After being invaded by Japan in December 1941, the United States strove hard to protect its bases stationed there. The American-Filipino army kept the Japanese at bay until April 1942 where they were defeated in the Battle of the Philippines. The allies eventually drove the Japanese off in an amphibious attack during the Philippine Campaign. Hostilities on the island continued until the end of the war in August 1945.
John F Holland, 78, on the death of his father in the Philippines as a child:
“I vividly remember that Sunday afternoon, sitting on the floor in our living room, when Mother entered the house and told us of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Amid all the chaos and radio broadcasts, I remember worrying about my birth certificate, since I was born in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
On October 14, 1944, Ruthie, Jimmy and I watched silently as Daddy boarded a plane bound for somewhere in the Southwest Pacific Area. It was a mixture of sadness and pride, and our mother stood tall and brave as the plane disappeared into the sky…Mommy was always an example of Duty- Honor-Country.
The most powerful memory, for all of us, came in early February 1945, when a telegram was delivered to our home informing my Mother that my Father had been killed, in the Philippines, on January 29, 1945. It was his 44th birthday.
About a week after this, Mommy brought the three of us together to talk about the future. She said that we had to charge ahead and stressed the need to think positively. From that day forward, I have always made a major effort to follow her authoritative request (I have not always succeeded).
As I remember, we were spending the summer on the Chesapeake Bay and I heard that an “Automatic” Bomb had been dropped by Japan. Although the Germans had surrendered several months earlier, this rush of events was difficult for a 12 year old boy to fully comprehend. This was followed by a second bomb on the 9th and finally the surrender on the 15th.
The only thing I really remembered, at that point, was that my Father would not be coming home.”
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