80th Commemoration of the Liberation of Manila

Martin Meadows was kind enough to forward some photos and a letter from Mr. Aaron Key, past president of the Elks of Manila lodge 761, involving the 80th Commemoration of the Liberation of Manila which was held at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial on 22 February 2025. This event was one of many commenorations which occurred in the Philippines and United States this year.

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Message and photos from Aaron Key [click any photo to enlarge]:

Hello Martin,

I cannot possibly do justice in recapping the events that occurred here this past week. I would simply be grasping at words to do justice. It was an overwhelming success. A chapter was written in the legacy of human triumph.

The returning heroes were greeted by the Ambassador and a delegation at the airport.

On Feb 18th, at the Manila Elks Lodge, with an audience of Veterans, I read your letter to the returning WWII veterans Corporal John Hodges of Virginia age 101 and Yeoman Second Class Arthur Grabiner of New York City. They were joined at the Lodge by Filipino Guerilla fighter Prospero Evangelista aged 97. He fought with Captain Ramon Magsaysay, the future 7th President of the Philippines.

To our Liberators:

It is not really possible to fully express my gratitude for what you and your fellow GIs did in liberating the Santo Tomas Internment Camp and its nearly 4,000 prisoners some 80 years ago. I was a scrawny 14-year old, 69-pound youth at that time. Hardly a day passes when I do not happen to recall that literally life-altering day — or rather, night — and the inexpressible thankfulness, happiness, and relief that flooded over us internees. Even now, eight decades later, I still tear up (really) when I try (but fail) to describe that indescribable night.

At the risk of exposing my pretentiousness, I would like to quote two well-known writers. Cicero, the renowned ancient Roman statesman, philosopher and orator, said that gratitude is “the greatest of virtues”; and that fable-spinner Aesop said “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” Well, I certainly don’t know about all that; and, frankly, I am rather dubious about such overblown claims. But of one thing I am certain. Gentlemen, it is incredibly impressive that you are in attendance at this extraordinary Commemoration. I am truly honored to say to you (unfortunately at a distance) and all your fellow Liberators, past and present: you have our undying gratitude — you have never been, and you will never be, forgotten. [Martin Meadows]

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Prospero recounted the night Magsaysay gave an order to light a signal fire near the beach but did not reveal the reason. The fire signaled awaiting American forces off-shore in the night. It was a signal preparing for the American landing. They had returned. His voice cracked with joy as he told the story.

Yeoman Arthur Grabiner told of dodging kamikaze planes, zigging and zagging and sometimes not being successful in doing so. He witnessed the burial at sea of 1500 sailors at one time. An event of the nature no generation should ever endure again nor bear in the their memories for 80 years.

Corporal Hodges who land in Zambales and fought through Zig Zag pass said that “they had a job to do and they did it”

They had a full week of meetings, lectures, tours and ceremonies. They imparted their messages to youth, Scouts and University students. They made national headlines, shook hands with President Marcos, inspired Veterans who came after them and Arthur sang New York New York at the Elks lunch.

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On Saturday, in addition to the President of the Philippines, members of his cabinet, the U.S. Ambassador and the Head Admiral of US Indo-Pacific Forces, four of their former Filipino comrades from WWII, a thousand others came. The spirits of those interned were stirred.

I took note of one of the several banners honoring the fallen. Mildred Mae Harper whom we exchanged about recently. Her gleaming smile is eternal.

Mildred Mae Harper

[Photo of Mildred Mae Harper, killed in the Japanese shelling of Santo Tomás Internment Camp on 7 February 1945. She was about 17-years-old.]

The height of my day was when Leslie Murray was reunited in particular with Corporal John Hodges. As it turned out he made it all the way from his landing at Zambales to the grounds of Santo Tomas where he recalled being ordered to disperse beer and chocolate. When he and Leslie exchanged he asked her if she was one of the ones they gave the beer and chocolate to. She confirmed she received the chocolate but not the beer. She gifted them with coins from the Filipino American Monument Endowment (FAME). 

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So much occurred that day, this week with pivotal effects to follow. An eternal torch was passed forward to the testament of human triumph.

Thank you for your inspiration Martin. As noted, I can’t provide the due tribute to this week and the Commemoration Ryan orchestrated on Feb 22 by Ryan Blum.

A 1000 words, 1000 moments recalled and 1000 photos…and one would only be at the start of the story.

Many thanks to Aaron Key and Dr. Martin Meadows for their contributions.

Editor’s note: My uncle, Alvah Don Johnson of the U.S. 31st Infantry Regiment, is one of the many victims of World War II buried in the Cemetery.

Limerick: 80 years since Liberation Day by Martin Meadows

Santo Tomas Internment Camp Liberation, 1945

80 years since Liberation Day
(3 February 1945 – 3 February 2025)

Former internee Janice Crabb’s Polio Story

Janice Crabb in The Winona Daily News 10 January 1950Former Santo Tomas Internment Camp (STIC) internee, Janice Lee Crabb, tells her personal experience with polio in an article which appeared online in the WinonaPost, (Winona, Minnesota). The article, titled To vaccinate or not, appeared on 22 January 2025.

Janice’s parents, Dorothy and Robert Crabb, were interned in STIC when Janice was born on 22 January 1942. Janice states that “I was 9 months old and just beginning to walk. There was no epidemic. My mother went to three other doctors before she finally believed it, and that was mostly because that woman doctor had two children who’d also had it.”

She goes on to state “I reveal all this because since Dr. Salk discovered his vaccine, there are no more polio epidemics! I am now 82 years old, soon to be 83. I thank the universe that my three children did not have to go through the anguish my parents did and that I have been able to live long enough to enjoy my own grandchildren into their adulthood.”

Photograph courtesy of The Winona Daily News (Winona, Minnesota) of 10 January 1950
Click to read the entire article.

CPOW 2025 Reunion Notice

STIC liberation with children on a liberator tank in front of main buildingAs was announced last year, the CPOW.org 2025 Reunion will be held in Sacramento, California, on February 21st thru 23rd at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Sacramento Riverfront Promenade. This special event is to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of the civilian and POW camps in the Philippines. The preliminary schedule and registration form is displayed below. Just click on the form to print or download. Following that, a registration form for joining CPOW, or for renewing your membership, is supplied.

CPOW 2025 Preliminary Reunion Registration
CPOW 2025 Membership Form

Download both forms in PDF format

Link to the January 2025 issue of Beyond the Wire

Passing of ex-internee Martha Collins Blanchard

I am saddened to announce the passing of of ex-internee Martha Collins Blanchard on 8 January 2025 in Vero Beach, Florida. Martha was born in Shanghai, China, in 1929. In early 1942, “Marty” and her mother, Dr. Martha Dyer Collins, were interned in Santo Tomas Internment Camp (STIC). They had been on their way to the United States when the War broke out. Her father, Dr. Daniel Joseph Collins, was interned in China.

The family was reunited when they were repatriated on the S.S. Gripsholm, which arrived at New York City, Dec. 1, 1943. After repatriation Martha attended the University of Michigan and St. Lawrence University.

The family is mentioned in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) article of 5 December 1943 titled “St. Louis Woman Missionaries Tell of Life in Jap Prison Camps.”

Link to her full obituary at Legacy.com.

The Ubiquity of Iniquity or STIC’s Lasting Impact by Martin Meadows

PREFACE: A FOREWARNING? The Pearl Harbor attack of 7/8 December 1941 created uncertainty as to the future among Philippine residents.  They included my parents and me, for we were unaware that an event of nearly a decade earlier (ca. 1933) in effect had foreshadowed our wartime fates.  That event occurred during a visit to Baguio, the country’s (nearly) mile-high summer capital, roughly 150 miles north of Manila.  One day we drove the 40 or so miles from the Pines Hotel (where we usually stayed) to Mount Santo Tomas, which is about a half-mile higher than is Baguio.  (Described in Wikipedia as a “potentially active” volcano, it last erupted in 1641.)  We parked at the base of the mountain and hiked up the steep earthen trail to the Lodge at the top (there was no road to the top then).  We had intended to return the same day, but rain, accompanied by premature darkness, compelled us to stay overnight at the Lodge rather than hike down the rain-slick trail in the dark.  We had no idea, of course, that our somewhat ill-starred escapade augured that eventually we would be involved, next time unwillingly, with another place also named after the 13th-century theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas, aka Santo Tomas.  Nor did I know that the unpleasant version of Santo Tomas would affect my entire post-1941 life.

View of Baguio City [Note:   From our overnight stay at the Lodge, I remember several details: a blazing fireplace (something new to me); a cat that I played with; sleeping in my father’s shirt in lieu of pajamas; and a fabulous view of a clear sunrise, with clouds floating by below our elevated location, and Baguio in the distance, as it is in this photo from the mountain top.]
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Passing of ex-STIC Internee, Richard Bell

Richard Bell, undated photoAccording to the Boulder Daily Camera, Richard Bell died in August 2024. He was born as Richard Orville Beliel in 1933 in Shanghai, China. His father, Clarence Alton Beliel Sr., was born in Grey, Oklahoma, in 1909. His mother, Lilia Fingerut Beliel, was born in Derbent, Russia, in 1910. His older brother, Clarence Alton Beliel Jr., was born in Shanghai in 1931.

After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, Richard and his brother were sent to Holy Ghost Children’s Home, in Manila. After the closing of that facility, the boys joined their parents in Santo Tomás Internment Camp [STIC], where they stayed until liberation in February 1945.

Don Bell, 1945 photoBefore the War, Richard’s father was a radio announcer performing under the name Don Bell for the Mutual Broadcasting Company for station KZRH. There is a YouTube video of Don interviewing some newly liberated STIC internees. After liberation, Don continued his work in broadcasting. More information on Don Bell’s exploits can be found on Tom Moore’s website.

Richard, together with his Mother and brother, traveled on the U.S.A.T. General Charles Gould Morton, 1945 leaving Manila on 11 June 1945, arriving in San Francisco, California on 5 July 1945.

You can read about Richard’s education in the U.S. and his long history of working in education and theater in his obituary.

CPOW 2024 Reunion set for October in Norfolk, VA

The MacArthur MemorialCPOW (formerly BACEPOW) – Ex-Civilian prisoners of WWII in the Philippines, is having a special reunion in Norfolk, Virginia, from October 11-13 at the MacArthur Memorial. It is special because it will be with the U.S. Alamo Scouts who helped rescue Cabanatuan, Los Baños and Santo Tomás. It is also special because the Memorial (four stories high) has a new exhibit and presentation “Unprepared” about the Japanese attack on Manila several hours after Pearl Harbor. Many of us suffered under the Japanese Occupation for three years.

Norfolk is beautiful in the fall. It is the the home of the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet with the Battleship Wisconsin, the largest built in WWII. Near the battleship, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum has many exhibits and admission is free. A sunset cruise on Chesapeake Bay before cocktails and dinner can’t be beat. We have arranged for a block of rooms for two nights at the Courtyard Norfolk Downtown, by Marriott, next to the Memorial at a cost of $169 per night. Please call Chris Larsen at 252-908-1303 or at calarsenjr@aol.com for more information before August 20.

CPOW 2024 Reunion Norfolk VA Registration FormFor a schedule of events, click the CPOW 2024 Reunion registration form on the right.


COMING SOON, SAVE THE DATE!
2025 CPOW Reunion set for February 21-23, Sacramento Embassy Suites.

More information will be released soon.

Passing of Georgia Lee (Barnes) Payne

Georgia Lee BarnesI am very sorry to report that, according to the Bolivar Herald-Free Press, ex-Santo Tomás Internment Camp (STIC) internee, Georgia Lee Barnes-Payne died on 28 June 2024 in Bolivar, Missouri. Georgia was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1929, and was interned in STIC along with her parents, G. Sheldon and Dorothy Lee Barnes, and with her sister, Carole Barnes (born 1931). A brother, Peter Sheldon Barnes, was later born in 1942. A second brother, Thomas Freeman Barnes, was born in 1945, shortly after STIC was liberated on 3 January 1945. Georgia was the last-living member of the interned Barnes Family.

They all traveled to U.S. on S.S. Cape Meares, leaving Manila on 10 April 1945, arriving in San Francisco, California, on 12 May 1945. They were en route to Kansas City, Missouri.

In 1997, Georgia authored Caught in the Crossfire: A Memoir. According to the publisher’s description, it is:

Georgia Lee Barnes, prewar photoThe true story of a young girl trapped between warring nations in the Philippines during WWII. To escape the terrifying bombings of Manila, she and her family flee to the hoped-for safety of a gold mine in the jungle. The family’s efforts, however, prove to be fruitless as they are finally imprisoned by the Japanese. Follow our young heroine during her three years of internment as she develops from an innocent twelve-year-old to a young woman, mature beyond her years.


Link to the full obituary at Legacy.com.

My Three Years in a Quandary and How They Passed (in STIC), by Martin Meadows

My 10 Years in a Quandary, Benchley

I. INTRODUCTION.  In 1936 an instant best-selling book was published with the title My Ten Years in a Quandary and How They Grew.  Title and book were typical of the noted humorist, author, film actor and columnist Robert Benchley (1889-1945).  As it happens, his was one of the many books I read during my three-plus years as an honored civilian guest of the Imperial Japanese Army in Manila’s Santo Tomas Internment Camp (STIC) during World War II (WWII).  But obviously I did not foresee that, some eight decades later, I would modify Benchley’s book title to use for myself.  My story herein is the first of two accounts tracing the Camp’s impact on me, first during and then after WWII.  This first recollection is intended to answer one of the typical questions asked of ex-internees about life in a Nipponese prison camp.  (Unlike Benchley, though, my primary objective is not to elicit amusement.)

[Note: Thinking back to Nipponese instructions on preparing for Manila internment, I briefly considered the title “My Three Days in a Quandary — and How They Grew”; but I assumed that some potential readers would not would not understand the reference to the instructions that said to bring with you to the Nipponese processing of enemy aliens ‘enough food and clothing for three days.’ ”.]

Thanks to record-keepers extraordinaire Cliff Mills and Maurice Francis, my written answers to several of the aforesaid typical questions — necessarily centered only on the STIC scene — have been preserved and disseminated.  They have dealt with such matters as Camp living conditions, interactions with Nipponese guards, and the paucity of personal hygiene items (e.g., toilet paper).  The question to be dealt with herein is hinted at in the above title — specifically, what did I do (in effect, what was it even possible to do) to pass time during more than three years of enforced detention?  (And I had even more leisure time than did most internees older than I was, for when first interned I was too young by one year to be assigned a job.  Even when old enough, I was on an infrequently-utilized grass-cutting detail, composed of fellow teen-age males and equipped with dull and rusty scythes).  

The broad answer to the time-passing question is simple — while of course nothing out of the ordinary could be done, nevertheless many of the usual pastimes of life in the mid-twentieth century were available to the denizens of STIC both adults and non-adults. This narrative discusses the various pastimes chiefly from the perspective of the Camp’s non-adult members; the adults can speak and of course have spoken for themselves, in innumerable forums over the past eight decades.  As for non-adults, the concern here is with STIC youths — defined here to range from about 10-15 years in age — as opposed to younger children.  By way of preview, youths had available leisure activities chiefly involving sports, non-athletic games, and reading — plus their purely personal diversions from Camp life.  And a final introductory note on numbers — the Camp’s population of around 4,000 (sometimes more, sometimes less) included about 700 persons under the age of 21, and of that number roughly half fell into each side of the divide between 12 and 13.
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