Will Nato go to war with Russia? How many troops it’s sending as a deterrent and what it means for Ukraine

The plan being discussed at this Madrid summit ‘constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defence since the Cold War’, according to secretary general Jens Stoltenberg

Fighter jets over northern Norway during an exercise with Norwegian, Finnish, French, and German aircraft on June 2.Royal Norwegian Air Force

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May, and the alliance is moving quickly to admit them.


The two countries already have a close relationship with the military alliance.


NATO leaders see the two countries as bringing immediate benefit — especially their fighter jets.

As Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO moves ahead quickly, the alliance's already tight partnership with the Nordic countries was on display in the skies over Northern Europe in early June.

On June 2, the Swedish and Finnish air forces drilled with their British, French, German, Norwegian, and Belgian counterparts along Norway's western coast.

Some 45 aircraft participated in the exercise, which was meant to demonstrate the ability to conduct complex air operations over long distances.

A German Eurofighter Typhoon refueling from a US KC-135 over the Baltic Sea during BaltOps 22 on June 9.US Air Force/Senior Airman Nicholas Swift

The chief of the Norwegian air force said it was "the first time we are conducting such an advanced exercise with NATO and partner nations, which also includes Sweden and Finland."

From June 5 to June 17, Finnish and Swedish forces joined the militaries of 14 NATO members, including the US, for Baltic Operations 2022. The 51st iteration of the maritime-focused exercise involved more than 45 ships, more than 75 aircraft, and 7,500 personnel.

During one drill, a US Air Force KC-135 tanker refueled US, Finnish, Swedish, and German jets, allowing them to keep operating over the Baltic.
Scandinavian skies

A Finnish F/A-18 Hornet and three Swedish JAS 39 Gripens.Finnish Air Force

The June exercises demonstrated not only the strong relationship Finland and Sweden have with their NATO neighbors but also their own considerable military capabilities, which are poised to significantly strengthen NATO's air component and deterrence in the north.

Finland operates a fleet of 55 McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornets, which it acquired in the 1990s. Despite its age, the single-seat F/A-18C is capable aircraft and can quickly switch between fighter and attack configurations. It is also operated by the US Navy and Marine Corps and numerous US allies, and it has seen combat in North Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans.

Finland's Ministry of Defense has said its Hornets will be decommissioned by 2030, making way for the 64 F-35As that Helsinki ordered in December in the country's biggest military procurement on record. Its first F-35 is scheduled for delivery by 2026.

Finland's government in December authorized the purchase of the F-35 to be its next multirole fighter.Finnish Air Force

The fifth-generation F-35A is increasingly popular among US allies. The stealth jet can act as a fighter or attack platform and use its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to enhance the effectiveness of friendly air and ground forces.

Sweden's only fighter jet is the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, a domestically designed and built aircraft that is less advanced but highly effective.

"The Gripen doesn't have the stealth of an F-35 or the brain-mashing performance of an F-15, but it's a reliable and cost-effective aircraft that brings a number of important capabilities into the fight," the aviation analyst and Sandboxx editor in chief Alex Hollings told Insider.

The Gripen is also versatile. Its small size allows it to "take off and land on austere airstrips or even highways while carrying extremely effective air-to-air weapons" like the Meteor and AMRAAM missiles, Hollings said.

The Swedish jet is one of the few fighters in service that can supercruise, maintaining supersonic speeds without dumping fuel into its afterburner. That increases an aircraft's endurance at supersonic speeds by lowering its fuel consumption, allowing it to fly faster and carry less fuel.

A Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen over England in 2019.US Air Force/Tech Sgt. Aaron Thomasson

The US-made F-22, the French-built Dassault Rafale, and the multinational Eurofighter Typhoon are the only other jets that can supercruise. None of Russia's jets have the capability.

The Gripen program has had controversy, Hollings said, referring to allegations of fraud in some of its foreign sales, but it was designed to be "easy to fly, inexpensive to maintain, and quick to adopt upgrades and that all makes for a handy jet to have around in a fight," he added.

Though it has never seen combat, the Swedish jet has proved its worth in exercises. Notably, during the first day of a major US-led exercise in Alaska in 2016, it scored 10 kills against peer aircraft, including a 4.5-generation Eurofighter Typhoon, without suffering a casualty.

Sweden's air force operates 71 Gripen Cs and has ordered 70 Gripen Es, an upgrade over the C model, to be delivered by 2027.
Building the best team

A US ‪‎B-52‬ with two Polish ‪F-16s, two German ‪‎Eurofighter‬ ‎Typhoons, four US F-16s, and four ‪‎Swedish‬ ‎Gripens over the Baltic Sea in 2016.US Air Force

Despite their capabilities, integrating two air forces with a combined fighter fleet of 126 aircraft into NATO operations won't be simple.

Though both the F/A-18C and the Gripen are used by other NATO members, tactical integration is achieved through frequent joint exercises, like the ones conducted in June.

"There are always challenges inherent to mixing national air forces and the platforms they operate," Hollings told Insider. "Once you work through interoperability (in terms of both technology and tactics), a mix of aircraft becomes a potent tool in a large-scale fight."

Increasing the variety of aircraft in NATO will give the alliance a tactical advantage.

Jets refueling from a German air-force tanker during a Norwegian-led exercise with Finnish, French, and German aircraft on June 2.Royal Norwegian Air Force

"Fighters operate a bit like cage fighters, in that pilots want to play to the strengths of their own aircraft and the weaknesses of the opponent's," Hollings said. "When you head into a fight with a variety of fighters at your disposal, each playing to their respective strengths, you really complicate the combat calculus for your opponent."

F-35As and Gripen Es are set to make Finland's and Sweden's air forces more capable, but even without those advanced jets, NATO leaders are eager to have Finnish and Swedish forces in the alliance.

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, who is set to take over as head of US European Command and as supreme allied commander Europe in July, said during his nomination hearing in May that the Finnish and Swedish militaries would bring "quite a bit of capability and capacity to the alliance from day one."

He added that he looked "forward to the accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance from a military perspective."

Troops attend a ceremony of the Nato-enhanced forward presence battle group in Latvia, the numbers of which could be increased under new plans (Photo: Ints Kalnins/Reuters)

Nato has announced its intention to expand its high-readiness forces from 40,000 troops to more than 300,000 in response to Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine.

The plan being discussed at this week’s Madrid summit “constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defence since the Cold War”, according to secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.

Russia’s February invasion has sparked a geopolitical shift, prompting once neutral countries Finland and Sweden to apply to join Nato and Ukraine to secure the status of candidate to join the European Union.
Will Nato go to war with Russia?

Nato uses a system of collective security, whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.

Ukraine is not a part of Nato, so the Western response to Russia’s invasion has so far focused on sanctions and the provision of military resources.

If Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, decides to extend his attacks beyond Russia and into a neighbouring Nato state, such as Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia, then Nato members would collectively enter the conflict directly.



Jens Stoltenberg said Nato in future would have “well over 300,000” troops on high alert, compared to 40,000 troops that currently make up the alliance’s existing quick reaction force, the Nato Response Force (NRF).

The new force model is meant to replace the NRF and “provide a larger pool of high readiness forces across domains, land, sea, air and cyber, which will be pre-assigned to specific plans for the defence of allies,” a Nato official said.

From intelligence-gathering to training civilians in guerrilla tactics, here’s what the U.S. and NATO might do to push back against the Russian invasion while avoiding escalation.

Biden has already declared that neither U.S. nor NATO military forces will be deployed to the conflict sparked by Russian forces pouring across Ukraine’s borders. The dangers of escalation are simply too great, especially given the threats that volatile Russian President Vladimir Putin has made regarding the use of nuclear weapons. Direct involvement, the thinking goes, is just too risky.

But that doesn’t mean the U.S. won’t be indirectly involved. From gathering intelligence on the ground to training potential civilian partisans in guerrilla warfare, it’s extremely likely the U.S. and NATO will seek to influence events on the battlefield. Here’s how that might work.

According to former U.S. Army Ranger Tom Amenta, there are advantages to having on-site, operational intelligence gathering in Ukraine that can’t be equaled by remote technologies like satellite imagery or radio signal interceptions.

A Ukrainian serviceman gives a thumb up before an attack in Lugansk region on Feb. 26, 2022, the day Russia ordered its troops to advance in Ukraine “from all directions.”

“The value of boots on the ground [in intelligence] is that you get a ‘finger tip feel’ of what is going on,” said Amenta, co-author of the book The Twenty-Year War, in an interview with The Daily Beast. Such intel gives U.S. military observers “a feel of the people and of the battle space and allows for the ability to gauge the situation, almost in real time, and see what is going on with the Russians and Ukrainians to assist commanders in planning.”

Amenta’s co-author, Dan Blakely, another former Ranger, agreed that having local operators for sourcing information would be invaluable in the Ukraine conflict.

“Not only do you get the real-time HUMINT (human intelligence) of what the Russians are doing, but you can have a real pulse of the continued capabilities of the Ukraine military [and] learn the weaknesses and capabilities of our enemies,” including “what weapons, vehicles, aircraft, tactics, and troop units they are using.”

Blakely added that such intel was vital for developing “future strategic plans should the U.S. and NATO allies get involved.”

When it comes to gathering HUMINT, one option for elite U.S. forces is the use of Special Operation Groups (SOGs). Amenta described the typical SOG as a small, covert, reconnaissance task force, often made up of intelligence agents from the NSA or CIA, paired with Special Forces soldiers like Green Berets or Delta Force commandos. In order to avoid detection, the SOGs are able to work undercover within local populations.

“They’ve essentially mobilized the entire nation.”

“These men and women are extremely skilled in blending into environments, gathering intelligence and also being able to work with and help guide [and] assist local military forces,” Amenta said.

Because secrecy is of paramount importance, SOGs working in Ukraine would likely be limited to just a few officers in each unit. But Amenta framed it as an issue of quality over quantity, saying that the “training, raw intelligence, and ability to rapidly ideate and think strategically is what wins the day here.”

But not everyone is in favor of using SOGs in Ukraine.

Dr. Robert J. Bunker, the research director at the security consultancy ℅ Futures LLC, said the risk that an SOG team or a NATO equivalent could be killed or captured, and linked back to their countries of origin, means that the risk far outweighs the reward.

Putting U.S. intelligence gatherers on the ground in any capacity is just not a “viable option,” Bunker said. “In my opinion it is too escalatory given the fact that both the Putin regime and the U.S. are nuclear armed powers… We simply do not want NATO or U.S. forces and Russian forces getting into direct contact with one another.”

Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Hal Kempfer, who served as a U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, said that it’s “very possible” that the U.S. has spies on the ground in Ukraine. But Kempfer also said a safer option to avoid escalation would be to utilize Ukrainian nationals to gather vital HUMINT information and pass it on to their counterparts in the U.S. and NATO.

Ukrainian soldiers look out from a broken window inside a military facility, after an explosion in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 26, 2022.

Emilio Morenatti

“We don’t really need to have [U.S. or NATO spies on the ground] because we can deal directly with Ukraine forces, many of whom we’ve trained, and trained to a standard where they can provide tremendous intelligence capability,” Kempfer said.

“They’ve essentially mobilized the entire nation. You have federal law enforcement [mobilized]. They’re really good at observing and reporting. And good at avoiding detection while they do that. So a lot of them might be wearing civilian clothes and collecting intelligence,” he added.

Even if U.S. special forces did not enter Ukrainian territory, that does not mean they won’t be playing a vital role. One of their most important functions might well be training Ukrainian soldiers or ordinary citizens in the tactics of guerrilla warfare they would need to resist the occupation of their homeland. Just such tactics were employed by Mujahideen fighters during the Soviet-Afghan war of the late 20th century—tactics that eventually forced the Soviets to withdraw.

On Friday, the BBC reported that at least 18,000 assault rifles had been handed out to the citizens of Kyiv, and the international community is rife with speculation that the conflict could devolve into a prolonged anti-Russian insurgency.

That’s partly because Ukraine is almost the size of Texas, with a population of about 43 million people. About 70 percent of the population is concentrated in urban areas, meaning that: “We could be looking at house-to-house fighting in which tens of thousands of armed defenders face the invading forces,” said research director Bunker.

In the event that the major cities were pacified by the Russian forces, an occupation phase would then begin during which “Ukrainian civilians and the relatives of the insurgent fighters” would be targeted, Bunker said. “Along with the brutality of such an occupation this would begin to strain the Russian economy to logistically support the deployed force.”

Former Ranger Amenta agreed with Bunker that Russian forces could get bogged down in a potential quagmire. “Once you take the territory you are no longer the aggressor. [Then] you are in static positions that restrict your freedom of movement, and you’re an easier target,” Amenta said. “And 200,000 Russian soldiers against 43 million people who don’t like you—that’s a really hard thing to accomplish.”

In the event of a prolonged insurgency that might turn into a war of attrition, the U.S. and NATO would likely see it in their own interests to provide training and munitions to partisan fighters, in similar fashion to what the U.S. did in Europe during the Nazi occupation.

“It’s all fun and games until someone throws a nuke.”

When asked, a senior U.S. defense official told The Daily Beast that the U.S. would not rule out training Ukrainians. “We’re going to continue to look for ways to support the Ukrainian armed forces, and to help them defend their country,” they said.

Former Marine Colonel Kempfer, who cited similar efforts conducted by the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan, described training host-nation personnel as “a traditional Army Special Forces mission.” Amenta agreed, calling such training the Special Forces’ “bread and butter.”

“They’d be teaching [Ukrainian partisans] how to use things like Stinger anti-air missiles and javelin anti-tank weapons to slow down Russian tanks and helicopters. They’ll also teach ambush and guerrilla warfare techniques, especially things that can destabilize or slow down the Russian movement, and, if they were attempting to hold territory, to make it very difficult for them to keep it.”

One major question might be where would such training take place. If U.S. forces are barred from entering an occupied Ukraine, nearby NATO allies like Poland and Romania would seem like potential candidates. American troops arrived in both of those nations this week to help them defend against potential Russian incursions, meaning that the personnel needed for setting up guerrilla warfare schools may already be in place.

A Ukrainian soldier smokes a cigarette outside Kharkiv, Ukraine, Feb. 26, 2022.

AP Photo/Andrew Marienko

The trouble with basing training camps in NATO countries, said Kempfer, is that the Kremlin might see that as aggressive interference within its sphere of influence.

“If you train partisans in Romania or Poland and then they return to Ukraine [to engage Russian forces]—how would Putin view that? You have to look at the political volatility of that.”

Kempfer also pointed to Putin's KGB background and his penchant for being ruthlessly vindictive against any perceived threat.

“This is someone who used a nerve agent to assassinate dissidents on British soil… My concern would be that if we brought [the partisans] to a NATO country Putin could take some sort of overt military action against that NATO country and that would cause a massive escalation. The other concern is that he would use covert means against that country to destabilize the situation in and around where we’re doing the training. That’s very much in his kit bag.”

Kempfer said that one solution might be the use of virtual or online training. “From an operational risk perspective, that’s the safest thing we can do,” he said.

Kempfer also discussed the possibility that many members of the Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S. and Western Europe might see themselves as beholden to return to their homeland to take up arms.

“I fully believe that’s going to happen,” Kempfer said, and also mentioned that such an influx of voluntary foreign fighters could provoke Putin into unfairly claiming deliberate interference by the U.S. or NATO.

“There’s reality and then there’s whatever Russia wants to say,” Kempfer said. “It’s all fun and games until someone throws a nuke.”

There is a lot of talk in the West about Russian President Vladimir Putin being mentally unhinged. How could he not have known that his invasion of Ukraine would have serious consequences for his country? Or is he so obsessed with maintaining an image of greatness—especially ahead of Russia’s upcoming 2024 presidential elections—that he doesn’t care?

Either way, Putin risks losing the confidence of his people, whose economic suffering will increase as the conflict continues.

Desperate Russians Race to Withdraw Cash as Sanctions Send Currency Into Free-FallPerhaps the question of Putin’s sanity is beside the point, because there is little the West can do about it. Although both Hitler and Stalin were crazy by any psychiatric standard, they were still able to inflict horrific damage and death on millions of people. But Hitler did not have nuclear weapons, and Stalin’s hydrogen bomb was still being tested when he died. Putin’s nuclear arsenal, on the other hand, could destroy parts of the West in minutes.

In a nationally televised address last Thursday, Putin offered a menacing warning of Russia’s nuclear capability: “No matter who tries to stand in our way or all the more so create threats for our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history.” On Sunday, Putin went even further by announcing that Russia’s nuclear forces have been put on high alert, an order that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called “dangerous rhetoric” and “irresponsible behavior,” which “adds to the seriousness of the situation.”

The more casualties Russia suffers, the more unpopular the war in Ukraine will become back home.

The only other time that the Kremlin’s nuclear threat reached this height was during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. But Khrushchev—though volatile and impulsive—was apparently a rational actor, not consumed by the historical grudges and the need to show off his masculine credentials that seem to obsess Putin. Khrushchev also had to consider the views of fellow Politburo members. Although Putin purports to consult with advisers, he seems to make key decisions on his own. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Military Valery Gerasimov looked uncomfortable as they sat with Putin when he made Sunday’s announcement, but if they had reservations, they were ignored.

If Putin is indeed so detached from reality in the pursuit of his reckless confrontation with the West, what are his motivations?

First of all, like any dictator, Putin does not feel confident of his hold on power. He knows that he was not democratically elected to the presidency in 2018, or even in 2012, because serious contenders were barred from participating. Using his powerful security services, Putin has suppressed the media and arrested democratic oppositionists, including Alexei Navalny, who has been in jail for over a year after being poisoned. Ultimately, the Russian leader cannot be sure what his people really think of him.

Putin’s approval ratings were around 65 percent at the end of 2021, which may seem impressive by Western standards, but Russians are conditioned to say they approve of their leader when there is no alternative. Adding to that, as Putin knows, the continued decline in incomes and living standards is a potential trigger for serious dissatisfaction with his leadership.

Because of this insecurity, Putin hates having democratic states on his country’s border, especially Ukraine. He doesn’t want his people to get ideas. All Putin’s talk about the West destroying Russian values and NATO threatening Russia with nuclear weapons camouflages his intense fear of democratic aspirations in his own country.

Putin admitted as much on Thursday: “Of course, the question is not about NATO itself. It merely serves as a tool of U.S. foreign policy. The problem is that in territories adjacent to Russia, which I have to note is our historical land, a hostile ‘anti-Russia’ is taking shape.” And later: “Russia cannot feel safe, develop, and exist while facing a permanent threat from the territory of today’s Ukraine.”

Putin is all the more alarmed about NATO support for states along Russia’s border because of his growing concerns over how much longer he is going to stay in power. Although the Russian presidential election is two years away, there is reportedly considerable disquiet in the Kremlin about what will happen in 2024. Putin himself said last October that he would not say what his plans are because “it would make the [political] situation unstable.”

Protesters in cities across Russia have come out to show the Kremlin how little respect they have for this war.

Leadership succession in countries where the autocratic leader and his cronies have amassed great wealth at the expense of their people, as in Russia’s case, is fraught with danger. Once out of power, they could be called to account by the new government, and ensuring that a designated successor will protect their interests can be problematic, especially if members of the elite know one another’s secrets and there is infighting. Accusations of corruption are potent political weapons in Russia.

Putin needs to be in a strong position, with high support from Russians, when he decides what happens in 2024. Either he runs again or his loyal, hand-picked successor does, and he can retire happily to his sumptuous palace in Gelendzhik. He is staking his claim on Russia’s future by invading Ukraine and demonstrating to his patriotic citizenry that he can stand up to NATO.

Putin may have been inspired by memories of the Chechen war, which catapulted him to the presidency in 2000. He was a virtual unknown when Yeltsin appointed him prime minister—and his designated successor—in August 1999. As with Ukraine today, Putin used a false flag as an excuse to invade Chechnya, claiming that Chechen terrorists were responsible for September 1999 bombings in Russia. As a result of his determined pursuit of the ruthless Chechen war, Putin’s approval ratings skyrocketed.

Significantly, in Thursday’s address, Putin mentioned this war and brought up the old, false accusation that the West had actively supported the terrorists there. Putin’s goal in Ukraine is the same as it was in Chechnya—installing a Kremlin-sponsored regime to take the place of one that won’t march to Moscow’s tune. He also hopes that his bold aggression will bring him the affirmation at home that he got with the Chechen war.

But all is not going according to Putin’s plan, with Ukrainian resistance stronger than expected and Western sanctions crippling. This is probably why Putin resorted to the insanity of his nuclear threat.

How U.S. Special Forces Can Fight Putin Without Starting World War III

If Putin seems both narcissistic and deranged to the West, his own people may be getting the same impression, especially now that he has started talking about using nukes. And feelings of patriotism can only go so far when pocketbooks are empty. As political commentator Anton Orekh noted: “The effect of the current patriotic enthusiasm will be even shorter than after the Crimea. The economic situation is getting worse, so after some time even a victory over the Kyiv junta and the Anglo-Saxons will arouse people less than prices in stores and half-empty shelves.”

Unlike those who lived under Stalin and Hitler, Russian people today do not face death if they protest on the street, though they can be thrown into jail, as we have seen with the thousands of arrests in the past few days. Nor would Putin’s subordinates be shot if they refused to go along with Putin’s further acts of aggression. So, hopefully, Russians themselves will take action and stop their leader before “the consequences we have never seen in our entire history” are allowed to occur.

A REFLECTION OF CLASS ChE 66 in the Milestones of Life as  time  marches on..... ASC   

To The Class of '66,

We are  on to the next or maybe the last chapter of our life. As we age and the time passes us by, on to the golden years, it is best to embolden our friendship that was put on hold because of our immediate priorities to our  families. It is for this reason, that we need to reminisce the old days  even more,  first with  letters and pictures then join together like the classmates of old, with a common goal. 

My retirement since 2005 has been wonderful, and hopefully, you are successful in getting yours. I thank God for this gift, that we were given the chance, for the education and training for our special profession; The chance to prosper in a land of peace and plenty. While maybe, the forty two years since graduation,  was challenging  in a new strange land,  we prevailed  the struggles,  temptations,  and retreats. As the poem said above, it was not so easy. Now with the economy on the rocks,  it is far arduous and difficult to get to where we are.

In retrospect, I find it compelling or my duty to give, contribute for the next generation and the global community that made my life worthwhile. To whom much is given, much is expected. - Luke 12:48. It is therefore fitting for us blessed, to organize, protect, nurture, keep faith with our beloved country,  appreciate  nature and the environment in whatever we can. 

Bringing in the enviroment into light, we also can only hope that the alarming climate change and the ecological responses are 50 to 100 years away. But it's not 50 to 100 years away -- it's happening now in forest ecosystems through fire. The facts are unequivocal, and point to a troubling future ahead. Over 2100 fires, scorching some 900,000 acres, have set a new 2008 record for early-season wildfires in California.We are certainly in the midst of Global Warming;crisis of floods and droughts through out the planet. Skeptics, the debate is over, join our goal to STOP using fossil fuels as quickly as possible, to PLANT trees and end all destruction of natural habitat and PREPARE for what cannot now be stopped. Even small things make a difference spread over a large population. There are three levels of action: Personal, Political and to Prepare. They all require enormous personal and governmental commitment. The third, to Prepare for the impact of what cannot be stopped........

It is a premiere topic of our generation, about saving our wonderful planet earth, and also ourselves too. In my efforts to emphasize my solutions and prevention of the catastrophe ahead, I recall the quotation. "Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it. Tell them something new and they will hate you for it." With that, I hope not to fall in the latter category. My goal is to keep everybody abreast and involved to prevent the future dim scenario in the mother country. If we do not implement the gentle methods to placate our environment, the Philippines and all areas in "the tropics with its few resources and growing population will resort to war and violence to satisfy the hunger of the populace in this climate catastrophe." What we have sown in this planet will bring forth a harsh aftermath and gone will be the pleasant existence of our past. This topic has become a moral issue. The havoc and destruction will be more than the combined effects of WWI, WWII and the 1929 depression. It is about, how the recent generations could destroy all what man has created in the past 10,000 years............ASC

  A Psalm of Life

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

  Life is but an empty dream! ?

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

  And things are not what they seem. 

Life is real!  Life is earnest!

  And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

  Was not spoken of the soul. 

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

  Is our destined end or way;

But to act, that each to-morrow

  Find us farther than to-day. 

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

  And our hearts, though stout and brave,

Still, like muffled drums, are beating

  Funeral marches to the grave. 

In the world's broad field of battle,

  In the bivouac of Life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

  Be a hero in the strife! 

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!

  Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,--act in the living Present!

  Heart within, and God o'erhead! 

Lives of great men all remind us

  We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

  Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

  Sailing o'er life's solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

  Seeing, shall take heart again. 

Let us, then, be up and doing,

  With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

  Learn to labor and to wait.....HWL 

I have collected tidbits and stats from  our  college years from colleagues, mostly  pictures  depicting our field trips from Balara to Bagiuo, to our oath taking as newly registered chemical engineers, and finally to our latest pictures of today in our 60's. It did not seem much before, as I mused over the letters and e-mails, but collectively the combination of the pictures and the words became alive. Now, in my mature years, I  look back to the days gone by. I relish the memories, and then marvel at how far we have gone forward the milestones and challenges. These we should be proud off to share with every classmate .......... The year 2008 makes the 42nd anniversary of our class. From this inauspicious beginnings we rose as one group of individuals  in our chosen profession within the mother country and our beloved USA. We became a part of a huge extended family, no matter the miles that separate us, yet find unity in a common experience and purpose.. Forever classmates....ASC ....http://groups.google.com/group/MIT-ChE1966/web/our-class-overview

It is autumn; not without, but within me is the cold.

Youth and spring are all about; It is I that have grown old. 

Birds are darting through the air, singing, building without rest;

Life is stirring everywhere, save within my lonely breast...HWL

Boy Dakita's picture was taken 15 years ago during our reunion in NJ. This is the last photo I have of him. I tried to do the best I can for Boy. I know he will be happy up there to know that he is thought of dearly..............­.....Tony A

Here's another photo I found from our Baguio field trip - circa 1966. My guess is from L to R, top to bottom: Ben Asis, Lando Castillo, Nato Dimayuga, Merle Briones, Sheila Tempongko, Meny Reyes Banares, Lilia Antonio, Tony Alialy, Me, Pedro Palermo, Rosalina Dirige Corbett, Leonila Coronel, Fe Gana & Rhodora Sarmiento..OscarHThanks for then picture. This was taken in 1966. The reason I remember is because, in the picture I was in black because my grandmother died in 1966. Thanks for identifying ulit. The lady next to Fe Gana is Clarita Sarmiento. Regards, Sheila

 First we were young; then we were middle age; then we are old; then we will be wonderfullSeated: 1-Alex Custodio, 2- Tony Diza, 3(back) Oliver Masil, 4-Alwayne Carino, 5-Jess Bustria, 7(back) Rudy Jose, 8-Oscar Santos, 9(back) Romy Reyes ;Standing: 1-Rick, 2-Beda Bera, 3(back) Rene Rivera, 4-Greg Alcaraz, 5-Leon Delos Santos, 7-Ismael, 8-Rudy Banares, 9-Eddie Antonio,10-Mike Bernardino. This was taken at the Balara Water Treatment works. This photo is also linked with http://picasaweb.­google.com/ismael.­ifurung/MITGroup Most have been posted before in MyFamily.com ; some are from Jerry Ada and from Rene Rivera............

This photo was given to me by Rosalina D. Corbett many years ago, showing the oath taking of newly registered Chemical Engineers. This was taken sometime June 24, 1967 in Makati, Sarmiento bldg. From far left is Jose Catibog, me, Reynaldo Santos, Maximillan Ui, Audie Vergara, Florencio Roxas, Lorna M. Jereza, Rosalina Derige Corbett, Oscar Santos, Rey Sequerra, Celso Chua, Romeo Olalia..............­..........Alexander 

The Brothers Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Fraternity of the Delta Chapter Philippines circa 1966, from L # 3 - kneeling, me, my back Cesar Frias ChE68, 4-kneeling, Warlito Boquiren ChE66, his back, Jose Catibog ChE66, Advisor Prof. Sevilla and daughter. Standing on the far left the brother of Rosalina Corbett. More than 350,000 members have joined Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity since it's founding, at 366 college campuses here in the US alone, not counting other countries. Our mission is to prepare campus and community leaders through service. Our purpose is to develop leadership, to promote friendship and to provide service to humanity............­....Alexander 

1964 Recuerdo of old Manila, the path to Doroteo Jose campus  & Intramuros

1966  Graduation from College  and time to reflect the next path of life  Top Hits of 1966   The Hippie Generation  Vietnam War Protest Quest for Advanced Studies in the US

THE YEAR WAS 1966 

CHECK MARKS PASSED THE BOARD EXAM AS CHEMICAL ENGINEERS

This was taken in 1963 on top of the FEU bldg. to commemorate the new Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineering Students (PICHES) then, I was a junior and the seniors like Mely Calueng and Bobby Casrto are sitted at the middle. Alwayne Carino is far left, then me, the rest like Alcaraz, Mitz are the only ones I recognized from this badly focused monochrome..........­....Alexander

 

   Hello Everyone, I have an old picture taken 40 years ago. I want to bring it to date to show how we look at present. I have all faces from the old picture superimposed with the exception of Juanita Isidro. Unless I get in touch with her I will not be able to complete my project. Has anybody seen my old friend, Juanita? If you do, please send me her address so I can ask for her latest photo. I bet that you too are anxious to see how she looks this time. I can only imagine that she looks better now just like all the ladies in the picture. I tell you these girls really know how to reverse the aging process. They all age gracefully and get better over the years just like vintage wine. I am attaching the pictures THEN and NOW and you be the judge. Looking forward to hearing from you. ..............Tony A ...........................The list shows the graduates of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. The exuberance of my youth showed in the check marks after the names of candidates who took the ChE Board exams on Jan 9, 1967 and passed. It does not reflect the ability of others who took the same examination later. As engineers, we will later find out, that street smarts will be the better gauge on how we reached our individual goals in life................­.............­Alexander The exciting 60's brought the most change and maybe the last innocent decade of our generation

  Seated: 1-Bing Eugenio, 2-Eddie Antonio, 3-?, 4-?, 5-Rene Rivera, 6-Maurit Pugeda, 7-?, 8-Ismael Ifurung Kneeling: 1-Manny Francisco, 2-?, 3-Alvin Carino, 4-Pol Calimbas, 5-Oliver Masil ; Standing: 1-Ben Chan,2-?, 3-?, 4-Romy Reyes,Leon DelosSantos, 6-Joe Lladones, 7-Rick Dimalanta, 8-Walter Cajipe, 9-Quintan Tan, 10-Mike Bernardino, 11-Greg Alcaraz, 12-Greg Nidoy

1992-New Jersey: Meny & Rudy, Boy Nidoy, Lulu delos Reyes, Dida Mago, Rene Rivera, ?, Rey Gaspar, Rick Dimalanta, ?, ? below Manuel

Francisco, Francisco de la Cruz, Rebecca Monroy Cruz

AUGUST 1969 Woodstock Remembered

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/articles/remembering_woodstock.html

It’s hard to believe that 40 years ago, our generation made a profound statement against the

establishment. I was new in this country, and was not able to grasp the significance of that

exciting time.

The political upheavel and dramatic changes in the country was so well documented in the music of that period. The youth knew so well, that our country was going in the wrong path...against the grains of their elders, and then produced the most iconic countercultural event of the mid-20th century.

"The Boomers turn 60." The material I borrowed from the cover of the November 14, 2005 issue of the "New Week" Magazine. I thought this would be a great theme for our CHE Class '66. After all we are the Baby Boomers. I also thought it would be a good idea to have us, Classmates, most if not all, grouped in one picture. I replaced the pictures of the celebrities (http://mywebpages.­comcast.net/­iifurung/mit2003.­htm) taken during the Grand Reunion in 2003. Some came from Clarita taken during the cruise and some from my archive. If your picture is small and not clear and you are not pleased with it, just send me an electronic copy of your favorite recent photo and I will replace it. For our classmates if you are interested in being added, please send me electronic copy of your picture. I will revise this cover or I can start a new cover page depending on the number of pictures I receive. Please let me know if I missed anyone from the Class of '66 group pictures. I hope you like this cover. Regards, Tony........1st Row, L to R: ______; ______; Hernando Cruz; Rudy Banares; Cip Buendia; _______

2nd Row, L to R: Meny Reyes Banares; Clarita Aragones Albertson; Tony Alialy; Jess Bustria; Lorna Jereza; Tessie Gardon Graham.3rd Row: Manny Genato; Pol Calimbas; Frame; Alexander Custodio; Minda Corpuz Vinluan; Marlo Mascarina.

6th Row & Bottom Rows (Mixed): Dionisia Rodriguez; __; ; _; Tessie Amigo Uniza; ; Irene Dacumos Meneses; Alice delos Angeles Carnero; ; ; Pi de Leon: ; ; Pi de Leon; Regina Bermudez Cruz; ; ;  ..........This is my ongoing project.  It is not quite complete yet and I do not know if I will ever complete it.  I tried to lift pictures mostly from what Ismael sent during the reunion of 2003, some from the Cruise picture that Clarita sent, some from Jimmy and some from my archive.  I am still lacking a lot more.  I would like to fill it up with our classmates' pictures as much as I can but this is all that is available.  There are some more of our classmates from the pictures that Ismael sent but I cannot use them.  The faces are too small especially from the group picture of class'66 that when I increase the size the resolution suffers.  Does of any of you still have some more of our classmates' pictures that are not yet included here.  If so, please send me electronic copies.  I can squeeze in at least a dozen or more.  If it turned out to be more, then I can start a new cover and spread them out in to two covers.  Ismael, please tell me if I missed anybody (from Class '66) from the pictures you sent (not counting the group picture of Class'66).  Rudy and Meny, you must  have some pictures during the Reunion of 2003.  If you find pictures of those who are not yet in the cover, please send them to me.  Ismael, Clarita, Jimmy and Alex do you have some more individual or small group pictures?   I want very much to include Sheila so we have reps from the Phil aside from Fil and Jun.  What is her email address?  I do not want to send this yet to the MIT Class'66 email.  I do not want some of our classmates to feel that they are left out....Tony A

1991 Reunion the second day at Buena Park, a whole day affair, inside the Pavilon on the stage a vantage point, eyeing what's going on, below Timothy Villanueva resides in Sugarland, Texas works with Flour Engineers 

Above standing Cesar Jaranilla, Tim Villanueva, Mike B., Resty Mandap, Pugeda, Guinhawa hidden, Nidoy, Narcy Encarnacion, Pol Calimbas, seated Pi de Leon, Jess Bustria and Unite rising

Jess Bustria, Ted Unite and Mike Bernardino. Below Raymond Corbet husband of Fely Derige, ASC and Pi de Leon at Lilia's place in 1993

Dark is the morning with mist; in the narrow mouth of the harbor

  Motionless lies the sea, under its curtain of cloud;

Dreamily glimmer the sails of ships on the distant horizon,

  Like to the towers of a town, built on the verge of the sea.

 Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me as I gaze upon the sea!

All the old romantic legends, all my dreams, come back to me.

Sails of silk and ropes of sandal, such as gleam in ancient lore;

And the singing of the sailors, and the answer from the shore!

On the dim and misty lakes gloriously the morning breaks,

   And the eagle's on his cloud: -whilst the wind, with sighing, wooes

To its arms the chaste cold ooze, and the rustling reeds pipe loud.

  

Kind messages, that pass from land to land;

  Kind letters, that betray the heart's deep history,

In which we feel the pressure of a hand,--

  One touch of fire,--and all the rest is mystery! ...Malaya your letters are welcomed!!

Anaheim Reunion in 1991 above.....San Pablo Reservoir Mini Reunion below 1993 .....Florencio Guinhawa standing far right.....

To the Alumni: In response to the question of Regina regarding the squatters and the gangsters,.....let me assure her that there is still a lot of squatters hovering around Metro Manila,...... under the bridges, along the highways and whereever there is free space to build their shacks.  Didn't notice much though along Roxas Blvd, but there are some before you reach the Mall of Asia last January, 2006 when I was there.  From 1996 - 2000, I was in Manila every 2 months. I had been a die hard "balikbayan" every year for the last 10 years.  Some things have changed in the Philippines for the better, but not everything can be changed or can maintain / sustain the change.  So far, I have not been  a victim of any crimes (knock on wood).  I think one of the reasons is my ability to blend well with the local scenery or I am just plain very lucky.  December 2006, I am again on my way for a 4-week vacation to Manila.

Rest assure also that the squatters and the gangsters are not the sole "trademark" of the poverty of the Philippines.  Lest you travelled a very sheltered life in your later years, the homeless and the gangsters are a common denominator where poverty still exists around the world.  I had seen homeless people by the Bridge of Sigh in Venice, along the rue of  Paris, and along the canals of Amsterdam. India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and even in the thriving metropolis of the America, you can find the homeless living in squalor and there is always the perpetuity of criminal acts.  Even in cosmopolitan cities, pickpocketing is a way of life by some ethnic groups in Paris, or Rome and maybe from some Parisiennes or Italians.  Poverty forces people to commit petty crimes.

To make known the fear of being held up while you are in Manila during the reunion makes you a victim of paranoia.  Every evening,  in the cities of the USA, crimes are the newsworthy broadcasts on television.  And if you haven't heard, pickpockets also exists inside the more prosperous malls of the US.  I hope that by the time you embark on the reunion, you will have the feeling of security with your surroundings in Manila.

Based on your recollection of 1960 and 1970 impressions, I beg you not to sterotype those who commit mindless crimes today in Manila because they form the smallest minority of the 80 million hardworking Filipinos.  Come to Manila and enjoy the company of your classmates and rest assure that you will be very, very safe.  Just remember.... don't venture into a place where you are not supposed to be. ...Florencio Guinhawa

     

Our  love for the outdoors always reflect in the venues for our mini reunions. Above was in San Pablo Reservoir located in El Sobrante California in May of 1993.  Maurera left most above, Pi de Leon, Leony Matulac and Gravador, were present at this reunion, and the first time we saw the latter two in 28 years. Maurera lived in Vallejo and Gravador in San Francisco, where he owned an auto shop.                                                  

 

Here is another album for us to store in our happy memories about our escapades when we were younger then on our way to El Dorado Hills. Some pictures of Rosalina's devoted husband were included entertaining our group Circa 1992. Some taken in Vallejo at Lilia Antonio's residence around 1993, and the earliest were taken during our 1991 Reunion. Most of these pictures were given to me by various classmates over the years. In recompense here they are for you to enjoy......Rolando Balatbat below...whereabouts unknown.

 Lilia Antonio..... right at Rancho Cordova Park in a mini reunion in 1992...Warlito Boquiren APO brother (deceased)..........

Thanks for the sympathies that ye have shown!

  Thanks for each kindly word, each silent token,

That teaches me, when seeming most alone,

  Friends are around us, though no word be spoken. 

I shall not return. And night, mildly warm, serene and silent, will lull the world, under beams of its solitary moon. My body will not be there, and through the wide-open window, a refreshing breeze will come inquiring for my soul. I don't know if any await the end of my double absence, or who will kiss my memory amidst caresses and weeping. But, there will be stars and flowers, there will be sighs and hopes, and love in the avenues in the shadows of the trees. And that piano will be playing as in this untroubled night, and no one there to listen, pensive, by my window frame.  Warlito "Warlock" Boquiren,

 Oscar, thank you for the wake up call. All along I thought I am the only sole whistler among classmates. I will republish it to my global community....ASC

"There is a crisis approaching the United States. This crisis is looming on the horizon and much like a train in the distance, soon it will be upon us. The video link below is a "60 Minutes" interview with David M. Walker, the former U.S. Comptroller General with the Government Accounting Office (GAO). The piece is about twelve minutes in length. I hope that you'll take the time to view it, then pass this on to others. Next take a little more time to write your Congressman and Senators and in your own words express your concern about our nation's deficit spending and 

the dire need to return to a balanced budget. If something isn't done about this problem then by 2040 the country that you love, the country that you have served will be financially bankrupt.

  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7461407498377956300&q=David+...

The United States of America will be in deep trouble in the next five to ten years unless something is done now. Most U.S. citizens either don't realize or don't care about the financial health of our nation. The  Roman Empire made the same mistakes that our government is making right now. The Roman Empire failed because of her decadence, fiscal irresponsibility and overstretched sphere of military conquest. They say that those who are ignorant of history are 

doomed to repeat it. I hope that our democracy doesn't fail. Thank you.  ....Oscar  Holgado" 

There are times when God uses storms in our lives that He may draw us closer to Him. Our God does not sit still when the storm is too strong. Yes, our God lets us get frightened enough to need Him and then come close enough to see Him and experience His wonderful love. We are confident that your faith in Him will hasten your recovery. He is a Master Surgeon, a Great Physician and above all our Creator. He will surely touch and heal you according to His blessed will. Listen to what David said on Psalm 139: “ For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb, I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. How precious are Thy thoughts to me, Oh God! How vast is the sum of them.” My husband had been there….went through a triple by-pass last May 10, 2002. The good Lord had restored his health and we are praying He will restore yours. “Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7. Take care and sweet regards to you and your family, Lorna

 

Folsom Lake Reservoir above, about a  mile as the crow flies from the house at Deerhorn Lane around September 1993 with Lorna Jereza and Marissa. Ladies never grow old, nor change, nor pass away!

   Your gentle voices will flow on forever, when life grows bare and tarnished with decay,

  As through a leafless landscape flows a tribulet. 

                                              above  Taken May 2005 Portugal Cruise..................... ....Sweet the memory is to me........ Of a land beyond the sea, Where the waves and mountains meet, Where the merchants with their wares, And their gallant brigantines .......Sailing safely into port .....below Leonila, Clarita, Rosalina, our Cesar Jaranilla, me and Timothy in Vallejo (11/92) at Lilia Antonio's house.

Dearest Friends, Please pardon my less than prompt response to your emails, but given the situation and circumstance at hand, I'm sure that you all understand. I am extremely thankful and grateful for all of your support and prayers during these trying times; all your love and compassion inspires everyone in the family to remain vigilant and strong when it is most necessary. As of the moment, Jun is steadily recovering from the aneurysm. Although he temporarily needs the aid of a trache and a gastro-intestinal tube for now, all the signs of his health hopefully is an indication that he will eventually recover from his condition. Soon, he will be transferred to Rancho Los Amigos rehab center, which is known to have a 95% success rate. When he is transferred there, it will be okay to finally visit him if you wish to do so. I will inform everyone when this time comes. On another note, I have learned of Mike Bernandino's health condition, and I offer my prayers and support for him. He will remain in my thoughts as a dear friend to my husband and myself . Once again, I want to express my love and gratitude to everyone who has offered their support and prayers to Jun, myself, and my family. They stir in the depths of my heart and are felt by Jun and the rest my family. Again,  thank you very much. Lucy Dijamco

 

With Jun and Lucy Dijamco in Messina (06/07).....picture below.....The Temple of Saturn (Latin: Templum Saturni or Aedes Saturnus) is a monument to the agricultural deity Saturn, that stands at the western end of the Forum Romanum in Rome. It represents the oldest-surviving foundation in that area, having been established between 501 and 498 BC. Some sources attributes it to the King Tarquinius Superbus, others to Lucius Furius, although the latter dedication could belong to a reconstruction after the fire set by the Gauls (early 4th century BC). It was also called 'Aerarium', because the Roman national treasure was kept there. The temple marks the beginning of the Clivus Capitolinus, the old road that takes you up the hill of the Capitol.   http://picasaweb.google.com/samsondelpilar/Rome2007ReunionPhotos  ............ASC

 

With Regina and Elmer Cruz....... next picture above...The white marble Arch of Septimius Severus at the northeast end of the Roman Forum is a triumphal arch erected in AD 205 to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, in the two campaigns against the Parthians of 195 and 203. After the death of Septimius Severus, his sons Caracalla and Geta were initially joint emperors. Caracalla had Geta assassinated in 212; Geta's memorials were destroyed and all images or mentions of him were removed from public buildings and monuments. Accordingly Geta's image and inscriptions referring to him were removed from the arch.........We should learn to conserve and save more energy and do more effort to do so. Americans are spoiled of all the abundance of food and energy here as compared to some other nations. Other countries are already experiencing this high cost of food and energy for a long time. Are we

luckier or better of than the rest of the world? We have more freedom and security here in America as compared to somewhere else, and this is what we should teach to our counterparts in the Philippines. Best regards to all...More inputs... Rock your vote in November.. We need more security...Regina........

We should rally against the president to abort the war and not condone the attack. Israel is looking for trouble. They should make friends

with their neighboring countries, instead of making war/enemies to their neighbors and the world. Millions were killed, expelled, from Germany and Europe during world war two and this should not happen again. NO MORE WARS. Let there be PEACE on EARTH. The innocent people and the soldiers are the ones who suffer the most, not the crazy president or leaders who are just pursuing their evil agenda and egos. The truth is Israel has nuclear weapons according to ex-president Jimmy Carter when he was interviewed by the press last month, that's why Israel is very vulnerable to launch an attack to Iran. We should be producing more food

to eat and not nuclear weapons to kill us all. We should produce more staple foods (rice, corn, beans, fruits,vegetables, etc.)to feed all the hungry people in the world and reduce the price of food everywhere. Here in Sacramento, California (CALROSE rice) the farmers are producing good volume of rice and that is great for us here in the US. According to your email below "global rice panic", the rice eating people in Asia and north/south America are experiencing rice problem or shortage and the prices went higher or doubled. We need some inputs to all or some of the crisis in the world. We must become the change to change the world like Gandhdi said below in his proverb. We need good leaders who can lead our nation USA and also the Philippines who can lead the 80+ million people and dedicated enough

to stop corruption, abuse of power, equal justice for everyone, and promote peace and order. ......Regina

On May 6,2007  Sunday, our anniversary, we were lucky to be docked in Venice for 2 days. My grandson, Jose,15, arranged through the internet with the monsignor at the Basilica di San Marco to have our mass there. The monsignor was very accommodating and we were reserved a special place in the church. I heard our names mentioned three times (the mass was in Italian) and after the mass people greeted Boy and me congratulating us. During the dinner that night, the Filipino chef prepared lechon for our table and the Filipino chefs and waiters came out to greet us (special treatment talaga from our kababayans). We had 2 delicious cakes!..Sonia Mendoza

Thank you very much for your concern for our country. We always emphasize forest denudation in all our seminar/workshops in ecological waste management and its adverse effects to our environment like global warming, desertification, floods, siltation of water bodies, water supply,etc.  We outline the denudation since 1900 (forest cover then was 70% but Rizal already had misgivings). According to Fr. Walpole of the Ateneo and the Manila Observatory, the Philippines will have only 8% of its forest cover in 2010. The present forest cover is 12%.

The DENR suspended the logging permits in the Aurora/Quezon area when the devastating flood happened in December 2004. But these permits have been given back. The loggers are back to their merry making. Enrile has been given back his permit by senatoriable Mike Defensor when he was DENR secretary, to log in the protected area of Samar . Only the loud protests of the church and community is preventing Enrile to resume logging there. The economics of our government officials is very lopsided and twisted. The communities working in the logging areas should be given incentives to work in agriculture. We cannot even have a sufficient supply of rice but communities are lured to work for logging and mining companies!

Mother Earth Foundation (MEF) and other NGOs like Haribon, Miriam Peace and many others have advocated a log ban for at least 25 years and at most 50 years to give time for our forests to recover. Logging whether legal and illegal has no place in our country which has been ravaged by greedy loggers (legal and illegal). When you cut a full grown tree in the forest, you cannot replace this by 100 trees because of the diversity lost and the water-holding capacity of the full grown tree. This tree will also release all the toxic elements it has absorbed in its system.

The wood and furniture industry can wait until our country has recovered its forest cover. The furniture industry can use materials other than wood in their manufacturing process. We have to “bite the bullet” if we want to survive. We can still export furniture made of other materials. If the buyer wants wood, then they can buy from other countries that can still use wood in their furniture industry. Ciao and all the best, Sonia

 

"The Young and the 'Careless' (Restless)." Taken somewhere in Upstate, NY more than 35 years ago. Standing L to R: Meny, Rudy, Ben, Nando & Cesar Sitting L to R: Tony, Romy Merhan (ChE'65), Hernando de Vera Cruz left photo (ChE'66)  I still live in Southern California (Chino Hills). Worked for ARCO for about 18 years. Left in 2001 after the merger with BP and now working for my relative (sister-in-law).Regards,Nando Cruz

ON EDUCATION OF  CHILDREN BY J. DIJAMCO.....I spent for all my kids who had their college education in the Philippines,. but for those who had theirs here, Uncle Sam  advanced the payments via educational loan with my promise to my children to pay their loan after they finish; but none of them, luckily, wanted me to pay their loan after they get employed.; they insist they pay the loan themselves. I always advise other parents to do the same, so they won't sacrifice a lot; and what if the child did not finish, the saving goes down the drain; but in this manner, Uncle Sam may be the loser, if the child didn't finish and the child can't pay back the loan.

I provided all my children with functional second hand cars that were estimated to last till they finish their course.or for those who had their college in PI till they were able to estabblish themselves.here. Car is not

a luxury in the LA area; it is a necessity. Our youngest son who is now graduating, is the only one who got a brand new car, not after high school, but after our old car he was using had gone beyond its economic use. Her mom insisted on a brand new car, a scion..As always, I say, "Amen."

Jun ........BELOW PICTURES OF DANNY ODULIO with OSCAR AND JUN and respective wives in Davao

Samson del Pilar, A gallant lad, In sunshine and in shadow,

Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old- That lad so bold- And o'er his heart a shadow

Fell as he found No spot of ground That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength Failed him at length, He met a pilgrim shadow-

"Shadow," said he, "Where can it be- This land of Eldorado?"

"Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of Sacramento,

Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied- "If you seek for Eldorado!".............

  The Library of Celsus, whose façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces, was built ca. 125 B.C.E. by Gaius Julius Aquila in memory of his father, and once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. Designed with an exaggerated entrance -- so as to enhance its perceived size, speculate many historians -- the building faces east so that the reading rooms could make best use of the morning light. An underground tunnel, marked by the simple figures of a woman, a heart, and a price, leads from the library to a nearby building believed to have been a drinking establishment or brothel............

BELOW PICTURE OF ISMAEL IFURUNG,   AUDIE, RENA VERGARA AND ...MAZO

Lucy and I are very glad to learn that you are interested to visit the neigbouring countries aside from PI come January. Neither Lucy nor I have visited Thailand, China, nor Vietnam; it will be a lot of fun if we can plan a joint tour in Thailand, China, and Vietnam when Angie and you will visit PI. Perhaps we can ask some of our mutual friends/classmates based in PI, like Nanding Salvador, Ed Serra, Boy and Sonia, and Sheila and Fil Villena to join us. and also, some of our classmates, based here in US. Ismael Ifurong, I know, would love to travel to PI. Alex Custodio has never been home since he came to US. Probably we can drag him and wife, Melissa, along. Yes, Marulo, he is retired too. It will add a lot of fun, if he will join.  

After the cruise in May, I can definitely say the exact date of our the class reunion; and if, it will push throughn or not come January. It will be worth your time and Angie's visiting PI come January, whether or not, the class reunion will push through. Make your vacation 8 weeks, then we can go on tour together, and perhaps with some classmates, most of PI, and visit Thailand, Hongkong, China and Vietnam. Lucy and I have been planning for decades, yes decades, to go around PI and see its beautiful palces and tour our neigbouring countries, but to this time has never materialized. I hope with you and Angie around, it will. I will keep uou posted. Jun

P.S. For those who have the time and especially the retired ones, come and join the fun in PI. ........BELOW PICTURE EVELINA ADLAWAN (CHM67) AND ART ADLAWAN (CE66)............


ABOVE PICTURE OF MARLO, OSCAR AND JUN...NEXT ABOVE.. ARE  POL, ISMAEL, CIP, OSCAR AND MARLO ALL IN LAS VEGAS '03 REUNION,...NEXT BELOW ARE NARCI ENCARNARCION AND WIFE.....NEXT NEXT PICTURE BELOW CIP, POL, LOURDES, ISMAEL

 

 

O'er the fair woods the sun looks down upon the many-twinkling leaves,

And twilight's mellow shades are brown, where darkly the green turf upheaves.

The river glides in silence there, and hardly waves the sapling tree:

Sweet flowers are springing, and the air is full of balm, - but where is she!

You have done our class a great service. The blogspot and this email group you put up together will foster greater unity, bonding, and friendship among the

members of our class. I guess, when we were in college, we had our respective groups and did not become close to the others; like for example, Pol and

Clarita, they were very familiar to me then; but we never became close until we met again in the past two class reunions. Many Genato is another example; I

never had any memory of this guy; but like Pol, Clarita, and many others, they are like precious gems I failed to see and recognize during our college days.

I must also confess, you are also one of the familiar face and name, I only knew then. However, this adage say, "late is better than never." I am very glad and

thankful for all the occassions, events, and instruments (like this email group) that make the members of our class become closer and most especially

to the members who spent a lot time and energy in causing those events, occassions, and instruments to happen. .......Jun

Above .....Photo taken March 2005, amongst our MIT friends, from left to right - Fil Villena (stayed in the Phil, but comes to the US twice a year), 1966 Art (family in Phoenix, AZ and lives alone in Akron, Ohio, binata tayo dito), 1966, Efren Afuang (stayed in the Phil), 1965, Ernie Ganuelas (stayed in the Phil, but comes to the US twice a year), 1965 ,Jun Dijamco (back-and-forth Phil & US, lost count on how many times), 1966,Lucy Dijamco, our lovely classmate-in-law. 1966.......

I must admit, that I have not been very active putting my little cent here and there, but I do enjoy reading the updates & responses that Carmina and Clarita untiringly email to us, pls keep 'em coming.  I am one of the remaining few, still pounding the pavement everyday for financial reasons.  However, that retirement "carrot" is getting so close that I could almost taste it - perhaps in 2 years or less. ..............Art V.............


We are  on to the next chapter of our life. My retirement since last year is so wonderful, and I hope you are successful in getting yours also. I thank God for the bounty we have before us, and the training for our special profession. It is not so easy now to get to this station. As the time pass us by, on to the golden years, it is best to share our friendship that was put on hold because of our immediate priorities to our respective families. It is for this reason, that we need to communicate more, even with just letters and pictures. What you did, sending that photo, rekindles memories, it is a very nice gesture. Keep them coming. I will be on the cruise next May, hopefully, I will see you and your family, like old times again in the Intramuros Quadrangle.

Now I reside in France 4 months of the year in a thousand year old house in a medieval quarter of an ancient citadel kelow

Take care and Best Regards, 

Alexander

Below......Here's a picture of Cesar, Perlynn, Me, Rudy & Meny at Infanta and Caesar's Palace. And correction, Ismael - it's not just maids - it's two french maids.

ben...........

Ben successfully pulled our balikbayan 08 together even with no detailed plan - making reservations as we went along. Well, with the help of the Lonely Planet travel guide. At one point, we thought we'd be sleeping in the Cebu airport because our hotel reservation had not been confirmed before our flight. Ben, his wife Josie, Meny and I, and Perlynn survived the trip . Ben himself was surprised we were able to do what we originally wanted. Note however that last minute means not the best deal,but amazingly good enough in this instance.

I took Pol Calimbas's advice regarding use of theUS cell phone in the Philippines. Before leaving the US, I requested an unlock code from my cell phone service provider .Pol neglected tosay that this takes a couple of days before you get it.I took the instructions and the code to a cell phone provider in Manila, and the sales girl was able tofollow the instructions (even though she had never done that before), bought and installed a sim card ( all for the equivalent of $1.35), and a load card. The 3 girls shared a room; the 2 guys (the snorers) got another. The housekeeping staff wondered what 2 guys were doing in a room with 1 king-sized bed.When the 3 girls got off the elevator to go to their room which was on a different floor, Ben pointed to me and said to the staff that I was his boyfriend. While shopping for banana, Ben educated me on the difference between latundan and lakatan. I said mine must be tundan; he says, his is saba.You all have to visit Ceasar's Palace in Cabanatuan."Tabo" is obsolete; hose next to the toilet has finally arrived in Pinas. The first fime I encountered the hose was in Rio de Janeiro in 1996. Cesar no longer has to wash dishes nor clean. They have 2 hired help to do that. For their party,several girls in native attire did the serving; I thought they were going to perform too . He will be learning to play on the golf course of their gated community; so, all you golfers, watch out. Last minute reservation in the palace accepted.

Puerto Princesa is surprisingly clean, and residents treat tourists well; not one to try squeeze every cent out of you.The mayor and governor want everyone to understand that tourism is their livelihood. The underground river/cave was incredible and the boat ride to it very scenic - worth the 3+ hour van ride on a bad road. Well, not entirely bad; good portions alternated with bad. Bad sections are where local officials pocketed the money meant for the road. We did get stuck at one point, and the van had to be pulled out of the mud. Since Perlynn and Josie refused to hike, the Tabon Caves were out of the question. So, off to Dos Palmas resort for the day. The resort's employees were great. 3 of us can't snorkel,can't even swim, but they made the visit enjoyable, helped us see beautiful corals and fish. All we had to do was lie face down and they pulled us around. The buffet lunch was good too. definitely worth the 1800 pesos per person day charge. Susie Morales's sister's 50th wedding anniversary celebrationwas a grand affair, but we had to leave before it ended to catch the flight to Cebu. We were impressed by the Sinulog; we watched part of the parade the greater part of the day. Perlynn got bored but stayed anyway. It was hot and humid. Fortunately, we were able to get seats in one of the viewing stands.While waiting for our flight back to Manila, we had a 1-hourmassage by the blind/handicapped for 100 pesos. It was so cheap, I gave a 50% tip. We slept soundly on the flight back; Ben did not need a massage to fall asleep. In Bohol, all 5 of us shared a room. Needless to say, Perlynn was not able to sleep because of Ben's snoring.Bohol's Chocolate Hills are worth a trip. We got a day tour that took us there, with stops to visit caves, and to see tarsiers (5-inch marsupial in the endangered species list).

The drive to Infanta was very scenic. Ben ordered enough food for 2 to 3 babang-luksa. plus we had lots of buko.The Asis family is a celebrity in the town because of all the help they have given the school and the community. At the last minute, Ben, Josie, Perlynn, Susie and her company decided to go to Singapore. By that time there were no more $120 round trip fare, but they were able to get a package deal for $500+.They flew in the morning; our flight was in the afternoon. We were not able to meet up with them. They still have to tell us about theshopping they did. They also managed to go to Kuala Lumpur.Ben, tell us about this part. Also, how did you bring back all the stuff Josie bought ?We went to Cambodia for 8 days while they were in Singapore.The Chinese New Year celebration was in full swing.

Lots of free shows, dragon parade, and a midnight event to ring in the year of the rat. In addition to Singapore's Chinatown (weird for a country that is 75% Chinese), we also went to Little India, the Arab district, and to the Asian Civilizations Museum. The museum is impresive. Unfortunately, the only thing about

the Philippines is a picture of the rice terraces and 2 Moro kris, while there were details on the Malays, the Chinese, and other southeast Asian islands which I had never heard of previously. We got around on bus and subway, and when we got lost, a Pinoy always came to our rescue. One was a 2001 CE Mapua graduate. Pinoys fly to Singapore, and have 1 month to look for a job; then they can stay there permanently.

We had a very hectic schedule, hardly had time to do laundry. But we managed to visit Sheila, as well as Renato. Renato's decision to return to Pinas and work as chief of a regional hospital that handles mainly charity cases is quite admirable, especially since the salary is peanuts compared to what he can make in the US . Now that Ben has experience, perhaps he can quit his day job and plan/manage the next reunion. ...Rudy

 

In Venice, many of us went to Plaza San Marco by taking the water taxis as soon as our Ship docked.  Did a lot of sightseeing, was able to get inside St. Marks Cathedral and of course some shopping.  But then the rain came pouring down on us and we got wet and by the next day, I lost my voice.  I was hoarse but no pain or sore throat.  It stayed that way until we were back in Rome, then the coughing came, sore throat and all. The tour of Venice with Giorgio started smoothly with only a few late, but everybody showed up with even two extras (I only found out because Giorgio had to rush out and buy two extra tickets).  We had an extra side treat, Giorgio was able to arrange a gondola ride for 20 euros, and 36 pax bought into these, the others were free for shopping.  So after the tour of the magnificent Doge Palace, a W/C stop, we proceeded to the canal site for the gondola ride.  It was then that we found out we were missing Taili and Diana who had paid for the gondola ride.  Ria and I had to take their seats on the last boat and Giorgio went in search for them.  The place was so crowded and packed with people, there is no way one can find them if they are not in the meeting place (unfortunately not established at this point).  The gondola ride was fun, felt and saw all the sites shown in the movies but our gondolier did not serenade us, in fact he was not even Italian, he was Spanish, which was just as well because we were able to communicate a little bit in Spanish.  From there we proceeded to a Murano Glass Factory nearby, saw a demonstration of glass blowing / making and then we were set free in their store of all beautiful glass designs and of course jewelries.  You bet we all had fun shopping.  The girls were into all corners, all the good buys & tips were passed around and the guys just stood patiently watching us.  Some of my classmates were proud that their wives were not into the buying frenzy so I started teasing them, heckling some maybe, but of course it was not their call, since it was their wife’s choice not to buy as they handle the purse, he, he, he. We had to rush back to the boats (bus per Giorgio) as we were running out of time.  Shopping by 74 pax just takes some time.  There was no time to go to the Cathedral or be shown other sights.  I’m glad most of us were there the previous day. After waiting a bit for a missing couple, we finally boarded the water taxis to the Ship but still no Taili & Diana.  They thankfully made it back to the Ship in time as Taili is a seasoned traveler (pro) and knows exactly what to do.....Clarita................................................

White swan of cities, slumbering in thy nest, So wonderfully built among the reeds

Of the lagoon, that fences thee and feeds, As sayeth thy old historian and thy guest!

White water-lily, cradled and caressed By ocean streams, and from the silt and weeds

Lifting thy golden filaments and seeds, Thy sun-illumined spires, thy crown and crest!

White phantom city, whose untrodden street,Are rivers, and whose pavements are the shifting

Shadows of palaces and strips of sky;I wait to see thee vanish like the fleets

Seen in mirage, or towers of cloud uplifting, In air their unsubstantial masonry...HWL

Dear Alex ,

First of all, I would like to thank you both for the unselfish support that you have shared with me on the last day of our cruise. I will never forget Florence and Livorno and the unforgettable experience about catching the last train for Livorno and the breath taking marathon to catch the train and missing the last shuttle to the ship.  Alex, I hope you told Marissa the whole story of our nerve wreching trip to Florence. I thought we will be flying to Rome then to Civitavecchia to catch the ship. Thanks for answered prayers.  We made it even to the dinner. Alex,   you are such a kind, and patient friend. I wish I had more chance to be around you both during the cruise. Whateve time we spent together especially during Livorno breakfast  was already engrave in my mind as a beautiful memory of our friendship. I had a good time during the cruise and I thought I accomplished what I had planned for this trip. I go with your idea Alex...cruise, cruise cruise. As I was looking at your pictures in Buenos Aires, I could not stop saying Wow! This is the kind of vacation I really want to have. Affordable, relaxed and can do anything at your own pace and inexpensive. I love to travel and enjoy sight seeing like you. Hope someday we can join you again. My only problem is how can I convice my husband to take the cruise again.Please keep in touch. Warm regards and God Bless, Melba and Art



 

Thank you Melba for those kind words. That day, was planned impromptu for both of us. The day started with just Livorno in mind and a trip to the downtown area for some look and see old buildings/forts, and not a train ride across Tuscany. We were not looking for out of the way adventure that last day of the cruise but we certainly got it indeed. On the shuttle, when I found out, that it was your first visit to Italy, we decided to visit Florence. Somehow, in retrospect, we have  missions to perform that particular day. At the end of the shuttle ride, nobody on that ride knew, where to take the trains, until I ask an older gentlemen, where to take  bus #1 across town and where to buy the tickets from the Tabac store across the street, whereupon, the whole shuttle people followed us into the store. They followed us, the pathfinders until their travel to Pisa, some thought that Florence was too far a ride to make the return trip to the ship on time.

Did we not saved six people from our ship, from being marooned in the first Firenze train station, when they got out early, off the train, until I opened our window and exclaimed "wrong station". The next train is due 2:00PM, or walk across town. Oh, how we got some expressions of beatitudes from that group until we saw them back aboard ship later in the PM. We made,  quick friends, from that group and also the Italian teenagers, mostly students with their books, sitting beside us.

After having our memorable fill of photos taken in Florence, missing our train schedule, and taking the last train to Livorno at 4:27 PM ( a train ride of almost 2 hours ). That is really cutting close to the ships' departure of 7:00. Plus the bus ride across town on heavy traffic, then we are counting seconds to catch the ship. We again, met those people, that we saved a couple of hours ago, on train stop in Pisa. We know, that we missed the shuttle, and had to share a taxi ride with them back to the port. To sum it all, we made an ordinary day extraordinary for the positive missions performed. These are the kind of experience, I look forward too, when I travel abroad independently, without the environment of fellow Americans. I like the local colors and mostly travel on public transport savoring the local culture, smell, sounds, language, etc. I am looking forward to traveling with you in the next reunion, wherever it may be. Godspeed and Best Regards

Marissa & Alexander

I am a part of all that I have met....Lord Alfred Tennyson

 

 

With all the excitements, positive and negative feelings about the med. Cruise and land tours, it turned out to be a great experience seeing all

these places and to some very remarkable/holy sites. With the exemption of the euros versus the US dollars it could have been much better with

regards to shopping/buying material things for "pasalubong" for love ones. We have to save some money for the Philippine reunion and I agree

with Jun Dijamco and the rest of the group to postpone the reunion until February 2009 maybe Valentines day. The balikbayan fare will be cheaper

by that time. What about celebrating valentines day in the Phil.? Best regards to all....  Regina 

---

 

Regarding SS, social security carries over to other countries, but medicare does not. The petition is for medicare, which is for healthcare

  of those 65 and over, (also for some special situations.) Just a reminder, if you're not aware: Everyone should apply for medicare soon as age 65 is reached, even if you do not plan to get SS benefit at 65 because you're waiting until your full benefit age. (for most of us, full benefit age is 66 or 67). If you apply for medicare later than age 65, you are charged penalties. Same goes for the medicare drug plan. You have to choose a drug plan at 65, unless you never intend to apply for one for the rest of your life.  Thanks. .........Meny

We have here two speeches: one made available by Alex; the other forwarded by Marlo. Thanks to both of you. This is how I see them. The first see our poverty of spirit; the second, the Filipino spirit rising. One pictures the formidable challenges confronting us; the other depicts a future seen through rose colored glasses. One forces us to a deep and hard examination of our ills; the other makes us feel good. One seeks to get to the crux of the problem; the other offers a palliative, non-sustainable by itself. One claims thousand of youths can not get jobs because they dropped out in the 5th grade; the other states college graduates are the elite few. (Lots of college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed because there are too few jobs. They have to apply for employment overseas).

One concedes that to a large extend our culture is damaged, that we have lost our ethical moorings, and that our people are lazy; the other says that our mendicant culture is man-made and that in the right setting (like here in America) Filipinos are law-abiding, hardworking and even makes more than the average in the master’s country. (I agree, there are things wrong with our culture like cronyism, our tolerating corruption and beng show-offs. But our redeeming virtues more than compensate: we have strong family ties and sense of loyalty (although sometime misdirected). We are hardworking. OFWs endure the hardships of being separated from their spouses and children. And America is NOT the master’s country; it is ours as much as anybody’).

Both speeches agree: we do not need a revolution. Also, that the enemy is within us; that we are now our own enemy. That we need to change. (This is in line with tutubi’s musings (as Meny puts it) and with the observations of our own Rolando Licardo). I think there is now a growing feeling for reform. I feel that after some trepidations, and enjoying a vacation of 3 or 4 years, the baby boomers will start to come to the plate and take up the yolk. Mabuhay!Ben 

 

PI based CHE66 are all eager and will love to have the reunion in PI. Meny is right in noting that the PI reunion is being push to a later and a later date. If this will keep on happening, the PI reunion will just remain a WISH! Propposed solution: A strong Executive Committee has be organized to take charge of the PI reunion since this is not an easy task. Calling CHE66 leaders: VOLUNTEER.PI based members will give their 100% support and cooperation.The Mexican Riviera Cruise is the best time to put up the Executive Committee. ...Jun

ABOVE PHOTO, MY FIRST DAY IN THE US, RIGHT PHOTO ... THE IMAGE OF MY FUTURE WIFE THAT KEPT ME GOING THRU ALL .....

The Annunziata dei Catalani (late 12th-13th century). Dating from the late Norman period...above picture in.....

Messina and Taormina – more beautiful places to see but what stands out is the visit to a jewelry factory of amber, corals and other stones.  We were first treated to wine and juices, coffee, tea, you name it, delicious native pastries and cheeses and nuts then on to jewelry shopping.  I was amazed, I thought that by now the ladies will be out of money with all the shopping in the past and also at the Ship’s stores.  But nobody can resist the fine workmanship and Giorgio’s claims that their prices are cheaper than the stores in town (??) and we still get 10% discount on top of that. Anyway, buying we did and I too spent for some jewelry I really don’t need but couldn’t resist (who knows when I’ll be there again-what an excuse) and as usual had to be last to board the bus.  Giorgio has this rule of me being the last on line, last in the stores and last in the WC (quite a problem in this trip, too few and have to pay at times), takes out all the fun of sharing experiences with the group, I feel left out with all the happenings.  We went to the museum and stadium (?), past several more souvenir shops, ate gelato and saw another town devastated by another volcano but this time, nobody died because we were told the lava did not have sulfides in it (H2S, SO2, SO3,...Clarita.........  PICTURE LEFT WAS TAKEN 40 YEARS AGO IN OAKLAND ON MY FIRST DAY IN THE USA, NEXT LEFT IS  THE SINGLE MARISSA AT HOME IN QC BEFORE HER GRADUATION BALL STC 1967....BELOW WITH JUN, MARLO AND ROLLIE  AT A PLAZA IN MESSINA, NEXT PICTURES DEPICTS 38 YEARS INTERVAL AND THEN THE PORT OF DUBROVNICK........06/07.............ASC 

Let me thank you for having found me and putting me into your loop.

I have been quite active with the Alumni group in ChE-Chem at Mapua after graduation, and subsequently with NAMA after a few years. Every year, I have this habit of joining the homecoming of MITChEChem and the NAMA.  I see a lot of successful alumni who inspire me and allow me to develop better technical knowledge even at the present age of 64.

I am happy and overjoyed if you can allow me to join your group ( or rather, can I say my real group?), because I felt lost when I did not join our group during graduation in 1966. I am proud though to have been selected to work as the Editor-in-chief of the 1966 C&G. Everyone in our staff gave their best to come out with the blue colored Yearbook inspired by the theme of a poem by Robert Frost, and the man rowing with so many promises to keep.

I actually graduated Octoberian in 1967. In every occasion, I always identify myself as a graduate of 1967, but in reality, I could not locate who are my co-graduates in 1967 except Sheila Tempongko as we see each other often in alumni affairs.

I guess the courage to go to USA after graduation was not as strong for me, as it was to a lot of our fellow graduates who got applications at the US Embasssy in 1967. More so did the desire disappear in the horizon when I did not make it in my first board exam. I got the frustration of the profession, and devoted my time in marketing products related to chemistry and chemical engineering. But, I guess all of us has each own story to tell, sucess and not failures, or failure may it have begun with inspiration to succeed at the end of our walk thru life.

I have retired as an employee way back in 1998 after 32 years marketing and selling products ranging from essential oils, compounds, perfumes, plating chemicals, metal preparation chemicals before painting and some equipment.

Now, I am a minority partner in a corporation with 2 architects, whose main business is outsourcing production/ detailing drawings on architectural/engineering projects using licensed autocad 2000 softwares; our client for 3 years is coming from Hawaii because my partner ( an MIT Mechanical Engineer has his company in Hawaii).

Aside from drawings, I sell thru indent, equipment specialized in Wastewwater and Water Treatment (USA) which my partner ( Freddie Leonor) represents under Promark Corp ( Hawaii ).

I wish that I will have time to join you and the rest of our school mates in your future plans. Just fill me on some of your plans, and I will do may best to find time; if not, I will inform you my situation. I am restarting from ground zero, and hope that somehow I could still find my nitch in the Sun or rather in the industry within the  Philippines. I am following the advice which I gave to my 5 children who have finished their college degrees: "if you fall down, no matter how many times, stand up and try again because the challenge will always be there."

Just a thought occurred to me. I counted the number of years after 1966 and came up with a total number of 40 years. Is this supposed to be a number described as a Ruby Anniversary for alumni? Am I to understand from you that there is an affair in the Alumni Homecoming to celebrate this Ruby Anniversary for graduates of 1966?

I know the present president of MIT CHE CHEM ALUMNI by the name of Miss Precy Tagala, as well as the president of NAMA who is from ChE Chem. I have not been informed of the upcoming events, but if you and some of our classmates have the interest to make this as an affair to remember, please give me your plans so I can help. [ I have registered my name with goggle under our company's email box of aeirc...@info.com.ph as per your advice. Thank you.]

My apologies for the long reply, but I wanted to make sure that you know about me. Please tell me how I can get into your/our loop, even if I am in the Philippines. [Last week, I just got news from my partner that there is a Hawaiian company looking for CAD applicants to be stationed in Philippines or South Korea for a project in a military installation. Maybe I can inform Mapuans who are CAD operators.]

Regards to everyone, especially to my classmates. .........Eldy Yap 

yes i used to teach in mapua after my graduation for two years and i came  to United States as a teaching assistant and stay at the same time with scholarship from the school glad to hear from my fellow classmate ....marshall.........

Alfonso Luis Tiu..left most  Marshall Bonghiong Tan middle; Bernardo M. David right

From Marulo Mascarina 

Hello All,

WAKE UP Everyone!!

We're now back to the grind!

For those who are working, drink real strong coffee.

For the senior retirees, let's get the laundry in gear.

And for all, check the damages ($$).

Just want to let everyone knows that me and Marietta had such a

wonderful time.

Thanks to you all, especially to Clarita for the job well done in organizing

the reunion, and to Citas & Cip of the NJ/Chicago group.

And thanks for those who reminded us when to go when & where (toilettes).

It was a priceless memories of a lifetime, seeing each other again and having

the fun and laughter of our life.

First I want to extend my deepest condolences for the passing of your beloved wife. I heard the news from Pano sometime last year and I've been trying my best of how I could convey my sympathy to you and your family. Since we've seen each other was when we drove you to Monreal with our first child Michael. I remembered we exchanged letters after that, then somehow we stopped communicating due probably of me being busy raising the family. So now it must have been 35 years since then. Throughout those years I have gone home for at least 5 times and I felt guilty for not contacting you for even once. I remembered you knocked on our door that day in early '70 and I was pleasantly surprised of you to see us.  Me and my wife will be coming home this Jan. 20 to Feb. 22 and I will try my best to surprise you this time.  Oscar e-mailed me telling-"just go to Bauan and Dr. Nato will be there for you." First week will be spent with Marietta's family in Cabanatuan City, then drive around possibly northern Luzon, spend time in Metro Manila, fly maybe to Cebu, Palawan, Bohol.

We are doing all these now before the arthritis kicks in. Personally among other things, we have a lot to talk about. Please e-mail me if and when I can possibly drop by and see you. Hopefully I can grab you from your very busy schedule. Take care my friend and hope to see you soon. ....Marulo 

My only consolation was reminiscing the sexy Vegas-style chorus girls dancing around me at the stage (and behind the stage...heh..heh, I'm one ahead of you, Manny G.) But my jealous Minnie insisted that I looked like an Elvis midget surrounded by long-legged creatures. Oo na....

   Later that night (or early morning) at Lido Deck snack time get together, Celia Cruz made a comment to me:  Hey Mike, your pants were too big! I thought, "If you only knew what I went through" Well now you know. There WAS stress, but it was all a lot of fun!

When I get to be 92 years old, I will watch my free DVD disc of the show (my reward gift from the Carnival Legends performance) and cherish the thought of what I was able to do when I was 62.  I might still be able to do it at 92 on a cruise, if you guys promise not only to cheer up for me, but also help me up the stage.....Mike B

The Med cruise exceeded our expectations! So glad we came! We had an exceptionally wonderful time. Those much needed endorphins were released from laughter-filled moments with old (literally??) friends and colleagues. Of course, pagod and weary, but those precious memories will be treasured hanggang uugod ugod na kami!  Hopefully our minds will still be sharp to remember the events. Your cruise diary and all the nice photos from everyone will truly be a major help. Thanks, you all, for making this event a milestone in our lives. We enjoyed meeting new friends as well. Best of all, thanks again to you all for your team support and loud applause during Mike's Elvis' moments!  Regards, .....................Mike and Minnie

Let me add that it was wonderful to see classmates never seen since college – Alex, Pol, Ismael, Jun Dijamco, Irene, Minda, Clarita, Thelma, Regina, Alice, etc.  and  Marlo & Mayette since their wedding reception at Casino in the Park (across where I now live).  It was nice to finally meet Manny, Rolly, Mike, Resty, Jeff, Tony, Rose, Melba, etc.  It was even nicer to meet the better halves.

I was surprised to see our classmates looking younger than the Alaska cruise pictures.  Most probably some worked out for this Med cruise, had a face lift, nose jobs, liposuction, breast augmentation, nip tuck, or all of the above. Allow me to thank among others Cip, Pol, Citas, Dida, Celia, Alice, etc. for all their contributions to make the cruise memorable. Let me mention that Mike Bernardino was the King of the Cruise (Elvis), that Alex’ wife Marissa had a wonderful piano performance, and that Regina hit a 90,000 pennies jackpot in the slot machine and she savored the ding, ding, ding of the counting.  (Regina I think also missed one land tour and was late on one occasion).There was some rough sailing, but then when life hands you a lemon you make le…whoopee. My only disappointment was we were supposed to go to Florence but we ended up in Firenze....Ben 

We live in Sugar Land, Texas with my wife Nicki. We have two boys, both are on their own but still singles. My oldest is working in Saipan. He like exotic places since he lived 2 years in Juneau, Alaska. He is lawyering and working in a non-for-profit company. The youngest is a sound engineer living in San Jose.

I am working for Fluor Engineering. Its kind of close from where I live. Pol Calimbas

 

 

Lilia Antonio has retired to the Phil. At least that was the plan the last time I talked to her years ago.  I'll ask Meny to look her up when she goes to the Phil this month.  Art Villasol has responded to my email and he said that he can not join the Cruise but will attend the Reunion

at Leonila's house on the 26th. Jun Dijamco also responded and he said he can not join the cruise and did not say if he will attend the party at Leony's house. Alex or Oscar or Timothy did not respond to my emails. Lorna will not be able to attend any of them as she is going to her hi-school reunion.  Thelma will be on another trip and so with Dida Mago Sanchez.  Fely Dirige, Tony Alialy and Ben Asis will join the reunion at Leony's house.  Regina will be at the Cruise but can not attend the mini-reunion party.  .Clarita

Hey Oldtimer..... Good to hear from you again.  Sorry am not in the tard or tired zone yet....perhaps next year.  We hope to see you in Rome next year.  I will probably be flying out of Chicago with Clarita and from the looks of it, we shall be spending a couple of days in Rome prior to the cruise. I was in Rome again a couple of years ago and visited with my cousin priest who was rector at one of the colegios (dorm for priests that go to school in Rome).  We stayed at the guest quarters and had our meals with all the priests in that residence.  What a great experience.....our tour guides were priests, took public transportation and so we blended quite well with the Romans.   Indeed, it was a vacation of a lifetime! Irene 

 

Am still living in the Philippines, married to Romeo B. Obedoza but with no kids.  Am connected with Boysen Paints and teach at MIT part time.  My husband is with UPLB so he stays there most of the week and comes to Manila (in Kamuning) on weekends.   We do have grandchildren from our nephews who are now married.  Three nephews (those I share with Mely Matic) are now in the States.  But the others are also here. I have been retired and rehired by my company (they have to retire people who reach 60 - dual citizens na kasi - senior and Philippine citizenships).  So I am now a consultant for the firm but on a full time basis. Am not joining the cruise but according to Clarita, you are to come home by 2008.  So maybe we can all see each other here unless of course, some of you opt to retire here or come earlier.  By the way, Alex, Mommy has passed away last 2004, 10 years almost to the date that Daddy did.  How about your parents?  Are they still around? Regards to all,............. Sheila ..........BELOW PICTURE

I am sorry to hear about your mom. I know it is our turn to be the seniors now. Papa is still alive at 86, remarried in 2003, which is good for him since he is very sickly now. Mom died in 1994, and the whole family that I transported from  PI is thriving very well in many ways. Take care and Best Regards,......... Alexander

  

 We just came back from Infanta (Cesar/Elvie, his brother Luther & wife Ligaya, Perlynn, Rudy & Meny Banares).  We wemt tp Palawan & caught the Sinulog in Cebu (thanks to Thelma), saw Bohol and leaving for Singapore with Susie & Joe Morales & Perlyn.  We did see Dr RenatoDimayuga (Chief of the Hospital) in Batangas & just had Merienda with Shiela (and Rudy & Meny) at her home.  I was waiting to hear from you before we left for Infanta, Take care.  See Cesar in Cabanatuan in his Palace....ben 

The staff of Meralco Call Center have been very

helpful in my tracking you down; they acted on my

email-inquiry very promptly. A big number of our class have been exchanging emails since the time they started organizing the 2003 grand reunion in Las Vegas; then, followed the 2006 reunion via an Alaskan cruise. Next year,the reunion will be a-16-day Mediterranean cruise. There are about 200 who attended the Las Vegas reunion; 51 joined the Alaska cruise; and 81 have already signed up for the Mediterranean cruise. Lucy, you talked to her over the phone in Manila, and I attended the Las Vegas and the Alsakan reunions and we have made our reservation for the Medditerrenean cruise. The Med cruise will be in the last week of May 2007. Clarita Aragones Parson is the organizer; she also organized the Las Vegas reunion 2003 and the 2006 Alaskan cruise. It is a must that you and your wife join the Mediterrenian cruise. I'm sure Clarita will send you an email as soon as she reads this email.

Our class has now an email group and a blogsite; these were both created by Alex Custodio, just recently. There are now 66 in the email group; you will be probably be the 67th. Nini Juat is now residing  in Tarlac and is working for DTI; she has filed for retirement recently.

Do you know where Ed Serra is? I met him in the Big Mall accross Central Bank more than 20 years ago; he was then working for a cement company in Norsagaray in Bulacan while his wife, then, was working at the Central Bank. As soon as we  get back to PI, I will give you a call and let us get together. Jun Dijamco ................................................

I'm happy to hear from you.  It's been so many years since we've been together.  Hoping to meet you one of these days.  By the way, Ed Serra and I have been neighbors more than ten years.  We're just six houses away.  You can contact him at..........  We are now both retired from our employment.  Now, we're both enjoying the company of our grandchildren.  I'm sure Ed will be happy to know your whereabouts.  By the way, this is my new e-mail address:..........Regards & God bless,.......Nanding

 

For years, I had been trying to persuade Andy to go on a cruise but he wouldn't do it.  His reasoning was, "There are no tennis courts on the ship".  He now looks at cruises differently and now agrees with me that  "we don't need no stinking tennis courts" to have fun on a cruise.  I had to remind him that the reason why this cruise was so much fun was because of my wonderful MIT friends and their spouses.  He agrees with me on this one too (he agrees with me most of the time, doesn't he?).  Anyway, it was a thrill to see everybody again.   Unlike the two other MIT reunions I attended in the past, I felt a difference in the bonding that went on in this cruise.  In this cruise, the ribbing and kidding and teasing that went on felt more like family; did we not act like proud family members when we rooted for Mike Bernardino at the talent competition?  This to me was truly a  HOMEcoming.  And all these happened because of your hard work and patience,   I cannot thank you enough. Regards and till we meet again,......Thelma

 

Dear Everyone, It is so hard to go back to work after a grand vacation.  It was such a great experience for a first timer like me.  It was so nice to see all of you and your spouses.  Especial thanks to Clarita who did such a fantastic job organizing the trip.  Of course the leaders for both the NJ/CHI and LA groups are to be thanked also for diligently waiting, counting, grouping and doing the painful collection for the groups. Thanks again everybody and hope to see you all soon. Rose (far right)Rose Silang

Clinical Pharmacology

Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals .........Below Dida Mago Sanchez, next Manny Genato 

  

Where, twisted round the barren oak, the summer vine in beauty clung,

And summer winds the stillness broke, the crystal icicle is hung. 

Where, from their frozen urns, mute springs pour out the river's gradual tide,

Shrilly the skater's iron rings, and voices fill the woodland side. 

Alas! how changed from the fair scene, when birds sang out their mellow lay,

And winds were soft, and woods were green, and the song ceased not with the day! 

But still wild music is abroad, pale, desert woods! within your crowd;

And gathering winds, in hoarse accord, amid the vocal reeds pipe loud.

Chill airs and wintry winds! my ear has grown familiar with your song;

I hear it in the opening year, I listen, and it cheers me long. 

When winter winds are piercing chill, and through the hawthorn blows the gale,

With solemn feet I tread the hill, that overbrows the lonely vale. ...HWL

 Felow Mapuans

I had seen this idea before and was surprised that as

stupid as it was, it was still going around the

Internet.

This Coke executive should stick with the business he

knows, selling sugared water, because his idea is

ludicrous and obviously from somebody who does not

know the oil and energy business.  If the American

driver follows this idea, it would only hurt your

neighborhood gas station owner/operator and would

probably cause a short term disruption that would

result in all of us paying more for gas.  With this

potential disruption, the companies your would like to

hurt (majors like Exxon/Mobil and Shell) would

probably end up as the beneficiaries from this

misconceived idea.

I spent all my working career in the energy business, half of which was in the oil and gas industry, including oil and gas marketing, refining, trading and logistics, so I can say with confidence, without sounding cocky, that I know better than this Coke executive. Oil is a commodity and if you have any knowledge of how commodity markets work, you should know that marginal pricing dictates how much the consumer pays for this commodity. In short, the price of oil is determined by how much the market values the last barrel sold in the market place. It is not the average price and definitely not cost related. It is priced on what the market could bear. Any market with

marginal pricing can also be very volatile, particularly when there is a perception of supply tightness and risk of supply disruption (due to extraneous factors such as geopolitical) adds a price premium. .....Cip Buendia

 

The college books, that silently among

  Our knowledge treasures take familiar places,

And are to us as if a living tongue

  Specs from the printed leaves or pictured faces! 

Soledad Payuran

Stayed in the Philippines and was an instructor at MIT for a while. Last known residence was in Cavite province............

Right picture is Lourdes Averia and Husband Nestor....

below picture is Cipriano Buendia and wife Rose Ann....

 

Deceased ChE Class'66 Mapuans

Do not stand at my grave and weep 

I am not there. I do not sleep. 

I am a thousand winds that blow. 

I am the diamond glints on snow. 

I am the sunlight on ripened grain. 

I am the gentle autumn rain. 

When you awaken in the morning's hush 

I am the swift uplifting rush 

Of quiet birds in circled flight. 

I am the soft stars that shine at night. 

Do not stand at my grave and cry; 

I am not there. I did not die. 

Mary Elizabeth Frye click the above Deceased.......

Rest, comrades, rest and sleep! the thoughts of men shall be

As sentinels to keep, your rest from danger free...... 

So walking here in twilight, O my friends! I hear your voices, softened by the distance,

And pause, and turn to listen, as each sends his words of friendship, comfort, and assistance. 

Goodbye, my friends, goodbye. The appointed parting Promises a meeting ahead. Goodbye, my friends, without hand, without word, Don't be sad and don't upset your brows, - In this life to die is not new, But to live, of course, is not newer. Goodbye, my friends, goodbye It was preordained we should part And be reunited by and by. Goodbye: no handshake to endure. Let's have no sadness - furrowed brow. There's nothing new in dying now Though living is no newer. 

 

These are some list of our Classmates who are deceased including the above  

1. Josefino  Dakita Josefino Sayas Dakita

2. Rodrigo Cajulis

3. Rolando Yulo Rolando Munzon Yulo

4. Fred Toreja Alfredo Catapia Toreja

5. Emanuel Celis 

6. Oliver Masil................
7. Reynaldo Cadiz

To Reynaldo Cadiz’s MIT Classmates,

Thanks so much for your love, support, kindness, encouragement and generosity. Thanks for the beautiful floral arrangement that you sent.  We are so grateful. We are also so thankful for your friendship with Dad.  He always talked about his MIT classmates and was very proud to be a part of your lives.

Love,

Cora, Jose, Charmaine, Mary Jo, Caroline and the kids

Please be informed that Oscar Janeo has passed away about nine or so years ago.  He was with Pacific Products and transferred to Cord Chemicals, both members of the Philippine Association of Paint Manufacturers.  If I am not mistaken, he even served as one of its directors sometime in the '90"s.

Regards to all,

Sheila Tempongko-Obedoza

Renato Dimayuga's decision to return to Pinas and work as chief of a regional hospital

that handles mainly charity cases is quite admirable, especially since the salary is peanuts compared to what he can make in the US . Now that Ben has experience, perhaps he can quit his day job and plan/manage the next reunion. ...Rudy

When I compare

What I have lost with what I have gained,

What I have missed with what attained,

  Little room do I find for pride.

     I am aware

How many days have been idly spent;

How like an arrow the good intent

  Has fallen short or been turned aside. 

     But who shall dare

To measure loss and gain in this wise?

Defeat may be victory in disguise;

  The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide. 

---

Please include Letty Carriedo to the list of our

beloved classmates who passed away. Let's include them in our prayers.

Considering our hazardous chemical exposures (like sucking benzene in a pipet for use as a reagent) when we were students, we should consider ourselves lucky to be exchanging email today. God bless and take care. 

                                    Reggie Timonera

On the road of life one mile-stone more!

In the book of life one leaf turned o'er!

Like a red seal is the setting sun

On the good and the evil men have done,--

      Naught can to-day restore!....HWL

 

 Reflections

Never grow old, nor change, nor pass away!

   Your gentle voices will flow on forever,

When life grows bare and tarnished with decay,

  As through a leafless landscape flows a river. 

Celso Chua on the far left. Resides somewhere south of Fresno California and was working in a cement factory as the chief Engineer. Below is Lorna Jereza works with US EPA as a Region Chief.

 

 REY CADIZ AND WIFE

You are invited to view Rudy's photo album: 2011_01_25 Manila and MIT Tour 2011_01_25 Manila and MIT Tour http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamagenious/sets/72157594578466165/show/ Rene, I met and know those two, Mario and Francisco Onandia. Do you have any idea where they are now? You brought back old happy memories about once upon a time, in a town fiesta in Tanay. I was mulling around with a couple of friends at the plaza "glorieta" as the call it, around 8:00 at night, and from a distance among the crowds of people, I noticed a familiar tall silhouette. I moved farther away to an opening between the crowd, when somebody called my name. It was Onandia and Mario. They said, they recognized the back of my head, laughing.  There in a relative's house, we had a couple of drinks, talking about college and dreams about the future until about midnight. We did have a lot of fun then, as Onandia can talk a yarn when he is loosened up with beer. Mario and Francisco were my classmates too, in my first 2 years in Mapua. If you know, the whereabouts of those old classmates, it will be fun to include them in the google group. The history was good, but I would like to add on to it. Some Hindu soldiers with the British army settled too in Cainta. How is that in the mixture of races? Now we have a race of people with dark skin and sharp noses. Ha..Ha. The mixture, was the best for both. Alexander    --- On Sun, 6/21/09, RRivera <rene1145@verizon.net> wrote: From: RRivera <rene1145@verizon.net> Subject: MIT ChE 1966 A Bit of Philippine History To: MIT-ChE1966@googlegroups.com Date: Sunday, June 21, 2009, 3:10 PM Alex, I did not know you are from Tanay. The following anecdote happened in our sophomore year at Mapua. During the first semester some classmates said there are American servicemen taking courses at our school. Days past, I saw a Caucasian guy and an African guy talking as they walked  the opposite way inside the corridor leading to Rizal Ave. I said to myself they are American servicemen.  Then one day as I turned a corner I found myself walking behind these two and to my surprise they were talking in Tagalog! Obviously, they are not Americans. The next semester, lo and behold, were are classmates and we became friends!! I found out one, Francisco Onandia, is a Spaniard born in the Philippines and he lives in San Juan. I lived in Mandaluyong(outside of course). The other guy, Mario, is from Cainta.. I could not ask Francisco why Mario looks African. I thought at first his father is an American serviceman. Eventually I asked a classmate in another class who is from Tanay. He said, according to local history, when the Spaniards came to the Philippines after Magellan there were African slaves on their ships who are to supply labor. However, the Spaniards befriended local chiefs who sent men from their tribes to help in constuction. Now the colonizers were faced with the predicament of what to do with the Africans. The story goes the Spaniards went upriver on the Pasig and left the Africans in what is now Cainta, across the river from a native village now called Tanay. For centuries and generations up to the 50's the two sides fought. The three of us had good times. Francisco was my tutor in Spanish and I became quite good at it. His girl friend then is from Pampanga. Mario is a bit quiet; he is built like a running back.  One calls the other Negro, and one calls the other Albano. Me, I laughed. Both of them studied Mechanical Engineering; Francisco is in the class of 1966. Rene

The morning after my arrival in Manila on Jan. 19, I looked out the window of Astoria Plaza from the 26th floor curious to see what the area looks like after 35 years. At 6AM I thought I was looking at fog, at 7AM it got thicker, then I realized it is smog, so thick I can not see the train on EDSA or the streets below. It was like that for the rest of the week. Saturday, I took the ferry to Corregidor. About a half-mile into the bay I took this picture around 8:30AM. Farther out, I looked to my left, Navotas and Malabon area, and turned to my right to Cavite, what I saw is the same as in this picture, metropolitan Manila in a blanket of smog...... Rene

---

The brooklet came from the mountain, as sang the bard of old,

Running with feet of silver over the sands of gold! 

Far away in the briny ocean there rolled a turbulent wave,

Now singing along the sea-beach, now howling along the cave. 

And the brooklet has found the billow, though they flowed so far apart,

And has filled with its freshness and sweetness that turbulent, bitter heart! 

And when the eve is born, in the blue lake the sky, o'er-reaching far,

Is hollowed out, and the moon dips her horn, and twinkles many a star.

 Inverted in the tide stand the gray rocks, and trembling shadows throw,

And the fair trees look over, side by side, and see themselves below.

Sweet April! many a thought is wedded unto thee, as hearts are wed;

Nor shall they fail, till, to its autumn brought, life's golden fruit is shed. ...HWL

CHRISTMAS IN JERUSALEM Modern Jerusalem view from Mt. Olives near the garden of Gethsemane. According to the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was supposed to be an international city, not part of either the proposed Jewish or Arab state. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, West Jerusalem was captured by Israel, while East Jerusalem (including the Old City) was captured by Jordan. Upon its capture, the Jordanians immediately expelled all the Jewish residents of the Jewish Quarter, most of whom from families that had been living there for centuries. Many synagogues were destroyed, and the Jewish Quarter was bulldozed. The ancient Jewish cemetery on Mount of Olives was desecrated. In 1950 East Jerusalem, along with the rest of the West Bank, was annexed by Jordan. However, the annexation of the West Bank was recognized only by the United Kingdom, which did not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem absorbed some of the refugees from West Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods that came under Israeli rule

A month later, American triumphed again at Midway. Once again they became aware of the Japanese plans, and lay in wait for the huge fleet of 86 warship sent by Japan to attack the tiny island in the Pacific. On June 3, the Japanese launched an attack on the two westernmost Aleutian islands, Kiska and Attu (the only American soil to be occupied by the Japanese during the war), in order to the divert the Americans' attention. The next day, a swarm of Japanese carrier-launched planes bombed Midway. The Americans responded with three consecutive air attacks on the Japanese, each a failure. But on June 5, the Americans bombing raid sank three Japanese aircraft carriers. His fleet devastated, Japanese admiral Yamamoto retreated west. The Japanese lost four aircraft carriers, a cruiser, 332 planes and 3500 lives; the Americans: one aircraft carrier, a destroyer, 147 planes and 307 lives.

Although the bloodiest battles of the Pacific were yet to come, the Japanese army never recovered from these defeats. 

A photo of Guadalcanal from my travels in the Solomons in 2002 .........ASC Guadalcanal Battle Film

The battle of Okinawa proved to be the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. Thirty-four allied ships and craft of all types had been sunk, mostly by kamikazes, and 368 ships and craft damaged. The fleet had lost 763 aircraft. Total American casualties in the operation numbered over 12,000 killed [including nearly 5,000 Navy dead and almost 8,000 Marine and Army dead] and 36,000 wounded. Navy casualties were tremendous, with a ratio of one killed for one wounded as compared to a one to five ratio for the Marine Corps. Combat stress also caused large numbers of psychiatric casualties, a terrible hemorrhage of front-line strength. There were more than 26,000 non-battle casualties. In the battle of Okinawa, the rate of combat losses due to battle stress, expressed as a percentage of those caused by combat wounds, was 48%  American losses at Okinawa were so heavy as to illicite Congressional calls for an investigation into the conduct of the military commanders.

On to Guam. On the night of 14-15 June most of the support ships retired, leaving a handful to continue harassing fire along the coast line. Meanwhile the Western Landing Group, commanded by Admiral Hill. As dark fell the marines could observe fires burning ashore and the glow of star shells fired by the naval ships left in the area. Shortly after 0500 the gigantic convoy moved into the transport area off the west coast of Saipan. Streaks of fire from the armada of naval support ships colored the sky and the shore was blurred in a haze of smoke and dust. As the light improved, the town of Charan Kanoa became visible.Heavy close support ships were ordered not to approach closer than 1,500 yards from the reef. Two old battleships, two cruisers, and seven destroyers were assigned the duty of last-minute preparation of the landing beaches themselves. At dawn these ships took station and shortly thereafter the two battleships commenced main battery fire at the beach defenses.
Shores of Guadalcanal. Becalmed upon the sea of Thought,

Still unattained the land it sought,

My mind, with loosely-hanging sails,

Lies waiting the auspicious gales. No stone tells the place where their ashes repose,

Nor points out the spot from the graves of their foes.

They died in their glory, surrounded by fame,

And Victory's loud trump their death did proclaim;

A photo of Guadalcanal from my travels in the Solomons in 2002 .........ASC

The Psalm of Life....HWL

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
  Life is but an empty dream! ?
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
  And things are not what they seem.
Life is real!  Life is earnest!
  And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
  Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
  Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
  Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
  And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
  Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
  In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
  Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
  Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
  Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
  We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
  Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
  Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
  Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
  With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
  Learn to labor and to wait.

Ah me! the forty years since last we met

Seem to me forty folios bound and set

By Time, the great transcriber, on his shelves,

Wherein are written the histories of ourselves.

What tragedies, what comedies, are there;

What joy and grief, what rapture and despair!

What chronicles of triumph and defeat,

Of struggle, and temptation, and retreat!

What records of regrets, and doubts, and fears

What pages blotted, blistered by our tears!

What lovely landscapes on the margin shine,

What sweet, angelic faces, what divine

And holy images of love and trust,

Undimmed by age, unsoiled by damp or dust!

To The Class of '66,

We are  on to the next or maybe the last chapter of our life. As we age and the time passes us by, on to the golden years, it is best to embolden our friendship that was put on hold because of our immediate priorities to our  families. It is for this reason, that we need to reminisce the old days  even more,  first with  letters and pictures then join together like the classmates of old, with a common goal. 

My retirement since 2005 has been wonderful, and hopefully, you are successful in getting yours. I thank God for this gift, that we were given the chance, for the education and training for our special profession; The chance to prosper in a land of peace and plenty. While maybe, the forty two years since graduation,  was challenging  in a new strange land,  we prevailed  the struggles,  temptations,  and retreats. As the poem said above, it was not so easy. Now with the economy on the rocks,  it is far arduous and difficult to get to where we are.

In retrospect, I find it compelling or my duty to give, contribute for the next generation and the global community that made my life worthwhile. To whom much is given, much is expected. - Luke 12:48. It is therefore fitting for us blessed, to organize, protect, nurture, keep faith with our beloved country,  appreciate  nature and the environment in whatever we can. 

Bringing in the enviroment into light, we also can only hope that the alarming climate change and the ecological responses are 50 to 100 years away. But it's not 50 to 100 years away -- it's happening now in forest ecosystems through fire. The facts are unequivocal, and point to a troubling future ahead. Over 2100 fires, scorching some 900,000 acres, have set a new 2008 record for early-season wildfires in California.We are certainly in the midst of Global Warming;crisis of floods and droughts through out the planet. Skeptics, the debate is over, join our goal to STOP using fossil fuels as quickly as possible, to PLANT trees and end all destruction of natural habitat and PREPARE for what cannot now be stopped. Even small things make a difference spread over a large population. There are three levels of action: Personal, Political and to Prepare. They all require enormous personal and governmental commitment. The third, to Prepare for the impact of what cannot be stopped........

It is a premiere topic of our generation, about saving our wonderful planet earth, and also ourselves too. In my efforts to emphasize my solutions and prevention of the catastrophe ahead, I recall the quotation. "Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it. Tell them something new and they will hate you for it." With that, I hope not to fall in the latter category. My goal is to keep everybody abreast and involved to prevent the future dim scenario in the mother country. If we do not implement the gentle methods to placate our environment, the Philippines and all areas in "the tropics with its few resources and growing population will resort to war and violence to satisfy the hunger of the populace in this climate catastrophe." What we have sown in this planet will bring forth a harsh aftermath and gone will be the pleasant existence of our past. This topic has become a moral issue. The havoc and destruction will be more than the combined effects of WWI, WWII and the 1929 depression. It is about, how the recent generations could destroy all what man has created in the past 10,000 years............ASC

Illusion!  Underneath there lies

  The common life of every day; Only the spirit glorifies

  With its own tints the sober gray. In vain we look, in vain uplift

  Our eyes to heaven, if we are blind, we see but what we have the gift

  Of seeing; what we bring we find. Illusion!  Underneath there lies. 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Meny Banares BELOW

                    We believe we can make a difference in strengthening our friendships among us, not only in our reunions but also with a common goal and purpose. This "Gawad Kalinga" is worth investing our time, effort, and money for our country (Filipino people) for the common good. The" Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation" was indeed awarded to Mr. Antonio Meloto last Aug. 31 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila for his work in community development, working-with-the-poor ministry in Bagong Silang to start with, a squatter relocation site in Caloocan city, and Ms. Eugenia Duran Apostol for journalism, literature and creative communication. According to some sources, "Gawad Kalinga" envisions to build 7,000 new communities by 2010 as it implements strategies to transform slums to effective communities with dependable water system and electricity for homes. I was involved since 2004 with our Filipino Federation of the Rosary group in Orange county and for me it is a great feeling to get involved with the foundation, and I know our fellow Mapuans will do it also. Looking back, while we were in Manila in the early 1960's I remembered seeing several people (homeless) squatting along Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas Blvd.) as their regular place, living there day and night. Question? Are they still there? There are several more squatter areas around metro Manila and some gangsters. I hope that when we go to the Philippines for our reunion we will not be held up by a bandit or just plain pick pocketter. Regards to all, ....Regina Bermudez Cruz- Class CHE 1966                                                                                                                                      ROSALINA DERIGE CORBETT

CLARITA ALBERTSON           Thanks to Jun Dijamco, he has really gone out of his way to search for our classmates, gone visiting most of them in their homes in every State whenever he can (Thank God he & Lucy has the time and they do make time to visit us and get reacquainted) and once he made contact with you, you are in the loop and he keeps you updated. Reminds me of the Godfather, if you are in his family, he is there for you and supports you all the

way.  Pol, Ismael & Marlo are getting to be the same like Jun.  They have been to all the MIT Reunions we had been having and encourage their friends 'Family' to join, etc, etc.  I had been cool to Jun's plan for a Philippine Reunion but because of his loyalty to our MIT Class, I promise to help him all the way I can and will encourage Meny and the Calif Core Group to help in his plans. Now we have Alex's website/blogsite for the Group. Keep updated with the group's news and happenings by joining this.  So stay in touch.

Dear Friends,

After 40 years with the company, it is inevitable that we have to move on to the next phase of life, which is retirement.  That official date for me is December 1, 2008, where I will be leaving Akron, Ohio enroute to the sunny valley of Phoenix, Arizona, our home state since 1985.  I will be dividing my time between family (wife, a daughter, 2 sons & 3 grand kids) in the US, and attending to our 20-acre farm in the Philippines we started 3 years ago – 225 Manila mango trees, 1,500 citrus trees, ¼ acre of tilapia fish farm, and a herd of goats.

Let us maintain that good camaraderie by continuing to exchange emails and that little chat on the phone.

Art Villasol

ASC

The summer sun is sinking low;

Only the tree-tops redden and glow:

Only the weathercock on the spire

Of the neighboring church is a flame of fire;

     All is in shadow below. 

O beautiful, awful summer day,

What hast thou given, what taken away?

Life and death, and love and hate,

Homes made happy or desolate,

     Hearts made sad or gay! 

On the road of life one mile-stone more!

In the book of life one leaf turned o'er!

Like a red seal is the setting sun

On the good and the evil men have done,--

     Naught can to-day restore!..HWL

PHOTOS SPRING 2017 TRANSATLANTIC ON THE ECLIPSE 

 

SPRING 2017 TRANSATLANTIC ON THE ECLIPSE TO FATIMA, ROUEN, AMSTERDAM 

SPRING 2017 TRANSATLANTIC ON THE ECLIPSE TO FATIMA, ROUEN, AMSTERDAM 162 new photos · Album by Alexander C

ASC...(08/08/08)