Most foreign tourists go to France to have their picture taken with the famed Eiffel Tower in the background, or to visit the Louvre, with its treasure trove of valuable paintings and historical artifacts. Many Filipinos head for Lourdes to wash at the springs located in the town, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared before the peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous.
Eight years ago on our way to attend the wedding of my sister in Geneva, Switzerland, Penny and I decided to visit a part of France that is usually out of the way for most tourists, particularly those belonging to the younger generations. We headed for Normandy in the northern part of the country to visit the World War II invasion sites immortalized in the movies “The Longest Day” and “Saving Private Ryan.” The visit had always been one of my boyhood dreams.
Fortunately, our military attaché in Paris at that time was Col. Cesar Ronnie Ordoyo, son of my classmate Gen. Rodrigo Ordoyo. Since he was going to be away for meetings with Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, he made all the necessary arrangements for me before his departure. Incidentally, Secretary Cruz, in his short stint as defense chief, proved to be one of the most farsighted and forward-looking individuals to occupy the position. His being a civilian gave him a different perspective on many of the problems facing the military establishment, and he was a breath of fresh air during his all-too-brief tenure at the Department of National Defense. One of his directives had to do with the position of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) superintendent, a revolving door situation that caused more harm than good for the academy. He ordered that henceforth, any PMA superintendent would have to serve for a term of three years in order to ensure continuity and consistency in the implementation of institutional programs. When he left, his policies slowly withered on the vine.
“The Longest Day” is the title of a book on the invasion by Cornelius Ryan. The term has its origins in a comment made by German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to his aide, six weeks before the assault was launched. Rommel declared “The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. The fate of Germany depends on the outcome… for the Allies as well as Germany. It will be the longest day.”
On the sixth of June 1944, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme Allied commander, gave the signal to commence the invasion of Europe. His orders: “In company with our
allies and brothers-in-arms, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in our free world… We will accept nothing less than full victory!” That same day, he scribbled a far different message and tucked it in his wallet. It read: “Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops… The troops, the air, and the navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.”
June 6, 1944, was also the graduation of his son John from West Point. The class of 1944 would be graduated a year early because of the needs of the war. On June 9, in possibly the classic understatement of the century, General Eisenhower sent the following telegram to his wife Mamie: “Due to previous engagement, it was impossible to be with you and John but I thought of you and I know you understand.”
History tells us that the invasion plan called for five landing beaches in the Normandy area: “Utah” and “Omaha” were to be hit by American forces led by Gen. Omar Bradley, while British and Canadian units under Lt. Gen. Miles Dempsey were to move into areas designated as “Gold,” “Juno” and “Sword.” The landings were preceded by airdrops spearheaded by the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.
Of the five invasion beaches, “Omaha” turned out to be the bloodiest. For one, US forces went up against one of the best defensive positions laid out by Field Marshal Rommel. Over 2,000 GIs died during the initial assault as they were raked by interlocking machine gun fire and by heavy guns from concrete bunkers. Aerial bombardment was ineffective due to poor visibility. Total allied losses on D-Day appear to have exceeded 10,000 with Americans suffering some 6,500 killed. British and Canadian losses were about 3,000.
At Colleville-Sur-Mer, on a cliff overlooking Omaha beach, is the Normandy American Cemetery, home to over 9,000 American casualties from all over Europe. A total of 173 acres in the Normandy area were ceded in perpetuity by France. Along with the American Cemetery, there are also British, Canadian and German memorials honoring their soldiers who fell in battle. They are gardens of silence and serenity, evincing the desire of all nations involved to forgive, if not to forget.
In comparison, the American Memorial Cemetery located in the Philippines, is home to 17,206 soldiers who perished in the Pacific War, with some 36,000 in the missing rolls. It remains for me one of the most impressive memorials established by the United States in honor of their war dead.
* * *
For Lt. Gen. Alexander Aguirre and his wife Pacita (Chit), June 6 was also their “longest day.” Fifty years ago, Alex and Chit tied the knot at the Immaculate Conception Church in Quezon City, attended to by his classmates of PMA class 1961. Among them were Lt. Gen. Nicasio Rodriguez, former commanding general, Philippine Air Force; Director General Umberto Rodriguez, former chief, Philippine National Police; Vice Admiral Virgilio Marcelo, former flag officer in command, Philippine Navy, and former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, now Rep. Rodolfo Biazon.
Alex graduated valedictorian of his class and throughout his career has maintained the highest ranking in all his undertakings. He finished No. 1 in his law class at Baguio
Colleges, magna cum laude, and was one of the topnotchers in the bar exams that followed. He was also top man of his NDCP (National Defense College of the Philippines) class in national security administration.
Aside from a brilliant mind, perhaps his greatest strength has been his resilience in the face of adversity. Not too many people know that Alex suffered some great disappointments in his military career followed by a defeat in a senatorial election. But from the depths of despair and despondency, he picked himself up to become undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, head of the Presidential Management Staff, executive secretary under President Fidel Ramos, and later, national security adviser to President Joseph Estrada. Alex and Chit are blessed with a son Aleksei, a pilot with Cebu Pacific, and two daughters both in the info-technology field. Azaleah is connected with the International Criminal Court at The Hague, and Mikko is with GAP, the clothing retail chain in San Francisco.