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Preserving the history, heritage, and legacy of the Philippine Scouts for present and future generations

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Welcome to the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society website!

The site is intended to help support the mission of preserving the history, heritage and legacy of the Philippine Scouts for present and future generations. Please explore the site, and learn more about the Philippine Scouts.

If you have questions about the organization, or would like to share your story, please email or post a message to our message board.

If you have questions concerning veterans' benefits, go to our Veterans Affairs & Benefits page in our newly structured Resources page for links to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

2013 PSHS 29th National Annual Reunion
April 12 - 13, 2013 in Tacoma, Washington

We've just completed our 29th PSHS national reunion at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Tacoma, Washington. If you missed it, here's a quick overview of what happened: Reunion Agenda. Pictures and videos coming soon.

In the meantime, here's an excerpt of the News-Tribune article on the reunion.

Jose Calugas, left, president of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society, Rudy Cabigas, center, dressed in a Philippine Scouts uniform, and David Tejada, 90, who served with Philippine Scouts enjoy sharing war stories at the 29th National Reunion of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society in Tacoma on Friday. (LUI KIT WONG/Staff writer)

Philippine Scouts, descendants honor those who fought in WWII

(The News-Tribune, 04/14/13) Zenaida Crisostomo Slemp of Puyallup joined her father’s military heritage organization years after his death. Something called out to her, telling her it was time to learn more about his past.

She knew her father, Serafin Crisostomo, survived as a prisoner of war of the Japanese after fighting overwhelming odds with the U.S. Army’s Philippine Scouts. Her grandfather fought there, too.

“I needed to honor my father, to keep his legacy going,” she said.

Photo Gallery

Our photo gallery includes a number of historical photos and photos from PSHS reunions.

» View the Photo Gallery

Mount Samat Memorial

The following photos were taken by Joe Calugas and include a panel depicting Sgt. Jose Calugas, Sr. during the engagement for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. (The monument has him manning a machine gun, rather than an artillery piece.)

The Philippine Scouts

by Chris Schaefer

These were General MacArthur's soldiers—the guys who fought America's first battle of World War II. The Philippine Division. Probably the best trained and possibly the best prepared U.S. Army division at the outset of that war.

But they weren't farm boys from Kansas and California, or Italian-Americans from New Jersey as depicted in the black and white movies made during and after the war years. They were mostly Filipinos serving as enlisted soldiers in United States Army units commanded by American officers. They were special men in special units, officially designated "Philippine Scouts." At the beginning of World War II, General Douglas MacArthur's U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, spearheaded by the Philippine Division, were mostly Filipinos.

» Read More...

Poems

» To the Philippine Scouts by 1st Lt. Henry Lee
» Bataan by Mallie Wilson Farrell
» Bataan Falls! by Don Blanding

26th Cavalry Re-enactor

Rudy Cabigas, a retired San Jose Fire Department Captain, representing a Filipino trooper of the legendary the 26th Cavalry, Philippine Scouts. His father and an uncle served with the 26th.

USAFFE defenders of Bataan and Corregidor

Ft. MacArthur, San Pedro, CA.

Buhay Ng Kasaysayan (BNK) re-enacting the USAFFE defenders of Bataan and Corregidor last May 6, 2007.

Photo by Franz Tinio-Lopez

Macabebe Scouts

Macabebe Scouts, formed in 1901, a few weeks before the Philippine Scouts were formed. Later most of them were integrated into the Philippine Scouts. (Photo provided by Art Garcia.)