SENIORS VISIT CORREGIDOR ISLAND (PROTECTOR OF MANILA BAY)

  World War II left a mark on the Philippines that will never be forgotten. Areas of destruction still remain everywhere.
  Corregidor Island is one of these areas devastated by the war. Located at the mouth of Manila Bay, it is a small island where a lighthouse for ships was placed as well as many large guns that helped protect Manila from intruders.

  This was the destination that was scheduled for the next Senior Outing. We arrived at Manila Bay at 8am. Elder Enderle had made arrangements with Sun Cruises for the historic trip.

 

After one and one-half hours of the ferry ride, we could see our landing point. The island is very lush and green. But that wasn't the case prior to 1988. It was nothing but rock and dirt. The heavy bombing from World War II had left it baron. Then in 1988, funds were made available to plant and re inhabit with native animals. It was fun to hear and see monkeys as we took the tour.

 

 

This is the 'Mile Long Barricks' that housed hundreds of enlisted men. It is still in the state of destruction as found after the war.

 

 

Many large guns still remain. When the Japanese overtook the island, the allied troops removed all of the massive springs used for recoil. This left the guns unusable.

 

 

At the up most point of the island (about 700 ft.) is the lighthouse. A climb to the top reveals a beautiful view of the provinces of Cavite to the South and Bataan to the North

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We finally arrived at the Pacific War Memorial were we saw the eternal flame. The US gave the Marcos government 3 million dollars to create the memorial of which the eternal flame is a part.

It cost them 1.3 million to built the memorial and Marcos pocketed the rest as revealed to us by our guide.

 

 

As the fighting began that took the Philippines by the Japanese, General MacArthur was ordered to Australia. This statue depicts him leaving and saying his famous words "I shall return".

 

 

This tunnel was built in 1932 and was made as a stronghold for the Philippine government officials in case of emergency. Prior to WWII, it was expanded with many branches and included a 1000 bed hospital that was used in the war. It also served as a bunker during the Japanese shelling.

 

 

The history here is amazing and should continue to remind us of the brutalities of war. May we remember and never repeat history.After 5 hours on the island it is time to return.

This is the Manila skyline as we return to port. Hopefully a trip never to be forgotten.