Very few will probably remember that 75 years ago today, America — and with it her far -flung colony, the Philippines — finally entered World War II. So very few veterans of that brutal war are alive today, and their numbers are dwindling still.
After much chafing and pretending that America could still hold the peace, it took a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor just as the sun rose on the horizon on December 7, 1941, (December 8, our time) to end all pretenses. The attack would, as later events prove, turn out to be Japan’s worst decision; for it brought a sleeping superpower out of its stupor.
December 8 is also observed by Roman Catholics worldwide as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, an important day of celebration that clearly turned tragic as the day progressed in 1941. A few hours later, Japanese bombers also arrived at Clark Field in Pampanga and other airfields spread in Luzon, destroying scores of American fighter planes that were unfortunately still laying idle on the ground oblivious to the utter devastation at Pearl Harbor.
That deceptive act on the part of Japan, even while it was suing for peace with the United States, will be forever etched in memory. And despite 75 years that have passed — years that have ironically placed former enemies into the thickest embrace of friendship — Japan and her former enemies are still sensitive about this period in their history.
It is so sensitive and painful that it took all of 75 years for a Japanese prime minister to finally pay his respects to those who died that fateful day.
Today, despite Japan leading the campaign for peace in the world, especially an end to the use of nuclear weapons, carnage in other parts of the world continues, made more heinous by weapons of war that would make those used in WWII look pithy.
We have not learned our lessons. We have not even remembered all those who have died for our freedoms. Only very few monuments to our Philippine war veterans remain: they are in Talisay, San Fernando, Carcar, Danao, Compostela, Dumanjug and Ronda, out of the 53 towns and cities in Cebu.
We missed out on the chance to document the experiences of war veterans and how they made sure the flame of freedom would burn even in those dark hours, unlike Singapore whose national archives started a project to record on tape all the statements of every war veteran there.
Even our book “The War in Cebu,” which we launched exactly one year ago today, remains incomplete because so very few veterans wrote about their experiences. Such is the tragedy of war that those who witnessed it or participated in it would rather want to forget. And so we are left with snippets of it — and, at least for Cebu, one museum gallery at Museo Sugbo dedicated to it.
One can therefore understand, sadly though it may be, why there is a clear pattern of revision about the Marcos dictatorship and its brutality. We have nothing to remind us of those dark years under Martial Law.
Today, as the dwindling numbers of war veterans gather to remember their dead and recount their untold exploits among themselves, may we also be emboldened to document Martial Law as it happened in Cebu now while the numbers of those who witnessed and were victims are still many and can still talk, write, gather mementos and perhaps one day soon, set up a memorial exhibition. Now, while we still can.
Or else we end up like so many war veterans just reminiscing our pains privately. One day, all those memories will end with our last dying breath.
And then those tragic mistakes will happen all over again.