Late in the 1965 time frame our aircrew made a day trip to Corregidor. I was all for this one. Much of my sightseeing in those days was through the bottom of a beer glass. That wasn’t my first choice but it was difficult to get anyone to go places outside of bars and there was not always reliable transportation around the Philippines, so this was one of the rare trips I got to go and see the sights. We had to rent a boat to get there; the island is about two miles out in the bay.
I had seen the movie ‘Back To Bataan’ as a boy and the island defense was a part of the movie. The movie scenes depicted a great struggle to defend the island, showed tunnels and big guns and a desperate defense until after General MacArthur escaped to Australia.
I was shocked and overwhelmed when I actually arrived on the island to find everything just as it was shown in the movie. There were huge guns, the underground hospital no longer had beds as it did during the war, but the tunnel itself was the same. I loved it being there where the battle occurred. We all swarmed over the island, climbed on the gun emplacements and imagined the place as it was during the battle. The island hadn’t changed since 1942 when the battle took place and we were there to see the remains. The picture below is a 12 inch mortar from WWII that is there today still.
At one time I knew all of the guys in the picture, but can’t remember but one now. The next picture is an 8-inch mortar and that’s Cal leaning against it, drinking a San Miguel beer.
There was a very spiritual feeling for me on that island. I could just feel the presence of spirits from days gone by. I’m happy I made the trip.
Today Corregidor is an island park with hotel and hostel, tour guides and restaurants. The picture shows some of the tourists.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.
I had seen the movie ‘Back To Bataan’ as a boy and the island defense was a part of the movie. The movie scenes depicted a great struggle to defend the island, showed tunnels and big guns and a desperate defense until after General MacArthur escaped to Australia.
I was shocked and overwhelmed when I actually arrived on the island to find everything just as it was shown in the movie. There were huge guns, the underground hospital no longer had beds as it did during the war, but the tunnel itself was the same. I loved it being there where the battle occurred. We all swarmed over the island, climbed on the gun emplacements and imagined the place as it was during the battle. The island hadn’t changed since 1942 when the battle took place and we were there to see the remains. The picture below is a 12 inch mortar from WWII that is there today still.
At one time I knew all of the guys in the picture, but can’t remember but one now. The next picture is an 8-inch mortar and that’s Cal leaning against it, drinking a San Miguel beer.
There was a very spiritual feeling for me on that island. I could just feel the presence of spirits from days gone by. I’m happy I made the trip.
Today Corregidor is an island park with hotel and hostel, tour guides and restaurants. The picture shows some of the tourists.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.
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