In Celebration of my 25th Birthday Team O’Phun (our hybrid team of Nessa, Zeo and L.O.) traveled to explore a little bit of Philippine history, which is actually closely intwined with ours in the United States.
We took a ferry to the Island of Corregidor off the Bataan Peninsula.
The island was occupied by a military force even before 1900. By 1912 there were already concrete emplacements and bomb-proof shelters constructed and trails and roads were laid out on the island. These constructions were merely laying down the groundwork to make Corregidor a great military bastion. The small fishing village was transformed into a fortress and site of one of the most heroic battles in the history of war.
The big guns of Corregidor in 1941 were used in support of Filipino and American defenders of Bataan until the island itself was invaded by Japanese Forces. The restless pounding by Japanese guns including intermittent bombings reduced its defenses and compelled its surrender. On January 22, 1945, Corregidor was once again caught in the fury of war as the Americans retook the island after a bloody battle. *
The day was perfect for touring the sites and exploring a little bit of the island. It actually made us want to spend more than the 5 hours allotted for the bus tour, there was definitely more to see. It was obvious that the battles during WWII on the island were brutal for all involved. The destruction still scarred the land and equipment (notice the shrapnel on the cannon).
The monuments throughout the island were beautiful reminders of all who fought for their countries and why some wars are fought to begin with.
Spending the day looking back in time helped give a little perspective on today and new light towards the future. I want to say thank you to all the people who have fought in wars for our country (and for others) and an additional prayer for those who are fighting now. It is not in vain and it is not forgotten.
My time on the World Race is nearing to an end with only a little more than one month left. This year has been such a blessing and definitely life changing. China is the next and last country we will be living in before heading back home to the States right before Thanksgiving. In the famous words of General MacArthur…
“I SHALL RETURN” 🙂
GOD BLESS
* www.corregidorisland.com/history.html
