'Festive and joyous'

Dennis Wright is a life member of Allen “Pop” Reeves Phil-Am Post 123 in Angeles City, Philippines. In late December, he gave to FODPAL his account of the Dec. 14 return ceremony of the Bells of Balangiga to a Philippines church, more than a century after being taken away by the U.S. military.

“For those of us involved with the return of the Bells of Balangiga, last week was a blur,” he said. “The Balangiga ceremony was very nicely done – albeit the schedule was flexing until the last minute. That said, many from our local veteran community were able to make it despite the uncertainty of the schedule. It was an extremely crowded, festive and joyous occasion, with Filipinos rejoicing the homecoming of their bells after more than 117 years. The crowd was so excited when President Rodrigo Duterte rang the bells for the first time – and at the same time, a large and dense flock of birds began circling overhead as if they too were celebrating the sounding of the bells once again. This video clip will help convey the feeling. If ever anyone had any doubt about what the right thing to do was, the clip will change your mind.

“U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. Joe Felter, and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Del Lorenzana, were able to personally meet, thank and shake hands with many of our veterans in attendance. Later, during the ceremony itself and in his formal remarks, Lorenzana specifically asked all the American veterans to stand and be recognized, and talked briefly about the support from our veteran community and the role they played. After the ceremony, Felter joined the veterans for a group photo.

“I think everyone would have been proud of the recognition and tribute paid to our American veterans, and specifically Angeles City VFW Post 2485 and Post 123. Several media outlets reported the same. Preliminary to the event, a half-hour video by Radio/TV Malacanang featured several segments acknowledging the role of veterans; and just this past week, another new RTVM video was released concerning the Korea Bell, which also features Max Maxon from our VFW post in Korea, and our own John Gilbert, in several interview segments.

“The bells have since rung each morning before 'Simbang Gabi' Mass. We have proven that bells do in fact belong in churches, calling the faithful to worship. Everyone can be proud of the role they played in making it happen.”

Wright, in an article to appear in the AmCham Business Journal (for the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines), tells the story of how a group of Legionnaires and VFW members (of which he is also a life member) worked over a period of years to help get the return accomplished – and Wright himself played a leading role. He first heard about the Bells of Balangiga in 2010, while serving as chairman of the Clark Veterans Cemetery Restoration Association. As he describes it in the article, he learned “of an encounter that occurred on Sept. 28, 1901, during the Philippine-American War in the small town of Balangiga, Samar. The more I read, the more intrigued I became. Filipinos armed with bolos attacked Company C of the U.S. 9th Infantry, resulting in the death of 48 of the 74 soldiers garrisoned there. In the aftermath, the town was razed and three church bells taken by the U.S. 11th Infantry. These bells became known as the Bells of Balangiga and remained in the custody of the American military. Over several decades the Philippines had made many requests to have them returned, but to no avail.”

The phrase “the right thing to do” comes up often in Wright’s descriptions, and he became part of a group that spent the next several years bolstering support for that position, especially among the veteran community. In 2017, Duterte made a public call for the bells’ return, and the group was ready to act. In addition to lobbying, etc., the area VFW and Legion posts started resolutions through their respective bodies; Resolution 2 was passed by the National Executive Committee at the 100th National Convention in Minneapolis last August. That same month, then-Defense Secretary James Mattis signed certification to return the bells, and the preparations that culminated in December began.

“I think the real message in all this,” Wright comments, “is how The American Legion and the VFW worked together for a common cause, demonstrating American veterans leading by example and ‘doing the right thing.’” And the Christmas season saw the bells home.