My name is Oban and I am a soldier

More than eight years ago, I came across an article on the retirement ceremony of Gen. Eric Shinseki, the first American of Japanese ancestry to be appointed US Army chief of staff.  Shinseki’s grandfather was a Japanese national who grew up in Hiroshima and later migrated to Hawaii during the early part of the 20th century, where he worked on the pineapple and sugar plantations of the islands. His parents were Niseis (second generation US-born descendants of Japanese immigrants). Shinseki himself is a Sansei (third generation US-born).

Dec. 7, 1941 changed their lives completely. Pearl Harbor made all Japanese-Americans security risks and they were rounded up and thrown into concentration camps mostly along the West Coast, losing most of their property and left with few belongings.  Eric Shinseki was born under these circumstances.

In 1961 he entered West Point (the US military academy) and graduated with the Class of 1965. Vietnam would serve as his baptism of fire. He lost his right foot and part of the lower leg, which almost ended his military career. But he stayed on, outfitted with an artificial foot and worked his way up the ranks as commander of armored units and later as an expert on peacekeeping operations.

His appointment in 1999 by President Bill Clinton made him the highest-ranking Asian-American in US military history.

Shinseki’s tour of duty as chief of staff was marked by clashes with Pentagon officials, notably Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz. One issue had to do with the size of the peacekeeping force required for postwar Iraq. Shinseki went on record saying some 200,000 troops, a figure Wolfowitz publicly dismissed as “wildly off the mark.” Events would later show that Shinseki was not too far off the mark.

In the ceremony marking his retirement from the military service, which was boycotted by both Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, Shinseki began his remarks saying: “My name is Shinseki and I am a soldier… an American soldier who was born in the midst of World War II, began his service in Vietnam and retires today in the midst of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Soldiering is an honorable profession and I am privileged to have served every day for the past 38 years as a soldier.”

He ended his remarks with the line with which he started: “My name is Shinseki and I am a soldier….God bless all of you. Thank you and goodbye.”

Last week AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo S. L. Oban Jr. relinquished command of the 120,000-strong Philippine military to his PMA classmate Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa. In his retirement speech, the most significant part was a phrase that actually drew laughter and amusement from the audience. Oban said, “Mga kasama, gusto kong ipagmalaki natin na hindi ako nagbago sa posisyon ng chief of staff. Pumasok ako na Oban at lalabas pa rin na Oban, walang baon.” (My friends, I am proud to state that in my position as chief of staff, I did not change. I entered as Oban, I leave as Oban, without pocket money.)

The sentiments behind those remarks may have been lost as the crowd enjoyed the play on words. But we should remember that Oban assumed command of the AFP just as the institution was emerging from some of its darkest moments, what with ghost soldiers on the payroll, pabaon on the minds of our people, and multimillion-peso graft charges filed against ranking officers.

In a sense, his remarks parallel those of Shinseki. They were soldiers working in an honorable profession. Both were willing to sacrifice in rendering service for fellowmen. Both acknowledged the presence of their wives, with Shinseki praising his wife Patty for her selflessness, elegance and courage. “You could have been and done anything you chose….yet you chose to be a soldier’s wife.” In the case of Oban, he referred to his wife Toton as “the love of my life.”

At a farewell dinner in Oban’s honor a few days before retirement, the deputy chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara, revealed a side of Oban that explains his genuine concern for the men and women in uniform. As a plebe at the Philippine Military Academy, in spite of the pressures and problems that all fourth-class cadets face—academics, physical and military training, unreasonable upperclassmen—Oban was always trying to help his less fortunate classmates who were having a difficult time adjusting to the rigors of cadet life. Some people are slower than others; at times they are unable to perform many of the tasks required of plebes. Ed Oban was there to extend a helping hand. He did not always succeed but there was no doubt that his heart was in the right place.

Oban’s tour of duty report included a proposed force development structure for the Armed Forces “responsive to current and evolving concerns.” Perhaps his greatest contribution, which continues to be a work in progress, is the restoration of honor and integrity in the military service. His baon, which can never be measured in peso terms, is the respect and affection of the soldier in uniform.

As a fellow airman, I take pride in his accomplishments, and I note that some of the best years of our Armed Forces were under air force leadership. The most notable of these airmen who served as AFP chief of staff was Gen. Pelagio Cruz. He holds the distinction of being not only the first air force officer to head the AFP but also the only airman to command a major service other than the air force. Cruz served as chief, Philippine Constabulary, prior to assuming the post of AFP chief of staff. I did not have the privilege of serving under him directly, but we were both bureau directors in the Ministry of Finance under Prime Minister Cesar E. A. Virata. General Cruz always carried himself with dignity and humility considering the high posts he held in the past.

In acknowledging the work of Oban, the Commander in Chief, President Aquino, showered him with high praise, and I say this as an observer of many change-of-command rituals.

Ed Oban bowed out at age 56, an age when most men and women are just beginning to hit their stride. I have no doubt that he will continue to serve the nation and our people in the years ahead. Incidentally today General Shinseki serves in the cabinet of President Barack Obama as his secretary for veterans’ affairs.