Two Wars and the Filipino and American Family

On the beach in Leyte, Philippines just south of Tacloban, there is a spectacular series of statues of Douglas MacArthur, Sergio Osmeña, Richard Sutherland, Carlos P. Romulo, Courtney Whitney, Francisco Salveron and William J. Dunn.

The statues mark the spot where MacArthur fulfilled his famous promise to the Filipino people.

The history of these statues is worth remembering.

In December of 1941, just a few hours after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, they invaded the Philippines. American and Filipino forces were unprepared and overwhelmed.

In March of 1942, General Douglas MacArthur was forced to leave the Philippines, but when he arrived in Australia, he gave a famous speech in which he declared, “I shall return.”

A horrific Japanese occupation followed with over 500,000 Filipino’s killed and millions more subjected to unimaginable atrocities.

But MacArthur kept the promise he made to the people of the Philippines.

On October 20, 1944, MacArthur waded ashore with Filipino leaders to the beach at Leyte and declared, “(p)eople of the Philippines, I have returned!”

Fighting alongside brave Filipino forces, MacArthur ended the brutal Japanese occupation. Thousands of American soldiers died…