Photo By Staff Sgt. Christopher McCullough | Maj. Gen. James F. Pasquarette (center), Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army,...... read more read more
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FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – “We are forever in their debt as a nation and as an Army to their sacrifice here in the Philippines – and we are committed to never forgetting what happened here in Luzon in the early months of 1945.”
Maj. Gen. James F. Pasquarette, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army, Pacific, said as much in a speech before Pangasinan World War II veterans and officials of Pangasinan, Philippines, during the 70th Lingayen Gulf Landings commemoration and 8th Pangasinan Veterans’ Day celebration held January 9 at Veterans’ Memorial Park in Lingayen.
“Seventy years ago today, the U.S. Sixth Army stormed ashore on these very beaches to liberate Pangasinan. The U.S. force that came ashore here attacked south to liberate Manila a little less than two months later – and established control over the remainder of Luzon soon after,” Pasquarette recounted. “This campaign would have been much more difficult for the U.S. Army if not for the efforts of the Filipino guerrillas and the support of the Filipino people.”
The Pangasinan Veterans’ Day itself is a special day made possible through Provincial Resolution 331-2007 which dates back to 2008. It is a day to honor Pangasinense World War II veterans for their role in the liberation of Luzon from the Japanese Army. Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. spearheaded the passage of the provincial resolution to immortalize the heroism of those veterans who were very young during World War II.
“The celebration of Pangasinan Veterans’ Day and the Lingayen Gulf Landings is very parochial to me as a military man,” Espino said. “I wanted our province mate, especially the youth the sacrifices and heroism of our war veterans, they fought for our freedom. They are our heroes.”
The day’s remembrance began with a Thanksgiving mass held shortly after sunrise at the Veterans’ Memorial Park. It was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony spearheaded by Espino with some invited guests that included Pasquarette; Voltaire T. Gazmin, Filipino National Defense Secretary; Col. Bruce Murray, Defense Attaché-Australian Embassy to the Philippines; and Filipino Maj. Gen. Raul Z. Caballes, Deputy Administrator-Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.
“On behalf of the United States Army, I want to convey my sincerest and lasting thanks to the Filipino veterans of this campaign and their families,” Pasquarette said. “You are the heroes and patriots of your great country.”
He went on to highlight the sacrifices made by the 10,380 U.S. Army soldiers who were killed and 36,550 wounded in the campaign to recapture the Philippines from Japan.
“We are forever in your debt as a nation and as an Army to your sacrifice here in the Philippines – and we are committed to never forgetting what happened here in Luzon in the early months of 1945,” Pasquarette said.
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2015 03:40 |
| Story ID: | 151663 |
| Location: | FORT SHAFTER, HI, US |
| Hometown: | LINGAYEN, LUZON, PH |
| Web Views: | 88 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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