During late November and early December 1996, I was
in the Philippines for a visit, spending most of the time in the Visayas
and Mindanao including climbing Mt. Apo. On my way home, I stayed in Manila
and one afternoon I visited the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
It had been more that twelve years since I last visited and took the
photos on the previous page and I was curious how the place looked and
how much my memory had faded. I was also given a request to locate and
photograph a tombstone of someone's relative who was buried there.
I retraced my earlier steps, taking a jeepney this
time instead of walking, from EDSA highway to the gate of Fort Bonifacio.
As I entered the front gate it was a new experience. I could recall very
little of the previous visit. Like this afternoon, the previous visit was
late in the day, leaving only a little time to snap some photos before
the sun set.
There is no entrance fee but the security guard
checked me out pretty closely and asked for ID. From the front gate
the drive circles a fountain then splits into two lanes that surround
a grassy mall leading up to the memorial. Just to the right of the gate,
as you enter, is the office and information center. I went in to try
to locate one of the 17,206 who are buried here. I gave the name to
the lady behind the "Information" counter and in a matter of minutes,
she provided a map with the exact location of the tombstone. With
less than an hour before closing, I hurried up the mall taking a few
pictures along the way and within the memorial and finally the tombstone
located on the opposite side. Having accomplished my main task, I took
a leisurely walk back to the gate passing under those beautiful acacia
trees.
Here are some of the photos. Color this time:
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