The General Post Office, YMCA, city hall, Philippine General Hospital and University of the Philippines campus were just a few of the seemingly impregnable fortresses that fell to the 37th. It is an attached unit of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). On Feb. 5, 1945, 2nd Lt. Robert Viale of Company K, 148th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division was killed during the Battle of Manila while protecting his Soldiers from a grenade blast. What had been a relatively quiet and routine defensive operation turned into some of the bloodiest and most fiercely fought days the Buckeyes saw in their nearly 600 days in combat during World War II. Buckeye artillery, mortars, tanks and tank destroyers began to pulverize enemy positions before doughboys attacked. But during the celebration on Monday of the 72nd anniversary of the Lingayen Gulf landing of the Allied Forces led by American Gen. Douglas MacArthur, only 76 of the 370 surviving veterans attended. LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The province of Pangasinan commemorates today Wednesday, Jan. 9, the 74th anniversary of the historic landing of the Allied Liberation Forces led by General Douglas MacArthur in the Lingayen Gulf to liberate Luzon from the Japanese forces. At the Manila Gas Works, Pvt. The Lingayen operation is the subject of a forthcoming book “From Leyte to Bessang Pass” written by this […] His actions would lead to the awarding of the Medal of Honor. Lingayen Gulf landings and Japanese advance, 22–24 December 1941 Dur­ing World War II, the Lin­gayen Gulf proved a strate­gi­cally im­por­tant the­atre of war be­tween Amer­i­can and Japan­ese forces. 75th anniversary: On the morning of Jan. 9, 1945, the 37th Infantry Division was one of four divisions of the Sixth Army that made the assault landing on Lingayen Gulf on the main Philippine island of Luzon. Soldiers of the Ohio National Guard’s 37th Infantry Division defended the Island of Bougainville from Japanese army attack during the Battle of Hill 700, March 8-12, 1944. The resolution named 9 January as Pangasinan Veterans' Day. The Royal Australian Navy also played an important role in what is known as the world’s last big-gun naval battle at Surigao Strait, and in the Battle of Lingayen Gulf. WEATHER PLANNING. The Philippine Information Agency is the official public information arm of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. It was in 2008 when the provincial government started to commemorate the Pangasinan Veterans’ Day — coinciding with the Lingayen Gulf landings anniversary — as a gesture of recognition to the gallantry and heroism of the Filipino soldiers and fighters of the Allied Forces who lost their lives during the liberation of Luzon at the turning point of World War II. A thanksgiving mass, wreath-laying ceremony, and a commemorative program honoring the sacrifices and heroism of the World War II veterans will be held at the Veterans’ Memorial Park behind the Provincial Capitol here. jose ferdinand z. calimlim jr., vice governor nestor p. quiambao, chairman of lingayen gulf… 2nd Lt. Robert Viale’s 1st platoon was leading the company’s withdrawal from the blaze, when it ran into a Japanese machine gun that blocked the only escape route. Viale led a group of men to a building adjacent to the position and attempted to throw grenades down onto the gun from a second story window. On their return to their platoon, Reese was killed. 65th Lingayen Gulf Landings Anniversary: Filipino war veterans honored in Pangasinan commemoration - Eva Visperas () - January 10, 2010 - 12:00am But just returning to the Philippines was not enough for MacArthur. Three units of the division would receive the Presidential Unit Citation for Manila, the 148th Infantry, 117th Engineer Battalion and the 637th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Here in Lingayen Gulf on the morning of the 9th of January 1945 at 0730 hours, HMAS AUSTRALIA, SHROPSHIRE, ARUNTA and WARRAMUNGA joined with the American bombardment team to commence firing on designated targets ahead of the landings. This and more photos are being exhibited by the Philippine Veterans Bank as a highlight of the 63rd Lingayen Guld Landing Anniversary. Photos from Ohio Army National Guard Historical Collections and Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Audiovisual Collection/Ohio History Connection, On the morning of Jan. 9, 1945, the 37th Infantry Division was one of four divisions of the Sixth Army that made the assault landing on Lingayen Gulf on the main Philippine island of Luzon. The battle cost the Buckeyes 3,813 casualties, including 411 dead. LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Jan. 8 (PIA) -- The province of Pangasinan will commemorate on Wednesday, Jan. 9, the 74th anniversary of the historic landing of the Allied Liberation Forces led by General Douglas MacArthur in the Lingayen Gulf to liberate Luzon from the Japanese forces. through PCOO, national government agencies, and other public sector entities in communicating their programs, projects, and services to the Filipino National Guard Bureau Heritage Series Painting by Keith Rocco. During World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, and more events that happened on … (JNPD/AMB/PIA Pangasinan), LingayenGulfLandingAnniversary PangasinanVeteransDay WorldWarIIHeroes. “At 0830, a smoke shell signaled the end of the artillery bombardment and F Company made its attack. Gazmin, whose father is a WWII war veteran, said he shares … On 22 December 1941, the Japanese 14th Army under Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma landed on the Eastern part of the gulf at Agoo, Caba, Santiago and Bauang, where they engaged in a number of relatively minor skirmishes with the defenders, which consisted of a poorly equipped contingent of predominantly Filipino and Americantroops, and managed to successfully invade and occu… Cleto Rodriguez and Pfc. Amado Espino, Jr. and Vice Gov. After landing at Lingayen, the Soldiers of the 37th worked their way down the central plains of Luzon against sporadic enemy defenses. All content is in the public domain unless otherwise stated. 1st Class Joshua Mann, Ohio Army National Guard Historian. The campaign would be the most costly of the war for the … The agency has a regional office in all 15 regions and has an information center in 79 provinces across the Philippines. After three long years of island hopping, MacArthur returned when the Sixth Army landed at Lingayen Gulf on Jan. 9, 1945. During World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, and more events that happened on … At the heavily fortified Paco Railroad Station, two Browning Automatic Riflemen of Company B — Pvt. The scene depicts the Silver Star action of Pvt. Published on January 8, 2019. Presidential Communications Operations Office, Pangasinan to commemorate 74th anniversary of Lingayen Gulf Landing. The following day, Feb. 5, the Japanese began to set fire to a district of Manila known as Chinatown. During World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, and more events that happened on … Orpheus Velasco, provincial information officer, said the observance will coincide with the 11th Pangasinan Veterans’ Day commemoration at the Veterans Memorial Park in Lingayen. 70th Anniversary of the Lingayen Gulf Landings 9 January 2015. Amado Espino, Jr. and Vice Gov. The Lingayen operation is the subject of a forthcoming book "From Leyte to Bessang Pass" written by this author to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Philippines. Prior to the 145th and 129th Infantry attacking, point blank artillery fire plastered Intramurous until, as Beightler described, “it was a mess. Then, with his squad under orders to withdraw, Vinson remained alone with his Browning Automatic Rifle to cover the evacuation of the wounded and withdrawal of his unit. The final series of government buildings —finance, agriculture and legislative — met the same fate and were secured in the final days of February. Photo shows General Douglas Mac Arthur and the US forces landing at the Lingayen Gulf (Pangasinan) on 9 January 1945 which led to the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese occupation. After 27 continuous days of ferocious city fighting, Manila was declared secure at 10:45 a.m. on March 3. On 9 January 2008, Gov. First Lt. Bernard Patterson, a platoon leader in Company F, later wrote that Sgt. During World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, and more events that happened on … In plywood assault boats, Company L, 148th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division, leads the amphibious assault across Manila’s Pasig River, Feb. 7, 1945. Billy E. Vinson of Company E, 148th Infantry, who fought off a bayonet attack by six Japanese rifleman in the Paco District during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. LINGAYEN — The province of Pangasinan will observe the 73rd anniversary of Lingayen Gulf Landings on Tuesday, January 9. Joseph Cicchetti, of Company A, assembled a litter team that rescued 14 men in four hours before he was hit by a shell fragment while carrying a wounded Soldier to safety. In March 1942, Gen. Douglas MacArthur made his famous “I shall return” speech just after making his escape from the Japanese in the Philippines. LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Jan. 8 (PIA) --  The province of Pangasinan will commemorate on Wednesday, Jan. 9, the 74th anniversary of the historic landing of the Allied Liberation Forces led by General Douglas MacArthur in the Lingayen Gulf to liberate Luzon from the Japanese forces. When one of the grenades slipped from his hands, Viale grabbed it and using his body to protect his Soldiers, absorbed the exploding grenade and died a few moments later. amado i. espino iii, governor, province of pangasinan hon. The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), together with the Veterans Federation of the Philippines (VFP), and the Pangasinan LGU commemorated the 74th Lingayen Gulf Landings and the 12th Pangasinan Veterans Day last 09 January 2019 at … Medics assigned to the 37th Infantry Division give plasma to a Soldier wounded during the battle inside the walled city of Intramuros, a 16th century Spanish fort, Feb. 25, 1945, in Manila, Philippines. “To me, the loss of a single American life to save a building was unthinkable.”, Company F, 145th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division Soldiers move past the General Post Office building on their way to assault the walled city of Intramuros Feb. 23, 1945, in Manila, Philippines. 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