Clark Veterans Cemetery, Angeles City, Philippines: Reality Check

The Clark Veteran's Cemetery, along with quite a bit more acreage around Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, got covered by volcanic ash in 1991, during a series of eruptions.

The Lemming is pretty sure that facts in the following Associated Press story are accurate - as far as they go. There's more going on than what AP apparently decided we should know, though.

'The Government Oughtta Do Something?

"U.S. Reportedly Ignoring Veterans' Graves in Philippines"
Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (July 3, 2011)

"Walking along the rows of tombstones here offers a glimpse of the wars America has fought and the men and women who waged them. But most of the grave markers have been half-buried for 20 years, and there is little hope that the volcanic ash obscuring names, dates and epitaphs will be cleared any time soon.

"Clark Veterans Cemetery was consigned to oblivion in 1991, when Mount Pinatubo's gigantic eruption forced the U.S. to abandon the sprawling air base surrounding it. Retired U.S. soldiers, Marines and sailors volunteer to keep watch, relying on donations to try to maintain the grounds, but they lament that they're helplessly short on funds to fix things, and that Washington is unwilling to help....

"... 'People celebrate on the Fourth of July but they forgot the 8,600 who helped make that freedom happen,' said former Navy Capt. Dennis Wright, who saw action in Vietnam and is now a business executive.

" 'We're trying to get the U.S. government to assume responsibility for maintaining the cemetery so we can get it up to standards ... not on nickels and dimes and donations and gifts,' said retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Larry Heilhecker, who served as cemetery caretaker for five years until last month...."

Should the United States government "assume responsibility for maintaining the cemetery?"

Ideally, in the Lemming's opinion, yes. The Lemming also thinks that the United States Congress, and every administration during the last half-century and more, has done a miserable job of mismanaging the government's finances.

With any luck, we won't have to auction off parts of the country to cover expenses. And that's almost another topic.

'It's the Fault of [insert villain]?'

The Lemming's been over this before: this isn't a political blog. The Lemming doesn't think that one party's always right, and that everybody who won't say so is stupid.

In this case, there's quite enough blame to go around.

The fact is that right now America's national government is in debt up to it's virtual eyeballs: and Congress is actually talking about discussing means of deliberating on a solution.

It's a start.

The financial situation being what it is, a smallish (17 acres) cemetery in the Philippines may not be really high on the list of priorities: for the American Congress, or for folks in the Philippines. Some of whom are buried in Clark Veterans Cemetery.

Besides dumping ash on Clark Veterans Cemetery, Mount Pinatubo's 1991 eruptions did more than a little damage to homes and businesses. The AP article quotes someone who recognizes the potential for tourism in connection with a revitalized (if that's the right word) Clark Veterans Cemetery.

But - right now, with Congress finally going to the trouble of appearing to be interested in fixing part of the federal government's financial mess? The Lemming doesn't think that the folks inside the beltway will be all that inclined to throw cash at Clark Veterans Cemetery.

Besides, there are other solutions.

And Now, a Little Sentiment

Since this sort of account customarily includes a certain amount of pathos, here's more from that article:

"...Workers at the cemetery north of Manila recently dug to fully expose a gravestone for an Army sergeant who died in World War II in the Philippines. They discovered his wife's name engraved under his and a long-hidden tribute: 'Daughter, sister, wife and mother of veterans.'

"It's impossible to say what else remains hidden at the 17-acre (seven-hectare) cemetery. It holds the remains of 8,600 people, including 2,200 American veterans and nearly 700 allied Philippine Scouts who saw battle in conflicts from the early 1900s to the resistance against brutal Japanese occupation troops in WWII...."
(Associated Press, via FoxNews.com)

Hey, there's nothing wrong with sentiment - particularly if it motivates a person to do something sensible.

like not giving money to some scam artist.

Charitable Contributions: Useful and Otherwise

Let's say there's this fellow in America: he reads about the plight of the cross-eyed mud hens of Piskalooska Point - both of which are, the Lemming assures you, quite fictional.

This fellow is, quite sensibly, concerned about environmental stuff. And, not quite so sensibly: Googles "Piskalooska Point cross eyed mud hens," clicks on the first link he sees, and uses his credit card to donate $10.00 USD.

Nothing wrong with Google, the Internet, credit cards, or charitable donations. And the Lemming's posted about being careful before:

• "Citibank Card Data Hacked!! (but keep reading)"
  (June 9, 2011)
• "Giving: From the Heart, and Other Vital Organs"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (March 17, 2011)
• "Counterfeit Postage Stamps: No Kidding"
  (December 6, 2010)
• "Credit Card Fraud: A Few Cents Here, a Few Dollars There"
  (June 28, 2010)

Bottom line? Giving to a bogus charity may make a person feel good - for a while - but that's about it.

Finding a charity that's not a scam? It's not all that hard, and the Lemming thinks it's worth the extra effort.

Now, about Clark Veteran's Cemetery, Philippines.

The Lemming found a very nice-looking website, right at the top of Google's list, written in coherent English. It looked like a nice place to suggest.

The Lemming did a little checking - pure routine, using a fairly high-profile WHOIS lookup service. That nice-looking website's URL was registered to a fellow with a very 'American' name, and a physical address - - - about halfway between the Philippines and the contiguous 48 states.

Names, Identities, and Getting a Grip

'American' name? Make that an 'Anglo' name. Not everybody whose name suggests ancestry in the United Kingdom is an American - quite a few live in the United Kingdom, for starters. And not all Americans are WASPs. Most of us aren't, by now, and that's another topic.

That website may be legitimate - and just happens to be run by someone with a name that's foreign to the continent where it's registered. Or, it may not be. The Lemming might be able to work out who and what's actually running that show - but that could take time.

Another quick search found that there's a VFW post (VFW Post 2485, Angeles City, Philippines www.vfwpost2485.com) They're actively maintaining the Clark Veterans Cemetery, and willing to accept donations to help them get the job done.

They're also not mentioned in the AP article. Understandably, since VFW Post 2485, Angeles City, Philippines is apparently

• Trying to restore and maintain the cemetery themselves
• Not waiting until a government agency spends money
• Quite willing to accept financial help
  • From folks who aren't from the government

The Lemming checked - the person who registered VFW Post 2485's URL is with Post 2485, and the registration contact information matches Post 2485's. Looks like VFW Post 2485 exists, runs the website in question, and is actually doing something about Clark Veterans Cemetery.

So, does the Lemming think you have to give them money? That's up to you. Before you do, check them out yourselves. Just a suggestion, of course.

Now, a few pages at VFW Post 2485's website:

• VFW Post 2485 - Clark Cemetery
  Cemetery Personnel
• VFW Post 2485 Clark Veterans Cemetery Burials and Other Memorials
• VFW Post 2458
  home page

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Inflatable Sharks? Swell!"
  (June 28, 2011)
  • No, really
• "It's Mother's Day in the Philippines - 'Read All About It' "
  (May 9, 2009)
  • The link's outdated
  • The content isn't
• "Swine Flu 2009 on World Tour"
  (April 28, 2009)
• "Memorial Day 2008: This isn't 1965"
  (May 26, 2008)
• "The Life of an Oregano Addict: An Unexpected Blog"
  (April 22, 2008)

Lemming Tracks: Inflatable Sharks? Swell!

"Inflatable Shark Among 300 New Species Discovered in Philippines"
Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience (June 27, 2011)

"A treasure trove of hundreds of new species may have been discovered in the Philippines, including a bizarre sea star that feeds exclusively on sunken driftwood and a deep-sea, shrimp-eating shark that swells up to scare off other predators.

"Scientists braved leeches and a host of venomous creatures from the mountains to the sea to uncover more than 300 species that are likely new to science. These findings include dozens of new insects and spiders, more than 50 colorful new sea slugs and a number of deep-sea armored corals 'which protect themselves against predatory nibbles from fish by growing large, spiky plates,' said researcher Terrence Gosliner, dean of science and research collections at the California Academy of Sciences and leader of the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition....

"...All these new findings help support the idea that the Philippines 'is one of the hottest of the hotspots for diverse and threatened life on Earth,' Gosliner said. 'We found new species during nearly every dive and hike as we surveyed the country's reefs, rainforests and the ocean floor.' [10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye]..."

'You got an inflatable what?!!'



Now that the Lemming's got that out of his apathetic system, a micro-review of the LiveScience article.

What We Know, and What We Know that We don't Know - Yet

First, kudos for writing "likely new to science." Some of the 'new' critters may have been spotted, evaluated, and recorded before - but not all that well-known. Someday, maybe, there'll be some nth-generation successor to the Internet that can search just about all records ever made by anybody, anywhere - fast. But the Lemming's not holding his breath, waiting for it.

The same facts could be reported as Endangered Species Discovered in Philippines - with a sidebar about Save the Armored Coral, a frightfully earnest bunch that's raising funds in a desperate race to protect the critters from something. Probably climate change. Global warming seems to be currently démodé.

The Lemming - Against Biodiversity?

If you've read this blog before, you may realize that the Lemming is apathetic only in a snarky sense of the word. It's the sort of apathy that doesn't necessarily go ballistic over the crisis du jure.

Now, about biodiversity and all that.

It is the Lemming's opinion that kittens are cute. The Lemming also thinks that breathing exhaust fumes is a bad idea.

Earth has been the Lemming's home for decades - and so the Lemming has a very personal interest in what happens to life on this planet.

The Lemming is also aware that one of the few constants on this planet for the last few billion years has been change. There's a reason you won't find recipes calling for fresh trilobite - and the Lemming's used that one before:

• "Change, American Culture, Trilobites, Humanity's History, and the Big Picture"
  (September 26, 2009)

It's probably a mistake to assume that Earth's ecosystems were exactly right at one time, and any that deviation from that 'normal' setting is a planetary catastrophe of epic proportions - and may even result in the other party getting a majority in Congress. Not that there was anything 'wrong' with conditions in, say:

• 1850
• 1491
• 1065
• 454
• Whenever

But thinking that Earth's climate in 454 was okay does not necessarily mean that any change from that 'normal' is a problem.

Change may happen easily - whether we want it to or not - but that doesn't make living with change easy.

The trick, in the Lemming's opinion, is to tell the difference between change that might cause practical problems: and change that is not a disaster of global proportions.

"Biodiversity:" At Least Five Syllables Long

Is "biodiversity" important? Probably. Possibly. Could be. Quite a few folks think so, anyway.

Clearly, biodiversity decreases when the number of species on Earth goes down.¹

'Save the Cockroach??'

About that "[10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye]" - the Lemming isn't happy with the thought that every species that ever was isn't thriving right now? Wait a minute - let's think about that.

If change didn't happen - or had stopped at some point - that might mean that we'd have forests of lycophytes, and have to worry about a pederpes getting into the garden. Assuming that we'd be here, of course.

It'd be nice if the Sumatran rhinoceros, black-footed ferret, and Sumatran orangutan, weren't - apparently - on their way to being extinct. On the other hand, this may not presage a replay of the Permian-Triassic extinction even - or ever The End Of Civilization As We Know It.

Still, things don't look good for the Sumatran rhinoceros.

When we hear about cockroaches dying by the bushel, pigeons no longer gracing civic monuments, and rats being conspicuous by their absence? Then the Lemming will think there's cause for concern.

Ever notice how the Tasmanian devil isn't often mentioned in appeals to 'save the endangered [cuddlesome critter]?' Despite devil facial tumour disease ravaging the species? "...At present the population has dwindled 70% since 1996. Numbers as of 2010 show an 80% rate of infection throughout the population...." The good news is that six (6) females seem to be resistant to the disease. There's a captive-breeding program that may save the species. (Wikipedia)

Assumptions and an Apathetic Lemming

There's a time and place for intense earnestness. Sally Struthers achieved a kind of fame in the marketing world for her effectiveness at a particular sort of fundraising. That is not a criticism. The actress could emote very well - and had by that time achieved fame for her role in All in the Family. It's hard to argue with success - although some have tried.

And that's another topic.

In a world where the American bison and spotted owl were supposed to go extinct - and didn't; and we didn't mostly die in food riots that didn't happen; the Lemming thinks that there can be a difference between assumptions and reality. And that's yet another topic. Topics.

Related (no - really) posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Hey! Where'd Sunday Go?!"
  (June 27, 2011)
• "Save the - Goldfish?!"
  (June 16, 2011)
• "Hellgrammite: A Lake, a Character, and a - Thing"
  (February 27, 2011)
• "Beware Warmonger Imperialist Space Aliens!?"
  (January 11, 2011)
• "Glowing Cancer Test From the Crystal Jellyfish: Maybe"
  (November 2, 2010)

---

¹ Think about it - - -.

Super Junior's Sorry Sorry: One Song, Two Music Videos, Lots of Dancers

"Philippine Prison (Super Junior) -Sorry Sorry"

KarlFultonMorantte, YouTube (September 30, 2009)
video, 3:57

"Prisoners in the Philippines dancing to the beat of the song Sorry Sorry from Super Junior."

Okay: If group choreography was an Olympic sport, these guys might not get the gold medal.

On the other hand, they're good! In my opinion, anyway. It doesn't hurt that I like the music and the style of dance.

Here's a more 'original' music video with that song:

"안무Full영상_SuperJunior-SORRYSORRY_ Only댄스Ver"

sment, YouTube (June 08, 2009)
video, 3:52

"안무Full영상_SuperJunior-SORRYSORR Y_ Only댄스Ver"

Another well-done music video. More conventional execution, of course. I wonder in kids (for me, that's anyone under about 35) realize how long this general sort of thing has been done? Styles have changed a bit over the decades, of course.

It's Mother's Day in the Philippines - 'Read All About It'

"Filipinos mark Mother’s Day today, May 10, 2009"
mb.com.ph, Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation (May 10, 2009)

That date is accurate: by now, today's tomorrow in the Philippines. It's an International Dateline thing.

"The Philippines joins the family of nations today in paying tribute to the blessedness of motherhood on Mother's Day, honoring mothers for keeping their children the focus of their lives, walking with them through their storms, and being there for them as they face the world in their growing years.

"A little-known event until the proclamation of then United States President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 declaring the second Sunday of May as 'Mother’s Day,' it has since then covered a lot of market ground, propelling families into consumer-shopping frenzy, virtually throwing the day’s noble significance into oblivion.

"Flowers, chocolate bars, and handmade love notes will stream into ancestral homes of mothers and grandmothers today, which will serve as another festive occasion for family reunions...."

The article's a pretty good look at Mother's Day, as seen from the Philippines. There's a pretty good summary of the history of the day: and a look at what happens at Catholic churches this weekend.

My family - the one I married into - is having another of their annual get-togethers, about a hundred miles down the road from here. I couldn't make it this time - maybe next year. It looks like this sort of thing is common in the Philippines, too.