A reunion of Heroes A reunion of Heroes A reunion of Heroes
 
     
 

N18* 38.7' Latitude
E120* 50. Longitude

April 21, 2007, Inauguration of the Stingray Memorial
Caunayan Bay, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Northern Philippines


Newspaper account from Amianan, april 21, 2007
"WWII History Recalled in Beachside Ceremony"

      Submariners and local bolomen shake hands 63 years later as monument is unveiled.

     Today in the northernmost point of Luzon: the fulfillment of a dream. A monument, long overdue, will be unveiled in a coconut grove on a beach  at Sito Bimmanaaw, Caunayan Bay,  north of Pagudpud. Without a lot of fanfare, but sponsored by the Philippine Veterans Bank, this marble, stone and pebble  memorial--topped by a 500 kilo anchor--will stand in honor of  the bolomen and guerrillas of the Philippines and the crews of the 20 special  mission American submarines that supplied them with materiel to maintain  their resistance against the Japanese in WWII.

     At a beachside ceremony today, dubbed as “A Reunion of Heroes, a handful of submarine veterans and local guerrillas will exchange war mementos and memories. A local brass band playing the national anthems of both countries, will end the ceremony by playing Taps to the ringing of the bell for the submarine crews’ "final  patrol."

    The remote site was chosen because it was one of the last sub drops to guerrillas; the USS Stingray on its 12th Patrol, landed on this beach; and a local man, Roque B. Ablan, was among the very first to take up arms against  the  Japanese.

    A lot of history can be recalled from this tiny focal center.

  
     
  STINGRAY
MEMORIAL

From the first days of WWII, Filipinos and Americans
set up resistance throughout the country; the first to
attack the Japanese was the the Ablan-Madamba
Guerrilla Unit of Northern Luzon.

When Gen. Douglas MacArthur learned of the native
resistance he asked the U.S. Navy for submarines
to supply the Philippine underground.

Cmdr. Chick Parsons, who had earlier escaped
from the Japanese captivity in Manila, organized
and directed the 20 Spyron Special Mission
Submarines which completed 49 secret missions.
They delivered arms, ammunition, medicine,
radios and specially-trained commandos.

The returning U.S. forces were met by 350,000
guerrillas; there were over 200 radio/coast-
watcher stations sending vital information
to MacArthur.

These 20 submarines were a major factor in the
liberation of the Philippines, and were the most
successful patrol mission boats of WWII:
Narwhal  Nautilus  Bowfin  Stingray  Ray
Angler  Redfin  Gudgeon  Blackfin  Seawolf
Trout  Gar  Crevalle  Gunnel Grayling
Harder  Cero  Hake  Thresher  Tambor.

On this point, Caunayan Bay, in the early morning
of August 27, 1944. the USS Stingray offloaded 15
Fil-Am Commandos, led by Capt. Joe Valera, and
6 tons of arms and supplies for the guerrillas
and bolomen. This was the last of the major
submarine landings, just 6 weeks prior to the
Leyte Invasion.

This anchor and chain represents the loss of 9 by
those submarines who left them behind in their
often-hasty departures.

An anchor and chain lie underwater 100 meters
from this spot where they were left by the Stingray
during its harried exit. She was surrounded by 21
Japanese vessels, but escaped to deep water
without firing a shot.

This memorial is anchored in freedom,
enshrined in friendship.		  
     
  The need for the “Stingray Memorial Project” attains increasing significance. Now, more than ever, is it imperative for the nation to thank the brave heroes -- the men who ran the boats and the bolomen with the symbolic garland of thanks around their necks, while they are still alive – instead of placing a wreath at their graves.

In the same breath, we also thank the officers and crew of the 20 Freedom boats who, by some divine confluence, shared the same quiet beach with our bolomen one night during World War II. Those frantic minutes spent unloading firearms; ordnance and supplies linked us inexorably with America in a way that is profound and almost mythical. These, and similar incidents, now loom larger than the war itself, and its participants, taller than monuments.

A CELEBRATION OF RESISTANCE
The commemoration is not meant to be anti-Japanese as it is pro-freedom.  It is always fitting to pay tribute to the gallant men and women who braved unspeakable odds, not so much to fight the Japanese invading forces, but more so to regain the freedom and liberty that is rightfully theirs.  Theirs is a universal aspiration – a story in which everyone can relate to -- Filipino, American, Japanese and all freedom-loving people.

And this is the reason why the exploits and accomplishments of the 20 Freedom submarines and the freedom fighters must be commemorated and memorialized.  It is time to recognize and commend the Filipino who fought, not with arms and ammunition, but with his sheer passion for freedom.