Caunayan Bay at Sunset
Just to the northeast of Saud Beach in the Ilocos Norte town of Pagudpud (often voted among Asia’s Best Beaches) is Sito Bimmanaaw, Caunayan Bay. This bay was a very important site during the Second World War, though unknown to almost all. A dwindling number of veterans and their families know and remember all too well, however.
It was here at Caunayan Bay that the U.S. Navy forged a bond of friendship with guerrilla fighters and “Bolomen.” The latter were ordinary citizen who resisted occupation forces through their assistance to the guerrillas. Bolomen were so named because their only weapons were bolos (a type of machete) and pointed bamboo lances. It is here that in 2007, a group comprised of the STINGRAY Friendship Foundation, the National Historical Institute, and the Departments of Tourism and Education placed a memorial to that bond. Known as the “STINGRAY Memorial,” it commemorates the 20-some U.S. submarines that supplied the resistance fighters of Northern Luzon and performed other “classified” missions.
STINGRAY Memorial
The memorial itself (named after USS STINGRAY) is constructed of marble, stone and pebble. A 500-kilo anchor sits atop it, signifying the anchor “cut loose” by the crew of USS STINGRAY (and eight other anchors similarly cut loose by their submarines) on one of their last missions. This emergency action allowed USS STINGRAY (and the other eight submarines) to avoid detection and evade approaching Japanese vessels via a “quick get away.”
The memorial pays tribute to the guerrillas and Bolomen, and crews of the U.S. submarines who delivered arms, ammunition, medicine and supplies. An example is the above-mentioned mission of USS STINGRAY. It offloaded six tons of arms and supplies and a 15-man Fil-Am commando team just six weeks prior to the “return” invasion at Leyte. A Filipino veteran recalls that without those arms and supplies, they would not have been able to liberate Northern Luzon.
Getting to the memorial (a site that also is good for diving and surfing, conditions permitting) is a scenic trip in itself. The memorial sits in a 10-hectare coconut grove, along the white sand beach. Reaching the coconut grove requires a drive (or serious hike) from the National Highway on a semi-paved provincial road. The drive goes through a valley and over a “short” mountain heading toward the beach. There was no signage when we visited – just the road and the adventure of following it to its end at the coconut grove. The beach and the coconut grove are similarly scenic. Pristine waters lap the white-sanded shores. Ten hectares of coconut trees provide wonderful shade from the heat of the sun as well as fresh coconuts.
Provincial All-Terrain Vehicle
Along the drive are beautiful vistas, and agricultural villages and fields. Carabao serve as tractor, truck and sports car here – they easily glide around some of the tighter curves in the road.
Additional pictures finish this article but not the story. More can be learned from the Bolomen website.
Crossing the Bridge to Pagudpud
Memorial in Coconut Grove
Getting Fresh Coconuts
Got One!
White Sand Beach
The Beach is Fun, Too!
About PaulK
Thanks Paul,
My daughter Michelle has been in the Navy since 2005 (just out of high school) and I am proud of her. She married a Navy DI and after two tours in Getmo she is now in Germany helping the Army. I would love to see her stationed in RP but it will never be now. Thanks for the Navy history and the bond between the Navy and the people of the Philippines.
Hi Edward – Thanks for you comments & please pass my gratitude on to your daughter & son-in-law for their service.
It’s an often heard irony in the Navy: those who wanted orders to the Philippines never got them (like me), and those who never wanted to go WESTPAC (Western Pacific to include the Philippines) had the luck to draw orders to the Philippines.
Oh well, I’ll do my “tour” now!
Hi Paul,
I enjoyed the History Lesson very much, As my Dad used to say ” It’s a good day when you learn something new!” So thank’s for the good day. Nice photo’s also!
Hi Paul,
A very good and informative article. I for one didn’t know about this important event in our Philippine history during the war. I’m sure that there are lot more historic and heroic events that are not mentioned and or forgotten that took place in other parts of the Philippines. Thank you for posting it. I know some of the names that were mentioned in the “Bolomen website” but that’s about it.
How about the men and women working for the State Dept. and the Marine Corp guarding the Embassy that were posted in the Philippines?
Do they go on rotation or just got pick from a long list of qualified personel?
Like I said before, kept ‘em coming.
Regards
Oops, I meant keep ‘em coming.
great post –
Kind of appropriate this story is for me. I am living in Florida, and my Dad lives in Ca. We had a falling out 29 years ago. This June we made amends, and have been talking every couple of weeks. He’s up in age, and not doing well.
10 days ago I got an e-mail that his health took a turn for the worst, and then over night he improved drastically. Melanie, and I flew out to see him. My Dad was pleasantly surprised to meet Melanie. He started talking about the war, and his duties while there. I never heard any of this before. He never mentioned the war, except that he had served in the Navy.
He was a coxswain for the captain of the ship. He got a sparkle in his eye talking about Manila, and the dangers there. He talked about the ship taking rifle shots from shore. I don’t know what the timing was. If it was the beginning, or end of the war. I can say this he was truly coming alive while talking with Mel about the war……i2f
my father in laws mother and father where both killed by the japenese during world war 2 in cebu. he was left orphaned and alone but some how survived as a young child !he has told me many storys and memorys about the americans that liberated P.I.
Great story Paul. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Mike – Thanks for your input. Many Americans, then and now, never really knew the harsh conditions in the Philippines during the war. Your father-in-law is a national treasure – living history.
Thank you, James. Hopefully there will be more in the near future!
Thanks for this article Paul! I specially enjoyed the photos.
Paul you still have Marine personnel stationed at the Manila embassy. They may not be at the public gates but they are there. They have a distinct mission and letting the public in or out is not the mission. You can rest assured that they are monitering what is going on however-every where in that embassy. Ron (SgtsMajor USMC, Retired)
Hello Paul
Oh I never this information before…I thought I was pretty savy when it came to military history in the Philippines ;p I remember visiting General McArthurs statue in Leyte last year. Mmmmm the memories are still so vivid in my mind…
Hi Ron. Well, I was in “don’t open that can of worms” mode when I avoided mentioning that detachment. While the U.S. Embassy and associated land enclosed within its gates is diplomatically considered U.S. soil, there are those who still want to root out each and every bit of U.S. Military presence in the Philippines regardless of their purpose or location. Guess I didn’t want any spade work to start here.
ooo-raaaah.
Hi Paul – Thanks and your welcome to all the Naval History I can come up with
As my old chief used to say before he started the projector to show us old “Victory at Sea” flix, “Knowin’ dis s#!t ain’t gonna hurt no body here an’ it’s bedda dan EMI!”
Hi Jun – The Ilocos region is just chock-full of history. This time of year, though, I have to dodge the monsoon rains and tropical depression/cyclone/typhoon activity to get to that history.
As for State Department people, they are assigned a position when it opens up. There is a rotation system, but some extend their “tours of duty” quite a few times. They can request the assignment as well – don’t know how popular a position in Manila is but I’d bet they don’t have a hard time filling it.
The Marine Corps embassy guards are on rotation and have a preference list. Not eveyone qualifies. They have to display above average demeanor and have a good recommendation from their current commanding officer if they are selected or they request assignment. Sometimes, though, an embassy guard assignment can be tough on a Marine and might cause the guard to misbehave. If so then it’s instant orders out of that position so it can be filled by another, better qualified guard.
Very interesting subject Paul has picked here. A lot of people, both US and Filipino have no real idea of the ‘behind the lines’ work that went on in the Philippines which started long before the surrender at Bataan nad continued unabated until after the ‘return’ landings.
In addition to the commonly mentioned regular and irregular guerrilla forces, the US had a lot of Filipinos already ‘in country’. Many, of course, just joined the US forces and went where fate took them, but the US Army formed two very special units, the 1st & 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments. These were Filipinos/former Filipinos and they were sent to the Philippines long in advance of MacArthur’s actual return to form supply and communication facilities behind the Japanese lines … even more dangerous work than normal infantry at war. This was part of MacArthur’s talent for taking ground with minimal losses … the invasion of Leyte and later Luzon was perhaps the best prepared-for landing in the entire war.
Just one of many such true events now in danger of being lost in time. Corregidor, Bataan and Leyte and Lingayen Gulfs are very important, but they are far from all that went on in the Philippines during the war … Filipinos weren’t just sitting here waiting to be ‘rescued’, that’s for sure.
Weather permitting!
According to a State Department acquaintance, civilian positions at the US Embassy, Manila are the most requested of all overseas posts. It is also supposed to be the most requested posting for extensions of tours as well.
I haven’t seen a Marine Guard at the Embassy in years now, sadly. All access seems to be in the hands of a Philippine contractor who apparently couldn’t meet the standards of the average supermarket security guard company … it’s sad how our country currently represents itself … bring back the Marines is my vote.
Thanks, Dave – Sort of figured that the State Department issue was along those lines. Back in the day, when I was stationed next to the London Embassy, I knew quite a few State Dept. folks. Most wanted to go to Manila, but kept extending in London awaiting an opening.
If Marine Guards came back, they’d have to be armed and that would throw all the “red shirt-wearers” and “red flag-wavers” in a tizzy. Once the word got out, so too the demonstrators.
Right you are, Dave. Here’s a link to a short history of those two regiments: http://www.militarymuseum.org/Filipino.html
Interesting, indeed!
Paul, very interesting article on the link you mentioned above. It reminded me of my father who joined the Philippine-American Guerrilla forces in PI just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. My experiences as a child is also documented in my autobiography that I have published for Christmas gifts to my grand children this year ( my personal blogs published into hard bound books). In my book, I discussed my childhood experiences about the American-Japanese War in Philippines (1941-1945).
Cheers and good day to all history enthusiasts.
Thanks, David. Sorry to say there is a lot of history regarding the Filipino resistance (really should say aggressive response) to the Japanese occupation, as well as heroic stories of “everyday” pinoy and pinay, and those who served in regular units.
One Lola who passed away a few years ago had a fantastic memory for detail regarding the war in this area. She is a lost treasure of local history that will never be repeated. Whenever I’d ask her what she’d like for her birthday, the answer was always the same: “The ears of a Japanese.”
Hi John – Glad you enjoyed the article. My late Father never spoke about his involvement in WWII either, until one day he took me to his friend’s one-chair barbershop. While I was getting my haircut, another fellow walked in and sat down to wait. Both the barber and my Father knew this fellow quite well. The three of them started to talk about some of their war experiences – the three were together in the same platoon in Europe. They mentioned a whole lot of scary stuff (I was only about 6 years old at the time) that happened to them, etc. That was the only time he ever opened up about the war; he took the rest of his story with him when he passed.
Hi David S – Thank you very much for reading it. I hope to have more in the future.
You are most welcome, Miss August. Weather permitting, I will try to put together more picture-oriented articles. As is, rainy season is lingering.
i have asked my father in law to write down some of these story’s so my son can read them when he gets older, sort of not losing the family history with him ! my father in law has had a colorful life was a missionary and a mercenary scout in Mindanao and converted many muslins to Christianity one way or another! worked for san miguel brewery worked as a baggage porter ,made coco kraft business.raised pigs and chickens and is a herbalist,was a bodybuilder when younger. still is a pretty strong man even at 73 yrs old .he probably knows more secrets about local politicians then anyone person you will meet! no body in his neighborhood will mess with him he is very well respected and i never met anyone with so many friends before in my life!
Be proud of your father-in-law and make sure he writes that history down. So much history of what went on over here during the war is being lost everyday as people who were involved pass on.
Please thank him for me.
Hi Jason – There was plenty going on behind the scenes in the Philippines during the occupation by Japan. One method of its being camoufloged was the continuous smiles and good nature displayed to a bitter enemy. Another was to label a few very active guerilla teams as “bandits” so as to minimize Japanese reprisals on the local populace.
One thing you can say with certainty: The Filipino didn’t just sit on his/her hands awaiting salvation during WWII.
Just speculation, Paul K, but the decision to pull U.S Marine guards from guard duty at the gates of the Manila U.S. Embassy may have been driven by two factors: to remove the Marines from harm’s way and to minimize the appearance of U.S. military presence in the Philippines and the antagonism that it engenders.
I personally doubt that the visual presence of Marine guards in public view would deter anti-American demonstrations – Pulang Bandila, or otherwise – outside the Embassy; on the contrary, I think it would attract more demonstrations, as the very sight of the armed Marine guards represents all that the U.S. stands for – interventionism and imperialism – in the eyes of the Filipino far Left that objects very strongly to the VFA and U.S. military presence in the Philippines.
I feel, though, that the majority of Filipinos holds the same values as do Americans, and aligns itself to the American ethos of love of God, Country, and Family – in that order – but there are those who think differently. And this is what State may have been worried about.
Afterall, if memory serves, a Colonel Rowe of the U.S. Army serving with JUSMAG was gunned down in Manila in 1985(?) by a Sparrow hit squad, a unit of the NPA.
Hi John Reyes – I agree with your observations. Pulling uniform military out of view does make for a safer environment (danger from the fringe elements) and keeps heads a little cooler when protest time comes around. Thanks for pointing them out.