Rizal in the US Navy, Filipinos in WWI

World War I seems so distant a time and place for Filipinos because actual hostilities did not reach our sunny shores unlike in World War II. The Philippines got involved in World War I because, at the time, she was still a US colony. When I read the US Governor General’s Report for 1918, I was surprised that discussion of Philippine independence from the United States was put on hold for the duration of the war, and that the Philippines and its people expressed their loyalty to America in concrete ways, like subscription to Liberty bonds and volunteering to serve, rather than being drafted, in the US military. And in 1917, the Philippine legislature raised funds to build a ship and submarine for the US Navy. The submarine did not materialize but the ship did. It was donated to the US Navy and was christened Rizal.

Although Rizal was an expression of Philippine loyalty to America during World War I, the 1,060-ton Wickes class destroyer entered service only after the war. Built in San Francisco, California, Rizal was launched in 1918 and commissioned in 1919. She joined the Pacific Fleet under Commander Edmund S. Root, and Filipinos made up the majority of her crew. She was later modified and put into use as a mine-layer, and visited Cavite and Olongapo a number of times.

Rizal was decommissioned in 1931, dismantled and sold for scrap metal in 1932. Photos of the vessel and technical specifications are available online.

Apart from Rizal in the US Navy, there were Filipinos who fought in the so-called “Great War.” These Filipino veterans joined the US group called Veterans of Foreign Wars, where they formed Post 1063 (named in honor of Pvt. Tomas Claudio, the first Filipino casualty in World War I). According to data in the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Claudio was born in Morong, Rizal, on May 7, 1892, to Gregorio Claudio, a violinist, and Pelagia Mateo, a seamstress. He was described as stubborn but with a cheerful disposition. Claudio did not complete high school but landed a job as a guard in the Bureau of Prisons. He was dismissed in 1911 for “dereliction of duty,” his main offense being sleeping on the job.

Like many young Filipinos at the time, Claudio sought fame and fortune in the sugar plantations of Hawaii. He left the Philippines in 1911 and after staying a while in Hawaii, he moved to work in the salmon canneries in Alaska. Two Filipino painters had the same work experience—Macario Vitalis worked in Hawaii and Victorio Edades worked in Alaska.

Claudio eventually made his way to Nevada, where he worked as a postal clerk after completing a course in commerce at Clark Healds Business School in 1916. Following the eruption of World War I in 1917, Claudio applied to the US Army where he was rejected not once but twice. He persevered and was eventually enlisted in the 41st Division. He was trained and sent to France, which would be the final destination after his long travels from home. Claudio saw action in the Battle of Cantigny, the first US offensive against the Germans in World War I, where he was wounded on May 28, 1918. He died from his wounds a month later, on June 29.

Another version of the story states that he was killed by enemy fire in Chateau Thierry on June 29, 1918. The dates are the same but the details need rechecking because the Battle of Chateau Thierry, if Claudio fought there, occurred on July 18, 1918. Nevertheless, it is an accepted fact that Private Tomas Mateo Claudio was the first Filipino to fall on foreign soil during the Great War.

Claudio fought under Gen. John Joseph “Black Jack” Pershing (1860-1948), whose combat experience before World War I included: the Apache and Sioux Wars in the United States, the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba, and the so-called Moro Wars in Mindanao.

Pershing described the Battle of Cantigny thus:

“On April 25th the First Division relieved two French divisions on the front near Montdidier and on May 28th captured the important observation stations on the heights of Cantigny with splendid dash.

“French artillery, aviation, tanks, and flame throwers aided in the attack, but most of this French assistance was withdrawn before the completion of the operation in order to meet the enemy’s new offensive launched May 27th toward Chateau-Thierry.

“The enemy reaction against our troops at Cantigny was extremely violent, and apparently he was determined at all costs to counteract the most excellent effect the American success had produced.

“For three days his guns of all calibres were concentrated on our new position and counter-attack succeeded counter-attack. The desperate efforts of the Germans gave the fighting at Cantigny a seeming tactical importance entirely out of proportion to the numbers involved.”

Claudio is buried in the Manila North Cemetery. “T. Claudio” is now a name of an obscure Metro Manila street. In Morong now stands a Tomas Claudio Memorial College. Claudio should remind us of the other Filipino soldiers who fought and died in the battlefields of Europe. He should inspire historians to tease out more Philippine links to the Great War.

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