"80 for 80" - Help us thank the last living veterans of WWII

Photo: Carl Mydans. American and Filipino civilians cheer their release from the Japanese prison camp at Santo Tomas University, Feb.5,1945.

Today, the average age of living WWII veterans is 98. We can't thank them enough for their service and sacrifice as young men and women who braved the violence of war.

With your help, ABMF continues its focus of education and outreach, especially for programs that teach young people why we Remember & Honor those Americans who gave their lives so that others may live in freedom.

Thank you for helping us protect history. Thank you for helping us Remember & Honor: Then, Now, Forever.

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The Battle of Manila

“My country kept the faith…Your capital city, cruelly punished though it be, has regained its rightful place – citadel of democracy in the East.”  General Douglas MacArthur 

In the twilight days of 1941, Japan dealt devastating blows to American and Filipino forces, to include the loss of the Philippines. Gen. MacArthur vowed to return.

In the years following the surrender at Corregidor, American and Allied forces fought fiercely across the Pacific, reclaiming ground through ferocious battles—Coral Sea, Midway, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and beyond.  Then, in July 1944, Gen. MacArthur met with President Roosevelt in Hawaii to plan the next objective – the liberation of the Philippines. 

On Oct. 20, 1944, MacArthur’s promise began to take shape. American forces landed at Leyte, where they were welcomed by Filipino allies.  By January 1945, U.S. troops were at Lingayen, racing toward Manila to liberate those suffering under years of captivity. 

As U.S. forces advanced, resistance stiffened.  By early February, they reached Santo Tomas University and Bilibid Prison, freeing thousands of Allied civilians and prisoners of war. Starving and weakened, these men, women, and children were finally free after years of captivity. 

But the Battle of Manila was far from over. Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita ordered his troops to retreat to the mountains, but 17,000 Japanese forces remained, turning Manila into an inferno. Americans and Filipinos fought side by side-by-side to rescue trapped civilians, but the city burned as fierce combat left Manila in ruins.

It resulted in the deaths of an estimated 100,000 civilians. Approximately 1,000 U.S. Army servicemen from the 11th Airborne Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 37th Infantry Division lost their lives during the battle. Approximately 400 of them are buried at the Manila American Cemetery.

The liberation of Manila was a symbolic turning point, reclaiming the heart of the Philippines, and re-establishing the capital of the democratically elected Philippine Commonwealth government. It kept MacArthur’s promise and began the path to peace and eventual Philippine independence on July 4, 1946.