MYSTERY SOLVED, MAYBE ?

I must admit, I never could figure out why some foreigners here insist I am “anti-American”. Besides spending the greater part of my life in service to America, which includes two tours in combat, I never wrote or said anything I considered anti-American in my life. Finally one of them may have let the secret slip. I was told they base their opinion on this snippet from an article I published.

“Did you know that during the Philippine Insurrection Filipinos killed over 4,000 well armed American troops with little more than a bolo knife? That is more than we have lost in Iraq in almost the same time frame against modern weapons…. The story is that America “defeated” the Spanish and took possession of the Philippines; but is that the truth or merely the American version?”

First, I do not see where this is “anti-American”. It must be how you read it and what you “want” to see. Admittedly it gives credit to brave Filipinos who fought for freedom against the Spanish and the Americans, but it is historically accurate and I have the data to prove it.

(ref “Lessons From A Successful Counterinsurgency: The Philippines, 1899-1902” Timothy K. Deady U.S.Army War College Quarterly Spring 2005)

Mr. Deady states the insurgent force numbered between 80 to 100,000 troops with “tens of thousands of auxiliaries” but the “lack of weapons and munitions was a significant impediment.” “On the isle of Samar, a bolo attack killed 48 of 74 American soldiers in the garrison at Balangiga in August 1901.”

“The insurrection resulted in 4,234 American fatalities” From the title of the paper you can see the insurrection lasted three years; we have been in Iraq 5+ years fighting against well armed insurgents and lost a little over 3,000 troops. My statement and comparison is historically valid. This is a tribute to the Filipinos tenacious desire to be free and their bravery NOT an anti-American statement. For the record we won the insurrection not so much by force of arms but by “winning the hearts and minds” of the people. This is a lesson we might re-visit in Mindanao and Iraq. Bullets do not stop insurrections.

Now for the Americans “defeat” of the Spanish. Check the history books. Aguinaldo had defeated the Spanish everywhere in the Philippines. He and his army then surrounded the few remaining Spanish troops in Manila. Spain was NOT in control of the Philippines. Aguinaldo had only to capture Manila and the Philippines would finally be free. Meanwhile America signed a Peace Treaty in Paris paying Spain 20 million dollars for the Philippines. Admiral Perry sank the Spanish fleet in Manila bay and joined Aguinaldo’s Filipino army surrounding the city. There was no “battle” for Manila. Spain surrendered Manila to America cheating the Filipinos of their final victory and their freedom. This led to the Philippine Insurrection mentioned above.

Again this is historical fact and NOT an anti-American statement. My critics would do better reading more history and less complaining and false labeling of me. Truth is the best defense against lies.

I must admit I did make one error in the article they cited. I said it was “Cpt Cook” that was killed here by chief Lapu-Lapu when everyone knows it was Magellan. This just proves I am human and make mistakes but I want to state emphatically I am NOT “anti-Portuguese” either.