FORCE TO KOREA (1950-1955)
For the Republic of the Philippines, the Korean War became a reality of blood and bone on 19 September 1950 when the first Filipino soldier set foot on the South Korean port city of Pusan. This man and the more than 7,000 other Filipino soldiers who followed him belonged to the PHILIPPINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE TO KOREA or PEFTOK.
Five Battalion Combat Teams (BCTs) of the Philippine Army served in Korea from 1950 to 1955 under the PEFTOK flag. The first BCT arrived in September 1950 while the last left Korea in May 1955. All five BCTs served under the United Nations Command (UNC), the military arm of the United Nations during the conflict. The men of PEFTOK fought bravely to uphold the UN Charter and preserve South Korea's freedom against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the People's Republic of China (PROC). The DPRK began the war by invading the Republic of Korea (ROK) 56 years ago on 25 June 1950.
Despite three years of war and over 400 Filipino casualties, the Korean War is a war most Filipinos recollect vaguely (if they know about it at all), hardly surprising since three-fourths of the Philippines' population of 82 million is 35 years old or younger. There is, as yet, no imposing monument to PEFTOK in the Philippines. PEFTOK does not have an equivalent of the majestic "Dambana ng Kagitingan" (Shrine of Valor) honoring Filipinos who fought against Japan in World War 2 or the somber Korean War Veterans' Memorial in Washington D.C. dedicated to Americans who served in the war.
Thankfully, a shrine to our Korean War Heroes was unveiled on 25 June 2005, the 55th Anniversary of the Start of the Korean War. The "Marikorea Monument" in the City of Marikina is a 20-foot tall pylon topped by an eternal flame. All five PEFTOK BCTs trained at Marikina before deploying to Korea. The rugged hills and rolling terrain in Marikina resembled Korea's, hence Marikina's choice as the PEFTOK training ground. The men christened Marikina "Camp Marikorea" or "Marikorea." For our rapidly dwindling band of aging PEFTOK veterans, the Marikorea Monument is hollowed ground where they meet, especially 23 April to commemorate that epic of Filipino valor called "The Battle of Yultong".
For PEFTOK veterans and their families and for those who actively supported PEFTOK, the Korean War was a defining event that changed their lives.
This web site is a tribute to all Filipinos, men and women, who participated in the Korean War. It is gratefully dedicated to our front line soldiers who fought on a battlefield some 1,500 miles from home in the Philippines' first war as a democratic and independent state. The Philippines fought to preserve democracy in South Korea at a time when democracy at home was seriously threatened by a Communist-led rebellion.
In creating this web site, I drew heavily on the materials of my father, the late Johnny F. Villasanta. He covered the Korean War as a United Nations' War Correspondent and reported on the activities of all five BCTs that served in Korea. When he was in my father reported on the war mostly from the front, up at the sharp end where soldiers did the dying. In 1954, he published a book, Dateline: Korea, whose stories are about the Filipino soldier in the Korean
Our men who fought in that cruel war--the first "hot war"of the Cold War era--may remember the Korean War with sorrow, and perhaps pride. And so may their families. The Korean War, however, was Our Father's War. The sacrifice of our fathers in what remains a war completely forgotten by most Filipinos must be remembered, and this web site is my modest contribution to this cause.
This web site was created, written and is maintained by Art Villasanta.
Copyright 2000 by Art Villasanta.
This web site is being continuously updated.
My e-mail address is: anakpeftok@mailcity.com.
Site last updated 3 September 2006.
for visiting our site and keeping alive
the memory of the Filipinos who fought to save democracy and South Korea.
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