MAJOR MAX Young, a 98-year-old former guerrilla fighter, vividly recalled his ordeal in World War II, particularly his daring escape, together with his comrades from their Japanese captors on March 20, 1942.
Young, who hails from Cebu,
disclosed his WWII experience during an exclusive interview on the eve of the
79th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines on Dec. 8, 1941
that started WWII in the Pacific.
Young could be the only
surviving Filipino war veteran who fought during the Second World War, the
Korean War, and the Vietnam War where he was a member of the Philippine Civic
Action Group to Vietnam, not engaged in combat, but civic action work.
Despite his age, Young
still remembers all his combat experience, particularly the Korean War where he
was a tank commander, who fought almost singlehandedly against highly superior
Chinese and North Korean force in the battle of Yultong where he was awarded
the Taegeuk Medal, South Korea’s highest military medal for gallantry in
combat.
Young still does
calisthenics every day doing 1,000 steps, and walks on his own.
Recalling his WWII
experience, Young said he was aboard working in a civilian ship, together with
160 soldiers and their families going to Manila from Cebu when we heard
"over the radio at 10 in the morning that Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and Clark
Air Base in Pampanga were bombed by Japanese warplanes on that fateful day of 8
December 1941”.
“We were sailing near
Mindoro Island when we heard the news that shocked all of us. We prayed to God
for protection,” he said.
He said the ship captain
was undaunted as he sped up the ship going to Manila. “As we sailed to Manila, two
Japanese warships spotted us. We were told to surrender, but our skipper
ignored the warning,” he said. “Suddenly, the Japanese opened fire at us with
their big guns as we continued to sail.”
Young said the boat’s
captain proceeded to Corregidor and anchored the ship on the seashore. “We
jumped to the shallow waters and ran for our lives,” he said.
After a few days, they were
told to proceed to Bataan but “on December 15 we went to Fort Mills in
Corregidor Island where there was an enlistment in progress by the United
States Armed Forces in the Far East,” he said. “I was enlisted immediately. I
was elated. At that time, I was 19.”
With the Philippines under
attack, Young said he was ready to die and defend the country against the
Japanese invaders.
Later, Young said he and
six of his companions decided to surrender to the Japanese on March 1, 1942, or
three months after the invasion. “We were assigned to help in serving meal to
our Japanese captors,” he said. “Then on March 20, 1942, we secretly planned to
escape. Fortunately, we were able to escape and thanked God for His help and
protection.”
Young’s combat experience
is a one-of-a-kind exploit that all Filipinos can be proud of and even worth
making into a movie about the great Filipino soldier. (Ben Cal)
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