FILIPINO WWII VETERANS REMEMBERED IN MEMORIAL DAY 2024 COMMEMORATION AT USS SAN FRANCISCO MEMORIAL
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco joined the USS San Francisco Memorial Foundation in its annual remembrance of the dead on 26 May 2024, in commemoration of Memorial Day across America.
In his remarks, Consul Jed Llona recalled the USS San Francisco’s role in the 1944 Battle of the Philippine Sea during World War II. He cited the role of Filipino veterans who fought alongside American soldiers during the war—earning the former the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, America’s highest civilian award. “While we commemorate Memorial Day every year, their legacy will only be kept alive if we continue to recognize their heroism. It is from them that humanity can learn the values of honor, integrity, service towards a greater good, and compassion for others,” said Consul Llona, who later took part in a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Filipino war veterans.
The USS San Francisco Memorial at Lands End features shrapnel-scarred pieces of the original ship’s metal bridge wings, which sustained damage during the 1942 Battle of Guadalcanal. The old USS San Francisco was built from 1931 to 1933 at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in the Bay Area city of Vallejo. (San Francisco PCG photos)
