Rommel Olarte leading the singing of the Philippine anthem
by
Susan Palmes-Dennis
In the
US, we remember the men and women who died while serving in the US
Armed Forces.
It's
called Memorial Day and it is a federal holiday which means no work
and for most Americans, an extended vacation.
Many
people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those
who died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag
on each grave even to those unknown to them.
Over
the years Memorial Day also included those who were retired and those
who are still in the service. A lot of times my husband Ronnie, who
served in the US Army for five years and US Air Force reserve two
years would be asked: Did you serve in the military sir?
He
would answer yes, then the person asking the question would say
“Thank you for serving the country.” Often times the one asking
the question would engage Ronnie in a long conversation about
grandfathers and brothers serving in the military as well.
Freebies
are also given to retired military personnel. And I am awed by this
patriotic gesture. I guess I am nationalistic then and am always
reminded of the soldiers and cops who died in the service.
 |
| Me and my daughter waving the American flag |
The
singing of the American national anthem during these times when they
honor the men and women in uniform give me goosebumps.
I
don’t have a family member back in the Philippines who served in
the military but I‘ve got friends who have family and friends who
do and did and I am proud of them.
I
thought and wondered; if the living veterans were forgotten, how much
more those that went ahead in this life? We all have this sense of
nationalism that gets roused from time to time. For me, it's looking
at the veterans and hearing the national anthem, both Philippine and
American.
My
sense of nationalism was awakened when I heard Rommel Olarte leading
the Pambansang Awit in the recent Flores de Mayo celebration here in
Charlotte.
Rommel
Olarte is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy who loves
singing. His rendition of the Philippine national anthem reminded me
of how we Filipinos treat our soldiers back home.
Rommel
graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 1994 (a military
school built by the US in 1905). As a cadet, he was in charge of the
band, Men in Grey (MIG).
His
band of four years performed in different musical events such as Rock
Against Drugs at the Baguio Convention Center in 1991. He was a
member of the choir and glee club and performed at the televised
Concert at the Park in Intramuros, Manila.
Rommel
was also chosen as one of two Academy men to wax the multi-voice
recordings for a documentary film. He was one of the lucky former
soldiers who made a better life for himself in the US.
I have
noticed old or retired soldiers roaming the streets of Cagayan de Oro
City, Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao, Philippines where I used
to live and they seem faded and lacking in care and attention.
One
veteran I saw in my mind wore a faded uniform. Nobody is taking care
of them, let alone be interested in what they did for the country. I
hope and pray that Filipinos, like the Americans, take care of their
aging veterans and pay homage to what they did to liberate the
country from oppression.
 |
| With my husband Ronnie, himself a war veteran |
(Susan
Palmes-Dennis is a veteran journalist from Cagayan de Oro City,
Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines who works as a
nanny in North Carolina. This page will serve as a venue for news and
discussion on Filipino communities in the Carolinas. Visit and read
her website at www.susanpalmes-dennis.simplesite.com. Read her blogs
on susanpalmesstraightfrom the Carolinas.com. These and other
articles also appear at
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/2582/susan-palmes-dennis.
You
can also connect with her through her Pinterest account at
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/41025046580074350/) and
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-from-the-Carolinas-/494156950678063)
happy fourth of July weekend.
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