soldiers in WWII are our general visitors.
A couple of years ago, we received this delegation of visitors at our Bamban WWII Museum. They were Japanese descendants mostly of navy pilots, of the YOKAREN (Naval Aviator Preparatory Course Trainee), some of their fathers, uncles or grandfathers served in the Imperial Japanese Navy Special Attack or the “Kamikaze”. Most of them carried their portraits of their family members who were assigned at Clark Air Center to include Mabalacat and Bamban Airfield in the last quarter of 1944 and early January 1945. Most of them were never made back to their home country and perished in the course of their mission.
THE 10th YOKAREN PILOTS AND THE JAPANESE SPECIAL ATTACK
(第10代予科練の海軍パイロット。)
Mid-night of October 19, Vice-Admiral Onishi Takijiro of the 1st Air Fleet (5th Base Force) organized the First Kamikaze Special Attack Corps at the headquarters of the 201st Air Group in Mabalacat with Commander Tamai, at the house of Mr. Santos which now housed the KFC Friend Chicken. A total of 24 naval pilots from the 201st Air Group, 1st Air Fleet, volunteered for the 1st Kamikaze Special Attack Corps with Lieutenant Yukio Seki, from Squadron 301, commanding. With the organization of the Tokko Corps, four sub-units were organized, named Shikishima, Yamato, Asahi, and Yamazakura. Later, another unit was added, the Kikusui Tai, where those we were not in the four original units became members of the Kikusui Unit. Most of these navy pilots of the first Special Attack Corps were graduate of 10th YOKAREN (Yokaren, Class 10), except Lt. Yukio Seki, their leader and commanding officer. There were series of organization of the Japanese Special Attack Corps, 2nd to 5th Special Attack Corps, then the Kamikaze Special Attack Group “Kongo Tai”, the last Kamikaze Corps organized and deployed at Clark and Mabalacat Airfields in December 1944 that came from Japan and Korea. Many of these navy pilots Special Attack were graduate from YOKAREN Naval Aviator Preparatory Course Trainee program.
SENTIMENTAL VISIT
(思い出に残る訪問。)
It was a dramatic scene as these Japanese descendants disembarked from their tourist bus and met them at the gate of the museum. Some were too old to walk, and instead, were on their wheelchair. It was their sentimental visit to our WWII Museum, with our vast collections of artifacts on the fighting around Bamban and Clark Field and the air war over this region. I was fortunate to have been given on the photographs, portraits and other mementos of the Japanese navy pilots by the descendants, which are now in exhibit at our war museum. Meeting these descendants is a feeling of wonder but as an historian, an important moment and exchanging notes, narratives and stories of loss and grief. I told them about my grandfather, Mauricio Cauguiran, who was an officer in the resistance during the Occupation, killed during the war and my other grandfathers and uncles who participated in the struggle during WWII.
The stories of tragedy, of victory and loss and the struggle of WWII in our area go beyond common goal of memorializing the legacy of our grandfathers and uncles who shared in the epic struggles. To the further extent, it is bridging with people who shared the same situation of the loss and heroism, and the lessons that we can get from history.
Rhonie Dela Cruz
Bamban Historical Society
Bamban WWII History
(ローニー・デラ・クルス
フィリピン人歴史家)
