I received an email from the Naval Historical Center in Washington asking for help in locating sources for a forthcoming survey of the role of Asian-Americans in the 20th century, with emphasis on their experiences as more roles opened up to them within the service. The text of the message is below. I didn’t have any sources to hand, but got permission to post an appeal. If anyone knows any sources or wants to share his experiences, write to me and I will forward the lead to the Naval Historical Center. Better yet, post up in the comments section below. The email said:
I’m working on a U.S. Navy book project relating to Asian-Americans serving in the U.S. Navy and am interested in the role of Filipinos as stewards in the early 20th century as well as their wider participation in other rates as those opened up in the 1960s-70s and later. Do you have any advice on book citations and/or Filipino contacts who could shed light on this very interesting topic?
One of the things we’ve discovered is that whenever our historians talk about integration and diversity to sailors, the subject is most often bout African Americans, and in a lot of ways rightly so. But they lways get questions from Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and ilipino sailors which boil down to, “what about us?” So, in response, we’re going to put together a survey book on the whole subject of diversity from the 1780s to the present.
So, basically, if anyone has any information or suggestions on Asians & Asian-Americans in the U.S. Navy from the beginnings all the way down to the present day, then I am very interested.
I sometimes think that if any American author wanted to create a version of George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman, the ideal character would be based on a Filipino Navy steward. Fraser’s fictional Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE: witness to history and scoundrel extraordinaire, found himself present at major moments in world events, ranging from the Charge of the Light Brigade to eve of the 20th century. Yet the fantastic adventures of Flashman might easily be surpassed by the collective memory of the Filipino steward. Who was with Kimmel at Pearl Harbor, with Spruance during the Battle of Midway, attended FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan during the long and eventful years of crisis? And when more roles opened up to them, who helped keep the sea against America’s enemies, stood at watch in the dark on all the seven seas? They have no name but deserve better than oblivion. And maybe the Navy Historical Center project will help capture something of their memory before we forget what ought never be forgotten.
If you have any leads or comments, do write.
PJM Home
21 Comments
1. Limpet6:I’ve never been able to substantiate it, but there is a story that Dewey spoke against the California Alien Exclusion Act. There were several Asians among the crews of his colliers at Manilla Bay.
Asian sailors, as I’ve been given to understand were not allowed ashore in California despite the fact they were ligitimate members of the USN.
Jun 25, 2008 - 4:54 pm 2. Richard Fernandez:From an article entitled “From Stewards to Admirals” comes this interesting vignette:
Jun 25, 2008 - 4:55 pm 3. toad:I’m having a brain fart trying to remember the name of the non US Citizen Phillipine Catholic monk who was at a monestary in Arizona(?) at the time of 9/11. He joined the Marines not as a Chapalin but a grunt. He took his full fig religious equipment with him though when he went to Iraq and did some unofficial counseling for the guys.
Jun 25, 2008 - 5:04 pm 4. Jamie Irons:In the northern California town (Vallejo) where I work, there is a vibrant Filipino community, which I think (though I don’t know for sure) came into being largely because of the (now closed) Navy base, Mare Island.
I’ll bet there’s much source material in our community.
For what it’s worth, my experience over 18 years as a physician with my Filipino patients has been very gratifying: they are invariably respectful (to the extent that I doubt I’m worthy of such respect!) and kind. My hope is that I’ve given them the kind of care that reciprocates their attitude toward me.
Jamie Irons
Jun 25, 2008 - 5:10 pm 5. mike hando:There is a ton of Filipino ex-Navy in San Francisco. Not sure of any organization’s names but they are out there.
Jun 25, 2008 - 7:41 pm 6. 3Case:W,
Allow me to suggest the Pan Asian American Leadership Caucus. Their late President, Irwin K. Liu, a classmate of mine at the University on the West Bank of The Charles, would have been a great resource, but, sadly, shuffled off this mortal coil last April 1. He was one of my few friends back in Beantown in the early ’70s who was wholly supportive of my becoming a jarhead and was greatly supportive of all things military.
Jun 25, 2008 - 7:46 pm 7. Scott in CA:Richard, I’m a longtime reader here in San Francisco. There is a group called the Veterans Equity Center that works with Filipino WW 2 vets. Their website is veteransequitycenter.org
Jun 25, 2008 - 9:05 pm 8. RIch Rostrom:A couple of comments.
1) The Filipinos in USN service were not Asian-Americans. A distinction that should be recognized, though it is no way invidious.
2) At the start of the 20th century, there were no Filipinos in USN service. The Navy did have many Asian stewards and mess attendants, but they were Japanese. Really. Look up the roster of USS MAINE when she sank at Havana in 1898. To research this history properly, one should determine when and how these Japanese were replaced by Filipinos.
Jun 25, 2008 - 11:27 pm 9. Amadeo:Here’s my little contribution, a blog entry I wrote about one such man who was in the US Navy during WWII:
http://tinyurl.com/67ln9q
Jun 25, 2008 - 11:53 pm 10. Panday:I sometimes think that if any American author wanted to create a version of George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman, the ideal character would be based on a Filipino Navy steward.
Actually, there is an American military historian and author named Raymond M Saunders who wrote 3 novels about an American, Flashman-like character, named Fenwick Travers. One of the adventures even has him fighting the Moros.
I can’t recommend these novels highly enough. They’re fast paced, very funny, and thoroughly entertaining.
Jun 26, 2008 - 1:30 am 11. davod:I know someone who might be interested in following up on this but he does not do computers. Do you have a snail mail address (and name). If so I will mail the post to him.
Jun 26, 2008 - 2:52 am 12. Ed McClanan:Contact this gentleman, LTC (Ret) James E Tricheck who is the Retirement Services Offier in the PI. He is about 79 years old and complies a lengthly list of items of interest to provide this information to Veterans via email. His primarly focus is benefits and legistative matters but him being in the PI would be a plus - Look for his links via the Retirement Websites for DOD or remind me later this month once I get his email and I’ll provide you his contact information. He would probably be your best resource, ever!
Jun 26, 2008 - 4:37 am 13. Thrasymachus:I was in Navy ROTC at a public universtiy in California long long ago. there was a Filipino guy who applied for, but did not get, nuclear power. His idea was that Rickover had a quota of one Filipino per year and another Filipino guy from the unit had got that opening. The Navy was going to send him to flight school instead and he was not happy about it.
Jun 26, 2008 - 6:48 am 14. F451_2.0:Now that “Flashman” has been mentioned…
As over the decades I read the series I often considered that as George MacDonald Fraser had spent some years as a newspaperman in Saskatchewan, it was possible he based Flashman, at least in part, on this man: Alexander Roberts Dunn
Over six feet tall, upper class upbringing (Harrow), Victoria Cross won in “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and as noted in the profile provided…a right bounder and a cad.
http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/index.php/2004/01/canada-and-the-victoria-cross/
Jun 26, 2008 - 6:49 am 15. Steve Skubinna:This is somewhat off topic, but there was I believe a subversive reason for Robert Heinlein to make his narrator in Starship Troopers a Filipino. He was subtle at first, putting in small clues early in the novel pointing to Johnnie Rico’s ethnicity, and the most overt he comes is later in the book when Johnnie mentions Ramon Magsaysay and makes a statement in Tagalog.
Heinlein was a 1929 graduate of the Naval Academy, and served when Filipinos were restricted to the steward rating, i.e., officers’ servants. It could not have been mere happenstance that his central character, who goes from recruit to NCO to a commission, was a Filipino.
Among the many crimes of Verhoeven’s comic book “adaptation” was the transforming of Juan Rico and Carmen Ibanez to middle class white bread Americans.
Jun 26, 2008 - 10:00 am 16. El Jefe Maximo:Along similar lines, I keep hoping for a definitive history of the really excellent Philippine units in the US Army, that is the Philippine Scouts, who served in their own units and not as fillers or members of other formations. I know bits and pieces of that story, mostly relating to the Bataan campaign, but I keep hoping for something bigger and more cmoplete.
Jun 26, 2008 - 11:39 am 17. Data Schlepper:Would this imaginary Filipino be as lecherous as Flashman?
Jun 26, 2008 - 1:05 pm 18. Steve Skubinna:Come to think of it, Schlepper, there’d be plenty of opportunity to schtupp officer’s wives.
Jun 26, 2008 - 1:16 pm 19. Herbert Wilkins:Asians in the Navy!
Don’t know if you know much about the Masonic fraternity.
There are many members of the Masonic Fraternity who are Filipinos. Many of them reside in San Diego. Obviously San Diego being a seaport town would have many retired members of the Navy living in San Diego and many of them are Masons.
You might want to contact the Secretary of Silver Gate-Three Stars Lodge #296 in San Diego. A great many of the members of the Lodge are retired Navy personnel.
The Secretary of the Lodge is Mario S. Rante and his e-mail is manzy1@cox.net
Herbert Wilkins
Jun 26, 2008 - 2:41 pm 20. phil:Secretary-Pasadena Scottish Rite
Here’s a link to the website of the Association to Commemorate the Chinese Serving in the American Civil War.
http://hometown.aol.com/gordonkwok/accsacw.html
Here’s a link to a site with info on Asians who served in the Union and Confederate navies:
http://www.tfoenander.com/asians.html
A list of possible Maoris and Australian Aborigines who may have served in the Union Navy:
http://www.tfoenander.com/anz.html
Jun 27, 2008 - 6:10 am 21. Marcus Auerlius:My first encounter with Pinoys on the big boats was back in ‘92 in the UAE. The Nimitz was in port (Jebel Ali near Dubai) and some colleagues received an invite from a sailor to tour the ship. That was crazy, very very awesome was that ship!
Anyway, I did not know at the time Pinoys were actively recruited into the USN and saw a number of them on board some who were definitely enlisted individuals and some who it seems may have higher up as their duds were more formal (I have been informed those were probably chief uniforms).
Anyway, Richard, I sent you an e-mail (the cat’s gmail address) with the e-mail of a woman from Mindanao who works at the UW Milwaukee who most likely can assist your correspondent.
Jun 27, 2008 - 10:23 amSorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.