| |
 |
Blog Navigation |
 |
|
|
|
 |
Actions |
|
|
|
|
 |
My Links |
|
|
|
|
|
Hot Topics |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Juan Pajota and Filipino Contributions to the Raid |
16th August 2005, 08:12 |
|
|
 |
 |
Mr. Cesar Montano as Captain Juan Pajota
While Robert Prince was the brains and Henry Mucci the sheer force behind the Cabanatuan rescue mission, it was USAFFE guerrilla leader Captain Juan Pajota who added the finesse. Captain Pajota knew the land, had the trust of local villagers and commanded the local guerrilla forces. He prevailed upon villagers to muzzle their barking dogs the night of the raid; he came up with the clever idea of evacuating the weak and feeble prisoners on water buffalo carts; and he and his men held Japanese forces off at a bridge while the Rangers and POWs made their historic trek back to safety.
Resourceful, Organized, Imaginative
A local from Nueva Ecija, Pajota joined the USAFFE guerrillas during the retreat from Bataan. By all accounts he was a small but sure and steady man, a natural leader and a brilliant tactician. Robert Lapham, the American USAFFE guerrilla leader, called him "a very unflamboyant guy with a natural bent for leadership. He was resourceful, organized and extremely imaginative." His intimate knowledge of the terrain proved crucial the success of the raid. He had "eyes" and "hands" in every village. Ghost Soldiers author Hampton Sides writes: "He knew all the mayors of all the barrios. He was familiar with the realities on the ground, every quirk of the water buffalo paths, every river bend. Whatever men or arms might need to be mustered, Pajota had the political wherewithal to make it happen." Pajota's knowledge of the area -- as well as his tremendous confidence -- proved essential to the raid.
"Suicide"
Pajota had the one thing Mucci lacked: information. He had intelligence on the Japanese movements within and around the camp. At their first meeting, Mucci was impatient; his men were ready, he wanted to move. Pajota was unflappable. Learning that Mucci was determined to stage the raid that very evening, Pajota clearly and simply informed Mucci, "Sir, with all due respect, that is suicide." Pajota explained that the Japanese would have large numbers of troops and trucks on the roads that evening. At first, Mucci was undeterred. However, upon receiving similar intelligence from his own Alamo Scouts, Mucci was forced to concur with Pajota. He delayed the raid 24 hours.
A Perfect Plan
In the planning stages, Pajota offered Mucci a novel tactical strategy -- one that would give the raid an element of surprise and cover at the same time. Pajota suggested using airplanes to fly over the camp and distract the Japanese guards moments before the raid. "Mucci instantly liked the sound of it," Sides writes. "The aircraft would just be up there, looping and droning and turning, flummoxing the guards, commanding attention." The plan worked to perfection. The planes provided cover for the Rangers as they made their way into position near the camp gates.
A Brilliant Solution
The biggest question in Mucci and Prince's plan to liberate Cabanatuan was how to carry the POWs to safety. Mucci and Prince were worried that transporting the nearly 500 POWs thirty miles across enemy lines was going to prove impossible. The men were weak, frail, disease-ridden; there was no way they would be able to walk the distance. Pajota had a brilliant plan -- water buffalo carts, driven by local villagers would be waiting at the Pampanga River, one mile from the camp. Mucci couldn't resist the idea. It was brilliant. And, it proved to be the POWs' salvation. Five to a cart, the men, exhausted and lame, rolled the thirty miles to safety.
Heroic Battle
While those carts rolled, Pajota and his team of guerrilla fighters held the Japanese at bay. It was an incredible battle. Squad after squad of Japanese fighters rushed the bridge in a suicidal frenzy. Pajota's men, equipped with American firepower, secure in their positions, resisted all attackers.
Indispensible Ally
There is no doubt that the raid at Cabanatuan owes much of its success and a great deal of its color to Pajota's brilliance, as well as to the loyalty of the Filipino villagers and the bravery of Pajota's men. Like many of the Filipino guerrillas, Juan Pajota's life story is little-known. What we do know is that he was courageous, loyal, and very smart. After the war, Pajota moved to the U.S. He died of a heart attack in 1976 -- just days before becoming a U.S. citizen.
|
 |
 |
Permalink | 0 comments | 0 trackbacks | Post Comment |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
The Great Raid |
16th August 2005, 07:56 |
|
|
|
 |
August 15, 2005 Monday 10:10pm @ GM, W/ Rodel, Sonny, Jay and Amy, Rating 10
Set in the Philippines in 1945, "The Great Raid" tells the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) who undertake a daring rescue mission against all odds. Traveling thirty miles behind enemy lines, the 6th Ranger Battalion aims to liberate over 500 American prisoners-of-war from the notorious Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp in the most audacious rescue ever. |
|
|
Permalink | 0 comments | 0 trackbacks | Post Comment |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Saleen S7 |
29th July 2005, 03:44 |
|
|
|
 |
General Info
Price: $395,000
Miles Per Gallon: 10/17 mpg
Curb Weight: 2870 lbs
Layout: Mid-Engine/RWD
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Engine
Type: V8
Displacement: 7000 cc
Horsepower: 550 bhp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 525 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
Redline: 7000 rpm
Performance
0-60 mph: 3.3 sec
0-100 mph: 8.9 sec
Quarter Mile: 11.8 sec @ 120 mph
Skidpad: .99g
Top Speed: 215 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph: 111 ft
Slalom Speed: 70.5 mph
|
|
|
Permalink | 0 comments | 0 trackbacks | Post Comment |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Ferrari 360 Modena |
29th July 2005, 03:42 |
|
|
|
 |
Price as Tested: 360 Modena F1 ($154,550)
Layout: mid-engine/rear-wheel drive
Engine: 3.6-liter dohc 40-valve V8
Horse Power: 395 @ 8500
Torque: 275 @ 4750
Transmission: 6-speed automanual
Fuel Economy: 11/16
Wheelbase: 102.3
Length/Width/Height: 176.3/75.7/47.8
Track Front/Rear: 65.7/63.7
Turning Radius: 35.4
Seating Capacity: 2
Front Head/Hip/Leg room: 36.5/NA/46.5
Middle Head/Hip/Leg room:
Rear Head/Hip/Leg room:
Trunk Volume: 8.0
Payload:
Towing Capacity:
Front Suspension: Independent
Rear Suspension: Independent
Ground Clearance: 4.2
Curb Weight: 3291
Stock Tires: P215/45ZR-18 / P275/40ZR-18
Brakes Front/Rear: disc/disc with ABS
Brakes Front/Rear: 25.1
|
|
|
Permalink | 0 comments | 4 trackbacks | Post Comment |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Island |
25th July 2005, 08:00 |
|
|
|
 |
July 24, 2005 Sunday 10:05pm @ GM, W/ Jay and Amy, Rating 8
Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island," reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones whose only purpose is to provide "spare parts" for their original human counterparts. Realizing it is only a matter of time before he is "harvested," Lincoln makes a daring escape with a fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson). Pursued by the forces of the institute that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to literally meet their makers. |
|
|
Permalink | 0 comments | 0 trackbacks | Post Comment |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Once in a Life Time by: Freestyle |
18th July 2005, 05:07 |
|
|
|
 |
"Once In a Lifetime"
Freestyle
I would like to dedicate this song to a very very special someone...
Verse1
A5 E
Been thinkin about you baby
Bm7
And i dont know what to do
D
All i think about is you
A5 E
Seems everything around me
Bm7
Things ive never understood
D
They all make sense when im with you
Refrain
Bm7 F#m
Oh ive heard it all before
Bm7 F#m
Finding so called love then you leave it behind
Bm7 F#m
But now i feel so sure
D
I'll listen to my heart this time
E
So I'll lay it on the line/ from my heart before my mind
Chorus:
A E
I know that what ive found is
Bm7-D
Once in a lifetime
A E
And i know there's no way out
Bm7-D
COz once in a lifetime
VErse 2 (do verse 1 chordz)
Ive always been so lonely
No one there for me to hold
And every night was just so cold
Oh dont get me wrong Ive been around
But ive resigned myself to thinkin
Mine is just another story often told
Bridge:
G A
Its not like im running outta time
G A
Im taking everything in stride
G A
Its just i never thought id find
G E
What would make me change my mind
(Repeat chorus 2 frets higher)[/center][center] |
|
|
Permalink | 0 comments | 0 trackbacks | Post Comment |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Camping June 2005 |
17th July 2005, 10:33 |
|
|
|
|
|
Camping June 2005 |
17th July 2005, 10:18 |
|
|
|
|
|
Blog Navigation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Calendar |
|
|
|
|
|
My Favourite Blogs |
|
|
|
|
|
Syndication |
|
|
|
|
|
|
