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Post by fortune40 on Oct 27, 2012 4:47:50 GMT 8
The first time i have been to Corregidor as a day tourist, i seems to have enough info on what to expect about the Rock specially the big guns..But when i see the ruins of the buildings seeing the hole on the roof of concrete slab with the guide doing the talking, still have a big surprised when i set foot at the Battery Way i could really see how big these mortars were imagining its power compared to the 81mm..Then the tour goes on to Battery Hearn which i recognized easely as it was the big gun that the Japanese used shouting their Banzai after the capture as propaganda,.We stopped by the ravine where the guide told us about the suicide cliff..that later on proved that there was non as written here by the first hand experienced of the troopers..was surprised to see the Japanese memorials with those naval guns..?At the Malinta East Entrance?I was the last to leave feel like how the troops of long ago squeezed themselves in..I feel the hairs at the back of my head rise up as if a hand would like to touch..that's the time i hurriedly go to the tranv..he.he..I would say that what i have seen in the books were still there but what i already know in advance i can say now is so little..the tunnels alone has so much more to see..I hope later i could stayed few days there with the veterans to explore more..For normal Filipino the cost of island stay is not that cheap..I hope no other new structure would be built to preserved the area as they were...
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Post by okla on Oct 27, 2012 9:33:40 GMT 8
Hey Fortune....I am in full agreement with you on no new structures being built on Corregidor. I am also of the opinion that the Japanese memorials, although placed on "the Rock" with good intentions, are completely out of place. I have harped on this in previous posts, so will not elaborate. I am sure the Japanese would find an American memorial to the lost B-29 Aircrews, perched in the middle of downtown Tokyo, to be a bit out of place also. Just my humble.
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Post by cbuehler on Oct 30, 2012 1:21:11 GMT 8
Fortune, At least now you have an appreciation of the Island! There is so much more to learn and we all hope you continue. I try to avoid the topic, but I must disagree with Okla regarding Japanese memorials on Corregidor. We cant lose sight of the fact that the Japanese are the other half of the whole picture. None of this history would exist without them and they lay claim to it as much as any American or Filipino. It is not a matter if right or wrong, good or bad, but historical fact. The generation that is old enough to have participated in or remember ww2 are nearly all gone now and the personal feelings some of them may have had should not, indeed CAN NOT, be transferred to others, no matter how bad the experience was. It was their experience, not ours. Our duty to all of them and to the monuments that remain such as Corregdor, is to interpret history openly and honestly. Bias understandably will always be present, but at least we can be aware of it. My 2 cents anyway!
CB
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