Primitivo Consul, a WWII Veteran

My name is Flora Consul Sakornsin (Bolinao High School class of 1953). I am a practicing Pediatrican, Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics in the United States of America, and feel that I owe my career to the love and dedication of my father, Primitivo Consul. I am the sole surviving daughter of Veteran of WWII Primitivo Consul, XC 6 204 141. His widow, my mother, Leoncia de Perio Consul, has since passed on. My father died as a prisoner of war at the concentration camp O Donnell at Capas, Tarlac, after surviving the Bataan Death March. In honor of him, I had written a poem about him (published in Cape Bolinao High School Newspaper).

I recall his last tearful day of departure when he had volunteered to be inducted the USAFFE during World War II. He strongly believed that it was his patriotic duty and responsibility to serve his country. He had served as a scout for the American forces, years before, but volunteered to return to duty. His pictures as a scout are cherished memories decorating my home in Florida, USA.

Sincerely,
Flora Sakornsin, MD.
21418 Sheridan Run, Fl., 33928, USA

Balungao's Son in Afghanistan

Mapandan's Pride

Osang, as she is today with retirement just around the corner.

Osang as a new recruit in 1984.

2nd Filipino-American from Pangasinan dies in Iraq

Sgt. Richard V. Correa
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Age: 25 years old
Died: May 29, 2007 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

by Gabriel Cardinoza

LINGAYEN- Maria Minda Correa was unusually uneasy a day before two United States Embassy officials appeared at the doorstep of her house here on May 30.

She felt like she was going to get sick, so she decided to lie down to rest.

Little did she know that at that time, her only son, US Army Sgt. Richard Correa, was already fighting for his own life in Iraq.

Correa, 25, died after he was severely wounded in a roadside bomb explosion in Ilbu Falris, Iraq, on May 29. Another soldier, Staff Sergeant Joseph Weiglein, 31, of Audubon, New Jersey, was also killed.

Correa was the second Pangasinense to have died in strife-torn Iraq. Staff Sgt. Richwell Doria of Dagupan City was killed on Nov. 7, 2006, in Kirkuk, Iraq, after being struck by small arms fire during an air assault mission.

"When the US Embassy officials came, I knew that my son was dead," said Ricardo Primicias, Correa's father. "They wouldn't have come here if Valiant (Richard's nickname) was only injured."

Primicias is the brother of former Pangasinan Governor Cipriano Primicias Jr. and a son of the late Sen. Cipriano Primicias Sr.

"It took a while before reality sank in for that sudden death. It took a while for everyone to actually realize that Valiant is really gone," said Ivy Primicias-Nalupta, Correa's half-sister.

"It was painful [because] it was too sudden. Of all my sons, he was the one who was street smart," Primicias said.

But, he said, it was his son's choice to be in the US military, despite his family's objections.

"Lahat kami -- mga tiya at tito niya, pinsan niya, mommy niya -- ayaw. Pero ipinilit niya, e (All of us -- his aunts, uncles, cousins, and his mom -- were against his joining the military. But he insisted)," Primicias said.

He said it had come to a point that he and his son were arguing about it.

Primicias recalled that in one of his conversations with his son, he told him that he was already getting "brainwashed" by the US military.

"I told him, 'If you believe you are fighting a worthy war, you think twice.' But he said, 'That's not it. I love the Army. We are well-protected, we have hi-tech weapons, we are well-trained, we have body armor,'" Primicias said.

"But I told him, 'How do you protect yourself against suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices?' He did not answer. Precisely, now, as I feared, it got him," he added.

Correa first joined the US Air Force (USAF) in 2000 after finishing high school at the Lingayen Educational Center here.

He and his mother migrated to the US when he was seven years old in 1989 after the approval of a family-based petition filed by an uncle for his mother.

Correa and his mother, however, returned to the Philippines after four years. He was already in the fifth grade when he studied here.

Primicias said his son joined the USAF because he wanted to be a pilot.

"But because he was just a high school graduate, he was not allowed to undergo pilot training," he said.

Correa was instead trained as an airplane mechanic and was assigned to the USAF maintenance section. He was later stationed in Oman for a year, his first foreign stint.

In August 2006, he was sent to Iraq, now as a member of the US Army, which he had chosen to join when he reenlisted in the US military in 2004.

While in Army, he served as a squad leader in one of the units at Fort Drum, New York.

Correa was a highly decorated soldier and received multiple awards and decorations.

Among these were the Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab and several Air Force awards.

Correa's tour of duty in Iraq was supposed to end in September. But Primicias said the tour of his son's unit was extended until December.

"After his stint, he'd like to study at the University of Hawaii. He was also planning to marry his girlfriend, Corey Dell of Florida, on December 28," Nalupta said.

When her brother's body arrives here (the body was scheduled to be taken here on Monday, June 11), all they would have left are the happy memories with Correa, according to Nalupta.

"As a child, Valiant had so much energy. He kept running around. He would enter through the kitchen door, go out of the door in the living room and run around the house for 30 minutes, non-stop," Nalupta said, holding back her tears.

Once, she said, when some of his friends and a cousin planned to go to Baguio City, Valiant went ahead.

"Aakyat siya, naka-bike. Hihintayin niya sila, then mabo-bore sa tagal nilang umakyat. Babalikan na naman niya sila. Then, aakyat na naman sila (He would go to Baguio on a bicycle and would wait for the group. But then, he would get bored as the group would take long to travel. He would fetch them and travel together to Baguio)," Nalupta said.

"[But] aside from that, malambing siya [he was sweet], very thoughtful," she added.

Nalupta said Correa did not want his loved ones worrying about him.

"He earned a Purple Heart [medal] but he did not tell us. Ayaw niyang mag-worry kami because a Purple Heart is given to someone who was injured," Nalupta said.

But now that Correa is gone, his family members can only console themselves with the thought that Correa died a happy man because he was where he wanted to be.

‘Your job is done, good soldier’

by Gabriel Cardinoza

DAGUPAN CITY—“You can rest now. Your job is done, good soldier.”

With these words from American Army Brig. Gen. Simeon Trombitas, Filipino-American Staff Sergeant Richwell Doria was buried here on Tuesday in full military honors.

“Thank you for your courage, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you from the people of two great nations, the United States of America and the Philippines,” said Trombitas, commander of the United States Army special operations command in Korea, in his remarks during the funeral mass at the St. John the Evangelist Cathedral here.

Doria, who would have turned 26 today (Dec. 6), was killed on Nov. 7 in Kirkuk, Iraq, after being struck by small arms fire during an air assault mission. His flag-draped coffin arrived at his parents’ house in Barangay Pantal here on Monday.

“[He] made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life courageously in protecting his men. He saved the life of his squad through his courage and selfless action and he brought his soldiers back home,” Trombitas said.

Doria, who was the infantry squad leader of nine soldiers, was the only casualty during the operation.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney failed to attend Doria’s funeral.

In his homily, Fr. Jim Cerezo remembered Doria for his military-style haircut and for his “quiet integrity.”

Cerezo said they were schoolmates at the East Central Elementary School here, where Doria’s mother, Rosario, is a teacher.

He said war is a tragedy but Doria’s death was not pointless because he died serving in a war “that hopefully will bring peace.”

“It is always more tragic when good men just do nothing in spite of the evil around them. He died for the ideals he believed in. He died for his friends. He died as a hero,” Cerezo said.

“Richwell Doria, welcome home. We are proud of you,” said Cerezo.

Hero’s burial set for Fil-Am Soldier

Staff Sgt. Richwell A. Doria
Hometown: San Diego, California, U.S.
Age: 25 years old
Died: November 7, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Regiment, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

by Gabriel Cardinoza

DAGUPAN CITY—American Army Staff Sgt. Richwell Doria had planned to come home to visit his parents here when his contract with the US Army expired in 2008.

He wanted to introduce his wife, Jasmine, and four-year-old daughter Jada to his parents Fred and Rosario Doria.

But Doria’s homecoming came earlier and unexpected.

On Monday, he arrived here at dawn in a casket and he would be buried today (Dec. 5) on the eve of his 26th birthday.

“We are sad, very sad because he is gone. He was like my own son,” said Zenaida Anderson, Doria’s childless aunt, who also served as his guardian until he moved to San Diego, California. Since he was 12, Doria had been adopted by his grandfather.

Doria’s parents were too grief-stricken to talk to reporters.

“I used to throw parties when he celebrated his birthdays and he invited his classmates and friends,” Anderson said.

But this time, Doria’s parents and other relatives will be lighting candles on his grave, not on his cake.

He will be given a heroes’ burial at the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park here with US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney and other US Embassy and military officials in attendance.

“This is what he had always wanted to do. When he applied in the Army, we tried to discourage him,” Anderson said.

She said she learned that Doria would be assigned to an infantry and she would later learn from friends that in an infantry, “it’s shoot and duck.”

Doria died on Nov. 7 in Kirkuk, Iraq, after he was struck by small arms fire during an air assault mission.

Anderson said on the day Doria died, she dreamed that black flower petals were falling from her hair.

“It was such a bad dream. But I never gave it any meaning because sometimes, when we go to sleep, we really have bad dreams,” she said.

At about 10 a.m. the following day, she said, her father, Benito Doria, called her to tell her that some soldiers were looking for her.

“I knew right away that something bad happened to Richwell,” Anderson said. “But I was hoping that he was just hurt,” she added.

She could not give details on the circumstances that led to her nephew’s death.

But the Honolulu Advertiser in Hawaii reported that Doria’s team was on a rescue mission that day. “He jumped out of the helicopter to go and get more guys when he got attacked and shot. He was transported to the hospital but was dead on arrival,” the report said quoting a US Army chaplain.

Anderson said she would miss Doria’s calls and visits. She said that whenever he had the opportunity, Doria never failed to call from wherever he was.

“In fact, in our conversations at home, we always asked if Rich had already called. If he didn’t call in one week, we’d ask one another why,” she said.

The last time she talked with Doria on the phone, Anderson said, he was telling her that he had a cellular phone but in his assignment in Iraq, they were not allowed to use it.

“I even asked him about the situation in his place of assignment and he told me that it was quite dangerous. So I told him to be careful,” Anderson said.

Doria was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Regiment, Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.

He was sent to Iraq on Aug. 7 this year, after his tour of duty in Afghanistan.

He served as a rifleman, M203 gunner, machine gun operator, team leader and as a squad leader while with the Cacti Battalion in Operation Iraqi Freedom V, according to a memorial service pamphlet of the US Army’s 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment.

“All those who had the pleasure of knowing him appreciated his great sense of humor and honesty. (His) contribution to Alpha Company can be seen in the heart and soul of every member. He will be truly missed,” the US Army said.

Doria enlisted with the US Army in August 2000 after graduating from the Samuel F.B. Morse High School in San Diego that year.

After completing his basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning in Georgia in 2001, he was assigned to Hawaii.

Before his interment, Doria will be posthumously awarded the Army commendation medal with “V” device for valor for “his actions on Nov. 1, 2006 (that) helped save the lives of two fellow soldiers following an (enemy) attack.”

He will also receive the bronze star and Purple Heart medal for his “courageous actions on Nov. 7, 2006 where he made the ultimate sacrifice while providing covering fire for his soldiers.”

USAFFE Veteran - Secinando Resultay de Leon

From: Van S. de Leon
Town_City: Basista/California

My father is a pure Pangasinense and a member of the 14th Infantry USAFFE-Northern Luzon during WWII. His name is Secinando Resultay de Leon, a retired school district supervisor of Basista & Binmaley, Pangasinan. He is now 93 years old. He still has the scar on his leg that came from a grenade blast. He fought 13 days and 12 nights in the Battle of Hapid in Kiangan, Ifugao where Gen. Yamashita informally surrendered at the Home Economics building of Kiangan Central School.

Dad was below this cliff resting when suddenly up the cliff, he heard a sound of somebody squeezing his way through the thick cogon grass. He saw the barrel of a gun moving toward his direction and because of his quick reflex, he was able to aim and shoot the Japanese up the cliff. The soldier fell to the bottom of the cliff and died. My dad inspected the body and to his surprise he found an American made 45-caliber pistol that the dead soldier had in his belt. Dad took the pistol and kept it as souvenir. He still has it up to now.

He is supposed to receive a purple heart, but up to now he has not received it yet. It is long over due. The scar from that sharpnel is still there, but where is the purple heart? His records are in the Nathional Archives, I think in Missuori.

My Dad is my own personal hero. He was with the late Gen. Zosimo Paredes, Demetrio Tabije of Philippine Tobacco Administration, Leonardo Perez, Ex-Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Col. Manriquez of Virginia, Atty. Salindong of Rosales ,Pangasinan, Venancio Duque, I think of Alcala, Pangasinan and many more in the Battle of Hapid-Hapid Kiangan, Ifugao and many more comrades-at-arms of his that I don't remember anymore. My Dad's name is in a book published about Marcos’ war adventures.

For any information on how Mr. de Leon can help his father realize this long awaited purple heart, please contact Ricky at manaoag@gmail.com

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Here is another story. Certain comrade-at-arm of his by the name of Captain Rafael Paluero of Lantap,Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya was shot in the stomach during the Battle of Hapid. His last words "Mataya kon Susing.Mataya kon Nanding"Translated in English----"Susing I am dying now. Nanding I am dying now"..Susing is the late General Zosimo Paredes of Philippine Army and Nanding is my DAD -a Captain of Philippine Army. Captain Rafael Paluero was moaning with pain. An hour later he passed away. Susing and Nanding ordered their men to bury him in dry portion of a river. May Captain Paluero rest in peace. My DAD's cousin Pedro de Leon Resultay did not make it back home. By word of mouth he died at the Capas Concentration camp in Capas, Tarlac, Philippines. by Van S. de Leon

Manaoag's Very Own

February 15, 1971

February 28, 1991

sometime in 1988

In God We Still Trust