Corregidor

Has anyone ever heard of Pearl Harbor? Well from a history point of view, Corregidor is even better! yesterday we went to the Corregidor Island and learned so much of WW II that I had not even imagined ever happened because you do forget what you learn in school. Mr. Cool, our world History teacher in eleventh grade taught us about the battles that took place in the Philippines during WWII against Japan but I was too busy daydreaming about what dress to wear for the Junior prom. 

Basically what this place is today is a type of memorial to remember so many who lost their lives during the war. We got up early in the morning to drive to the place where we take a fairy. That lasts about an hour and then we get into busses with a tour guide who explains all the sites in the island. The tour lasted all day with a lunch provided around noon and by 4:00 p.m. we were back at the dock to be driven back home. This time the traffic was horrendous. It took our poor driver 3.5 hours to get back to the  house when early in the morning this same route only took 40 minutes. 

For those inquiry minds and interested about what happened here in the Philippines between 1941 and 1945 here is a detailed account according to Wikipedia. Corregidor Island is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition to defend the entrance of Manila Bay and the city of Manila from attacks by enemy warships in the event of a war.  Located 48 km or (30) miles Manila has been the largest city and the most important seaport in the Philippines for centuries, for the colonial rule of Spain, Japan and the United States to the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946. 

During World War II Corregidor played an important role during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces. Heavily bombarded in the latter part of the war, the ruins left on the island serve as a military memorial to American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers who served or lost their lives on the island. Corregidor is one of the important historic and tourist sites in the country.