MacArthur Landing re-imagined
By Rex Catubig
THE darkness over the coconut grove coast of Bonuan was fanned by the gentle January breeze, when suddenly, it was pierced by sporadic shelling out of nowhere, that made the horizon appear like a night with a thousand blazing eyes.
Inland, by the seashore, residents were petrified and sought cover in their dingy huts with a waning crescent moon peeping with them in the darkness. They were afraid even to ignite a light on their stove, lest they become a target of friendly fire.
They woke up the next day to a quiet morning but were astounded to see what seemed like a thousand ships moored on the seashore as far as the eye could see—in all 32 kilometers of beachhead.
Then, the stillness of the afternoon was broken by the roar of engine. A ship was coming ashore. It stopped short of the shoreline. It was the First Corps 6th Division making a landing in Bonuan that was codenamed Blue Beach. The gangway opened, and lo and behold, a group of white men, soldiers in uniform, disembarked and started wading ashore.
It was Gen Douglas MacArthur and his entourage: As he proclaimed and promised in his famous words, he had returned.
As confirmed by records from the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, it was at two o’clock in the afternoon of Tuesday, January 9, 1945 when the USS Boise with Gen Douglas MacArthur aboard landed in Bonuan Blue Beach.
Village folks described how he was rousingly welcomed by the children and residents. On hand to welcome him to seek assistance for the wounded as a result of the preemptive warfare, was Dr Pedro Balolong who had set up a makeshift clinic to tend to the sick.
It was the first step in the campaign for the liberation of the islands.
But the General’s initial attempt to survey the landing sites was thwarted by a demolished bridge along the way. So he went back to the USS Boise that remained docked in Bonuan.
“He went ashore again on the 10th and successfully undertook a jeep tour of all four divisional landing sites”, and stayed aboard the USS Boise for two more days.
On the afternoon of the 13th, Saturday, Gen Douglas MacArthur left Bonuan and “moved the advanced Headquarters to the Home Economics Building of the West Central Elementary School near the Municipal Building”.
It is clear that at the center of these strategic maneuvers, Dagupan figured in a prominent, pivotal role.
Without a doubt, Dagupan was the site not only of the historic Gulf landing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, but the nerve center of the historic military campaign to win our freedom—which paved the way for the country’s independence and to a larger extent, the eventual granting of cityhood to our beloved Dagupan.
For four short days, Gen. MacArthur laid the groundwork for the unprecedented military operation of liberating our country from the grip of the enemy.
But these epochal four short days ushered in the eight decades of freedom and independence that we are blessed with today.
On the 80th year of his landing, we honor with deep respect, love and gratitude, the memory of the great Gen Douglas MacArthur and the Liberators!
Vintage Photos from Veterans Bank Exhibit
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