Memorial Day, 2025: Remembering and honoring the Philippine Scouts

 

Today, Memorial Day of 2025, with the Donald Trujmp administration doing all it can to eliminate government and corporate programs touting DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion), it is even more important for us to honor those soldiers, sailors and airmen and airwomen, many who gave their lives to protect America's democracy.

My father, Major Melchor V. Diokno, began his military career as a member of the Philippine Scouts, a speical unit of the US Army. He was in the 14th Engineering Regiment that fought in the battle of Bataan during WWII. He survived the Bataan Death March after US forces surrendered to the larger and better equipped Japanese Imperial army.

While much is being written about the Filipino immigrants who arrived after the 1965 immigration reform that allowed people from countries other than Europe to migrate to the US; and the manongs who arrived  in the early part of the 20th century, many of whom wound up working the agricultural fields of Hawaii and California and the canneeries of Alaska. However, little has been written about the men of the Philippine Scouts, an elite unit of the US Army. 

After World War II, the Philippine Scouts was disbanded. Following WWII, the U.S. Army reconstructed the Philippine Scouts around the approximately 6,000 Scouts who survived combat, prison camp and the Japanese occupation, says the website of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society. This reconstructed force peaked at about 36,000 and was used in occupation duty on Okinawa and some other Japanese islands and in reconstruction and guard duty assignments elsewhere.

FYI: Much of the following information is from the website of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society.

Here are some of the highlight, courtesy of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society): :

In 1946, the US Army reorganized the Philippine Scouts into “New” Philippine Scout units. One such organization was the 56th Engineer Construction Battalion (PS) and eventually redesignated the 514th Engineer Construction Battalion (PS) until disbanded in 1953.

After disbanding the Philippine Scout units, many Philippine Scouts reenlisted in the US Army, some serving for decades. One such soldier, Technical Sergeant Melchor V. Diokno of B Company, 14th Engineers (PS), fought on Bataan, survived the Death March, fought with the guerrillas, and reenlisted after the war. He was eventually commissioned as an officer in the US Army, rising to the rank of Major, retiring in 1957. His story exemplifies one of the many Scouts that continued to serve even after the disbandment of the 14th Engineers (PS) and the rest of the Philippine Scouts.

        RELATED: 

• Unsung heroes: Dad, the Major
• Remembering the 1st and 2nds Filipino Infantry
• Veterans call for repeal of the Recission Acts

In the 1960s, though he already had American citizenship by virtue of his service in the US Army, as a leader in several Filipino American organizations in Northern California, as a civilian, he continued to fight for his former compatriots who were denied US citizenshp and military benefits because of the Recission Acts.

A popular saying goes: "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." As we celebrate Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Heritage Month and observe Memorail Day, our ancestors deserve to be honored. We owe them so much.

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