At the Manila American Cemetery, a serendipitous affair

“Uy! Kapangalan mo ‘yung nasa exhibit, si General Vicente Lim!” I exclaimed, when I noticed the name tag of our tour guide at Manila American Cemetery.

General Vicente Lim, as we should all know, is a World War II hero featured in the old design of the Philippine Peso thousand bill. He is the first Filipino to graduate at the prestigious West Point Academy in the United States, and his name is among the 36,300 in the Manila American Cemetery's Walls of the Missing.

Our tour guide,  Vicente “Vincci” Lim IV, smiled shyly before: “Actually, he is my great grandfather.” 

Vincci is the Associate Director of Visitor Services at the Visitor Center of the Cemetery. We were already casually chatting with him when he agreed to take us for a quick round, turning our random visit into a historical tour. 

In our exclusive interview with General Lim’s great grandson, GMA Integrated News was able to take a glimpse of how his great grandson vows to keep his family’s legacy alive despite the lack of sense of history in today’s generation.

How is it like growing up as Gen. Lim’s great grandson? How did you “connect” with your great grandfather’s story when you were already raised in a different generation?

My grandfather, Vicente Jr. and my dad, Vicente III made sure that even as a young boy, I fully understood what it meant to carry the name of my great grandfather. They exposed me to as many ceremonies and "heritage activities" and traditions that were done in honor of Gen. Vicente Lim, and there was an expectation that I would always set aside time for those traditions.

As soon as I was old enough, they also made sure I fulfilled certain responsibilities connected to these events (giving speeches, advocating for heritage preservation, etc.) They made me understand that I had to earn the privilege of carrying the name I carry, and that it's an important responsibility to carry on that legacy – not something that's meant to feed my own vanity.

I also took an interest in the letters Gen. Lim wrote to his family, and that made me get to know Gen. Lim more as a human being. He led a life of honor and that resonated with me even at a young age.

How was Gen. Lim’s memory honored in your family? Did he “influence” you?

One tradition that has been around for more than 60 years is how the Lim family goes to the Philippine Military Academy every year, to give the graduating cadets their first officer's rank insignia. It was a tradition started by my great grandmother, Pilar Hidalgo-Lim, who had remembered that Gen. Lim expressed how receiving his lieutenant's bars after graduating from West Point, meant more to him than receiving his first star as a General.

As for his influence in my life, the biggest would be connected to what he told my great grandmother in one of his last letters from the battlefields of Bataan: "With all this talk, I sincerely give the credit to my officers and enlisted men. They are the ones who did it all. Mine was only to inspire and to lead them. When history is written, I will give them all the credit. Their satisfaction is mine to share."

It was a noble promise by a humble man, but unfortunately it was a promise he would not be able to fulfill himself, as he never made it through the war alive. This has, therefore, become my life's mission: to fulfill that promise on his behalf, and not only tell his story, but more importantly, the stories of the men and women he fought with.

Please tell us about your life before you joined American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC)? What made you decide to change careers and accept a huge pay cut just to work in ABMC?

I worked in a very different career. I have degrees in Economics and in Marketing, and not in history or anything related. My first job was with a telecommunications company, and most recently, I worked in an e-money and electronic payments-focused tech company. My area in these jobs was in the field of risk and fraud management. I worked in that field for 10 years. As with many tech-related jobs, it was high-paying.

When the Visitor Center at the Manila American Cemetery was put up in 2019, I saw the first real opportunity where I could combine a (new) career with my passion for telling the stories of those who have given everything for their country and for the freedoms we enjoy.

Joining the ABMC in that capacity just made too much sense, especially working in a place where my own great grandfather is honored on the Walls of the Missing – the closest thing Gen. Lim has to a grave.

It would mean that I had to give up higher pay, tenure, and a decade-long career, but to me, telling the stories of the honored dead was more important. It was also a way to fulfill the promise made by my great grandfather to the men he fought with. I have zero regrets, and I am lucky I have a wife and family that has been supportive of such a move.

Was Manila American Cemetery exclusive for the families of WWII heroes before? What was the goal of ABMC when it opened the Manila American Cemetery to visitors?

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial was dedicated on Dec. 8, 1960, to honor the sacrifices and achievements of American military forces killed during operations in the Pacific during World War II (between December 1941 and September 1945).

It is the largest ABMC cemetery in the world. It includes the remains of more than 17,000 American service members (including more than 570 Filipinos) and commemorates almost 36,300 individuals missing in action or lost at sea whose names are engraved on the face of the retaining wall of the terrace of the Memorial (including almost 4,000 Filipinos).

The Manila American Cemetery is not just a solemn place where both American and Filipino war dead are honored, it is a visible reminder of the United States’ continued partnership with the Philippines.

What is the difference of MAC compared to other memorial parks for heroes and veterans in the Philippines?

I wouldn’t want to compare memorials or cemeteries, but I am here to help ensure that our mission is executed, which is what matters most. The ABMC was established by US congress in 1923 as an independent federal agency to oversee its sacred mission in perpetuity. It is the guardian of America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and military memorials worldwide.

When did you become open for tours? How was the number of visitors this year compared to the first time you opened? Why is it for free?

We‘ve been doing tours with our dedicated guides for years. The number of guides did expand when the Visitor Center building was opened in October 2019.

Last year we had more than 33,000 total visitors to the cemetery, and based on the numbers for the first quarter of 2023, the numbers are trending upward.

The ABMC has a very diverse audience base – next of kin of the fallen, descendants of the fallen, American and allied Veterans, active duty service members, youth and educators, historians, conservators and preservationists, academics, local inhabitants near our sites, as well as Military and Veteran service organizations and communities across the US that were home to the heroes we honor every day at our sites.

All ABMC sites are free. It is funded by the U.S. government as ABMC is a U.S. federal agency. The ABMC’s mission is to honor the service of the Armed Forces by creating and maintaining memorial sites, offering commemorative services, and facilitating the education of their legacy to future generations. It was founded in 1923 following World War I. The ABMC maintains and manages 26 cemeteries and 32 monuments and memorials.

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial has always been open to the public. There are no restrictions as to who can visit. You don’t even need to be related to anyone buried here or listed on the Walls of the Missing.

Do you still get requests from families who want to transfer the remains of their loved ones to the States? What is the process if they insist on doing it?

After each of the world wars, families had the option to repatriate their loved ones or to bury them at an ABMC site. This decision made at the time of the burial was definitive and final. The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is closed for new burials except if the remains of a WWII service member are identified and the next-of-kin decides to inter this person within our grounds.  The family still has the same options that the families had after WWII to either bring their loved ones home or to bury them in an ABMC site.

I understand there is an ongoing effort to identify the remains of those included in the Walls of the Missing, can you expound on this project? What is the success rate? As a relative of Gen. Lim, who is also among those listed in the Walls of the Missing, what are your hopes in finding him?

There is a separate agency of the US government that is charged with the identification of unknowns buried at our cemeteries, and also the recovery of those whose remains may still be out there.

That agency is the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA). I can’t speak on their behalf about the success rate, but they are doing great work in providing closure for families who have endured the uncertainty of their loved ones’ whereabouts.

Here at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial alone, we have, among our 17,000 burials, 3,000 remains under headstones that say, “Here lies in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to god.”

If there are any of these 3,000 unknowns that meet a certain threshold in terms of the likelihood of positive/successful identification, they are likely to be disinterred from the cemetery by the DPAA for further processing and identification, using forensic technologies/techniques that may not have necessarily existed right after the war. If identification is successful, and that soldier/sailor/marine/airman/coastguardsman’s name is on our Walls of the Missing, a bronze rosette marker is attached beside their name, signifying that he/she is missing in action no longer.

To date, we have 433 rosettes on the Manila American Cemetery’s Walls of the Missing. I have no expectations that Gen. Lim’s remains will ever be found. No one really has any solid information on where he might have been executed. But that's ok. Telling not only his story, but also those of the 50,000 others we honor at the Manila American Cemetery is one way we keep their memory and legacy alive. To me, that is of prime importance.

What could visitors expect when they visit MAC? Are there any restrictions/limits for visitors inside the park? Is MAC prepared if ever there would be a large influx of visitors soon?

They can expect to see an impeccably maintained cemetery and memorial in honor of those who gave everything in order that we may enjoy the freedom we have today. All we ask is that people, knowing this purpose, act appropriately and respectfully. We do have guidelines and rules that we expect visitors to understand and follow. Visitors can also expect to encounter very competent interpretive guides that will enhance the overall visitor experience by telling the stories of the honored dead with passion and purpose.

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial’s staff is always ready to fulfill ABMC's mission (all aspects of it). The more people know about it, the better, as it helps us ensure that Gen. John J. Pershing’s promise that "time will not dim the glory of their deeds"  is fulfilled.

What is the importance of places such as MAC to the present generation?

Places like Manila American Cemetery and Memorial are crucial. Part of ABMC’s mission is to educate younger generations to ensure the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom are not forgotten and that their stories are passed along. Connecting our past to the future and engaging with the next generations ensures the true cost of preserving our freedom continues to be shared and understood.

The years to come may be challenging as very few WWII veterans remain with us, but ABMC’s mission will remain the same and we will continue our efforts to ensure their deeds as well as the ones of all the service members buried at our sites are forever remembered. This year, ABMC commemorates its 100th anniversary and we are honored to continue sharing the stories of the fallen. Visiting our cemeteries and memorials is truly a profound experience, and we do highly encourage people—especially those traveling overseas from the U.S.—to take the time to visit, pay respects, and connect with this part of history.

How do you uphold the legacy of your grandfather?

By fulfilling his promise humbly, and with passion. It is what I do here at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial / the American Battle Monuments Commission.

For 100 years, ABMC has ensured that the memories of those who fell abroad defending the U.S. and those they served with, never die. Our promise is unbroken, and our mission is timeless as we enter our second century. ABMC continues to stay true to the mission given by Gen. of the Armies John J. Pershing to ensure that, “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”

What do you want your legacy to be as the great grandson of General Lim?

I will be content in knowing that I am doing as much as I could, in the best way I could, to earn the privilege of carrying the name that was passed on to me. I just want to be the great grandson who did his best to fulfill Gen. Lim's promise. I would also like to be a father that's successful in ensuring that my daughter will eventually understand and embrace the legacy that she, too, will have to carry forward. — LA, GMA Integrated News

The Manila American Cemetery is open to the public daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, except December 25 and January 1. For tour reservations, email manilavc@abmc.gov.