Ever since I got here, Jeri has been telling me about the American Cemetery in Makati. Then, when my parents classmate visited me, he asked if there was anywhere I wanted to go while in Manila. I told him I wanted to visit the cemetery and he and his family took me the next day. It was a sobering experience that left me proud to be an American and wanting to make sure America stays worthy of all these thousands, possibly millions, of deaths.
At the end of World War II, the Americans buried the soldiers who died in the Asian theater of WWII at this cemetery. There are thousands of crosses in every direction. It is incredibly endless and sobering. However, there were thousands more who were missing. Filipinos helped the Americans recover the Philippines from the Japanese so listed along with the names of American MIA are the names of missing Filipino scouts.
Seeing the amount of names and crosses was very sad and sobering. It's a beautiful place.
Afterward, Lloyd and his family took me to the Filipino equivalent of Arlington, where Lloyd's father is buried. His father fought in WWII alongside the Americans. His mother is now 86 and was 11 when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. I got the chance to talk to her last night and she still remembers the Japanese coming in and raiding their village. She said she even learned a few words in Japanese. However, she didn't see any American soldiers during the war.
After the cemetery, the Casis family took me to visit their church, Christian Bible Baptist Church. He's a deacon there. I got the chance to meet a whole bunch of people, mostly wives of the pastor and elders. However, I also got to meet an OB/GYN who attends their church and who caught Sarah and David, the Casis children. When she heard I was becoming a midwife, she froze ever so slightly then smiled and asked me what hospital I was working in...yah...LOL...no. It was an interesting conversation and I could tell she was not overly enthusiastic that I was working in a birth center and was becoming a midwife. LOL. Oh well. ;-D
Then we went to a Vietnamese restaurant I'd never eating Vietnamese food but it didn't seem too different than Filipino food. It was delicious. :-D
Here are the pictures I took at the cemetery:
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| American cemetery |
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| ok, this isn't from the cemetery. This is Ryle being a goofball :-D |
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| another Ryle picture |
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| the American cemetery memorial |
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| Sarah, Lloyd's oldest daughter |
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| it was interesting seeing a missing American from North Carolina listed right alongside all the Filipino scouts |
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| The Casis family |
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| it's been a few months since I've seen an American flag flying like this... |
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| it was weird - and a little disconcerting - seeing someone with my dad's name listed on the wall... |
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| David, Lloyd's son |
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| the white crosses were endless |
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| Me, Mariel, Sarah, and David |
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| map showing the US air involvement. |
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| this is Lloyd next to is father's cross at the Filipino cemetery |
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| the Filipino cemetery |
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| monument at the Filipino cemetery |
