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Post by Karl Welteke on Sept 25, 2015 20:51:00 GMT 8
THE CLARK VETERANS CEMETERY Clark Veterans Cemetery is now in the hands of the American Battle Monument Commission. www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/pacific/clark-veterans-cemetery#.VgUyH52wqUkThere are a few more URLs you can look up about its history. Many Veterans associations and also private donations got the cemetery cleaned up after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption and the US Air Force left in 1991. I joint details from my VFW Post 11447 (Subic Bay) and helped the VFW Post 2485 (Angeles) in the early 1990s. Between 1994 and 2013, the Philippine Government allowed members of the VFW Post 2485 to operate and maintain the cemetery. Under the new management of the American Battle Monument Commission veterans continue to be buried in this cemetery. On the 24th Sep. 2015 we buried my shipmate John T. Brady. We were stationed together on the Da Nang Diving Barge and John was my Leading Petty Officer. Wow, that is now 49 years ago. He was good leader and I learned from him. I took 82 pictures and they give you a good sense how fortunate we are to bury our Shipmates and Comrades in a Veterans cemetery. This is the URL: s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Philippines/No%202%20Phil%20Events%20Group%20Albums/2015%20OC%20BB%20SB%20ZAM%20events/John%20T%20Brady%202015-09-24?sort=9&page=1Here are a few sample images of the burial and from the time when John and I were stationed in Viet Nam in 1966. W120 John is honored by his Shipmates and Comrades. W121 the US Flag is presented to the family. W122 the final moment of departure has arrived W123 John was a strong man; you did not want to wrestle with him. John is at left putting on the helmet onto a diving candidate volunteering for the program. That bunk at right was my bunk on the diving barge in the Naval Support Activity Da Nang for about a year or so. W124 we cooked our self, the menu for today was hamburger, bread slices and ketchup. We probable had some greens and cheese somewhere to put between those slices. In that can was orange juice. C4 works good to start a BBQ fire. Left is I and right is John T. Brady. W125 we worked throughout I Corps, often it was to repair underwater fuel lines in Cua Viet, near the DMZ or in Chu Lai (south). The Marines used a Navy manned LCM-8 Landing Boat as a ferry on the Hoi An River about 20 clicks inland. We divers went there every two weeks or so to replace screws, shaft or bearings of the boats under water. That is yours truly, we usually wore greens, I don’t remember why I wore dungarees that day.
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Post by beirutvet on Sept 25, 2015 23:22:47 GMT 8
Karl
My heartfelt condolences to you on the loss of your friend. Keep his memory alive and he will be with us always.
Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me;
Here he lies where he longed to be,
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
Robert Louis Stevenson
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Post by oozlefinch on Sept 26, 2015 9:44:00 GMT 8
It's good to see that the Navy is providing humanitarian aid for the Philippine people. Karl, I too am sorry for the loss of your friend and fellow shipmate. As to the ABMC taking over the Clark Field Veterans Cemetery, it's high time they did. I've always thought that the Manila American Cemetery was the nicest and most beautiful spot in Manila. I don't know how many know of this, but back around 1987 the ABMC was in negotiations with the Philippine Government to take over and care for part of Corregidor (I believe it was all areas above the 350ft mark.) I believe it fell through when someone decided that they could make some money on the island (my thoughts).
(I agree with your thoughts, oozlefinch, not that I was there, though - Registrar)
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Post by batteryboy on Sept 26, 2015 19:19:17 GMT 8
Karl, My deepest condolences as well to the loss of your friend but we know he is in a better place now. Thanks to you, people like him are remembered and honored. On the lighter side, nice photo in NAM. We should see more of them. Cheers, B-Boy
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Post by JohnEakin on Sept 27, 2015 10:30:53 GMT 8
The irony of the ABMC taking over Clark cemetery is that the old Ft McKinley cemetery was cleaned out to build the current WWII cemetery. Most of those buried at Ft McKinley were moved to Clark. Its long past time the US Government did the right thing for the men and women buried there. A cemetery operator in the States who walked away from maintaining a cemetery would be charged with fraud.
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Post by cbuehler on Sept 28, 2015 12:20:47 GMT 8
My condolences as well. At we least all can be assured now that Clark cemetery wont become a condo or some other banal tourist trap. Good to see the Master of Bataan in an earlier version as well!
CB
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Post by Karl Welteke on Sept 29, 2015 10:44:55 GMT 8
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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 10, 2015 13:07:36 GMT 8
PHILIPPINE AND US MARINES EXERCISE SEP-OCT 2015 US, Philippines to Begin this Year’s Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise in Luzon Manila, September 18, 2015 — U.S. Marines and Sailors of the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3d MEB), the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will be participating in the 31st iteration of the Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) 2015, 21 September to 9 October, in Luzon. The Philippine lead exercise will continue to enhance the interoperability between the U.S. Marine air-ground task force and the AFP with the goal of improving our bilateral response to regional issues and maritime security crises within the Asia-Pacific. PHIBLEX 15 will include approximately 650 U.S. service members based in Okinawa, Japan and Philippine Sailors and Marines working side-by-side to conduct a command post exercise, field training exercises, amphibious operations, combined arms training, civil-military operations and humanitarian and civic assistance projects. The command post exercise, in Palawan, will increase the AFP’s capability to conduct planning for and execution of bilateral maritime operations. The field training exercises in the vicinity of Angeles-Clark, to include small arms and artillery live-fire training, will provide the Philippine and U.S. Marine units multiple opportunities to maintain and improve their unit skill sets while sharing best practices and enhancing an already high level of interoperability. The humanitarian and civic assistance projects in Palawan will include engineering civic action projects, to improve local infrastructure, cooperative health engagements and to share medical best practices to meet the medical needs of Philippine citizens. The humanitarian and civic assistance projects support the needs and humanitarian interests of the Philippine people. Bilateral Philippine-U.S. military training opportunities such as PHIBLEX 15 sustain our strong foundation of interoperability and strengthen our working relationships across the range of military operations — from disaster relief to complex expeditionary operations. All portions of PHIBLEX will also play a major role in preparation for the upcoming large scale exercise, Balikatan to take place next year. Please forward all media queries for PHIBLEX 15 to the U.S. Embassy. The above news came from the US embassy at this URL: manila.usembassy.gov/press-photo-releases-2015/phiblex-luzon.htmlw176 The picture above is from the “MARINES” the official website of the USMC. The picture is from 2014. Sorry, I could not find an US Gov. image from 2015 yet. www.marines.mil/News/NewsDisplay/tabid/3258/Article/503426/philippine-us-marines-complete-a-mechanized-assault-at-phiblex-15.aspx
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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 10, 2015 13:27:01 GMT 8
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY SHIPS IN SUBIC BAY W177 HMAS Arunta and Sirius conduct a Replenishment at Sea while enroute to Subic Bay, Philippines, Photo credit SubicNewsLink and Royal Australian Navy. The SubicNewsLink present this: subicnewslink.blogspot.com/2015/10/royal-australian-navy-ships-now-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SubicBayNewslink+%28SUBIC+BAY+NEWSLINK%29Royal Australian Navy ships HMAS Arunta and HMAS Sirius are in Subic for a five-day visit, 7-11 October 2015. The short break from sea will give the ships’ companies an opportunity to continue their association with Filipino colleagues and experience Philippine culture and sights. “Australia values the deepening engagement with the Philippine Navy,” said Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddell, who welcomed the officers and crews of Arunta and Sirius at Subic, where the ships are docked. The Ambassador was accompanied by Defence Attaché Col Bruce Murray, AM. Australia and the Philippines have a long-standing Defence Cooperation Program on counter-terrorism, maritime security and assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program. Recently, Australia gifted two operation-ready Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) from the Royal Australian Navy to help improve the Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) capacity of the Philippine armed forces. The Royal Australian Navy played a vital part in the Australian Defence Force’s humanitarian efforts in the Philippines in 2013, carrying emergency supplies, water purifiers, generators, earth moving equipment and vehicles to areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda. HMAS Arunta is an Anzac class frigate while HMAS Sirius is a fleet replenishment ship. The two ships have just completed successful exercises in the Indian Ocean. HMAS Arunta is the second Royal Australian Navy ship to bear the name, and has historical ties to the Philippines. The first HMAS Arunta took part in the liberation of the Philippines in 1944, including pre-landing bombardments at Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Surigao Strait. In January 1945 the ship was suffered a near miss from a kamikaze at Lingayen Gulf. In July 1946 the first HMAS Arunta carried Commodore John Collins to Manila for the inauguration of the Philippine Republic. The current HMAS Arunta has another link to the Philippines. Two Filipino-Australian sailors are currently serving as part of Arunta’s ship's company. Able Seaman Electronics Technician Aaron Scott and Able Seaman Boatswains Mate Matthew Parry will be taking some time off to visit with family in the Philippines. “This deployment is especially important to me as I am able to visit the Philippines again, and I feel proud that my family will get to see me doing my job. It will also be a good opportunity to embrace, explore and remember what my background culture is all about,” Able Seaman Scott said. This will be Able Seaman Parry’s first visit to the Philippines. "The port visit to the Philippines will be a great opportunity to meet family I have never met and to see what the culture and the lifestyle is like for my Mother and her family,” he said. PHOTO: HMAS Arunta and Sirius conduct a Replenishment at Sea while enroute to Subic Bay, Philippines philippines.embassy.gov.au/mnla/MR151007.html
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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 10, 2015 19:49:48 GMT 8
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