![]() ![]() He thanked God that in all his battles during the Second World War against the Japanese and the Korean War against the Chinese and North Koreans, “I was never wounded.” “But…by the grace of God, I am still here,” Young said. War is only gruesome death and senseless destruction. And my experience has taught me that there is nothing redeeming about war. I have seen my friends die in battle and have killed my country’s enemies, in turn,” he said, adding that “I have seen the worst of human nature in war. “I have fought for the defense of freedom and democracy which are precepts that have been dear to our motherland, against foreign enemies in three wars: World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War,” Young told the PNA. Young, who saw action in World War II, narrated his combat experience in the Korean War. In his Korean War memoirs, Young wrote how the 10th BCT defeated the Chinese during the epic Battle at Yultong 69 years ago. Carolina, administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) who headed the group. On the other hand, Young, now 97 years old, but still strong and healthy like he is only 70, was invited by the South Korean government to visit South Korea in connection with the 69th anniversary of the Korean War, together with Undersecretary Nesty G. Yap was killed in the close-quarter fighting. Yap ahead and fought the Chinese in a close quarter fighting. ![]() He was told not to proceed because of the very dangerous situation, but still, Yap insisted that he cannot leave his men behind. When Yap learned that some members of the 10th BCT were killed and wounded a few distances from where he and other troopers held their position, he went to the area to rescue his comrades trapped in the war zone. Douglas McArthur during the fighting in Bataan in the Second World War when he said: “Give me 10,000 Filipino soldiers and I will conquer the world.”Īt the height of the gun battle in Yultong, the Filipinos were pinned down but still managed to launch a counter-attack driving the Chinese and North Koreans away. It was the battle at Yultong that the Filipinos once again proved their bravery in combat that made real the words of Gen. Nevertheless, the Filipinos stood their defensive position and continued fighting, and forced the enemy to retreat and allowed U.S. 3rd Infantry Division near Yeoncheon on the night of April 22 that trapped the 10th BCT and lost contact with the main PEFTOK headquarters. The Chinese 44th Division attacked the U.S. The Chinese and North Korean invasion caught the South Korean and Allied Forces by surprise. In an interview, Kim Juyong, KMPVA director-general, cited the heroism of the Filipino soldiers during the two-day fierce battle that stopped the invasion of thousands of Chinese communist forces at the outset of the war.ĭespite the huge disparity in numbers, the 900-man 10th BCT clashed with the numerically superior 40,000 Chinese and North Korean troops that forced the latter to back track.Įxactly 61 years ago, from April 22-23, 1951, 900 Filipino soldiers of the 10th Battalion Combat Team (10th BCT) of the Philippine Expeditionary Force To Korea (PEFTOK) successfully defended and threw back the numerically superior elements of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (CPVA)'s 44th Infantry Division and the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) numbering about 40,000 in non-stop fighting that drew widespread admiration - even from the enemy. Young received the award during the anniversary of the Korean war last week.Īccording to historical record of the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (KMPVA) about the Korean War made available to the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Young and Yap and their men stood their ground against all odds when they fought a numerically superior force of Chinese soldiers in the fierce battle at Yultong that lasted for two days on April 22-23, 1951. Yap, both members of the famed 10th Battalion Combat Team (BCT) of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK). ![]() The two Filipino soldiers who were recipients of the coveted “Taegeuk Medal” were retired Maj. The Philippines was second with two, and one each for Belgium, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The United States topped the list with eight “Taegeuk Medals". Only 15 allied troopers were awarded the coveted “Taegeuk Medal” during the three-year war that broke out on June 25, 1950. SEOUL, South Korea - The Philippines is second among 21 Allied Forces to receive two “Taegeuk Medals” (Medal for Valor), South Korea’s highest military decoration given to a soldier for bravery in combat during the Korean War. ![]()
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