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To offer an opportunity to reflect on the end of World War II and hear from those in the government, historical and academic communities, the American Battle Monuments Commission hosted an evening lecture Sept. 13 at Manila American Cemetery.
“The weight of memory: A war’s end, a quest for peace,” included an introduction by Ryan Blum, Manila American Cemetery superintendent; and remarks by Deputy Chief of Mission Y. Robert Ewing, U.S. Embassy in the Philippines; and Deputy Chief of Mission Matsuda Kenichi, Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. Dr. Ricardo T. Jose, a Philippine World War II scholar, presented Philippine and U.S. perspectives on the war’s legacy, while Dr. Karl Ian Cheng Chua presented on Japanese soldiers and the memory of the war. The event concluded with a panel discussion and question and answer session with all participants.
“As the cemetery superintendent, I see these grounds not just as a resting place for the fallen, but as a living classroom,” said Blum during his opening. “We host events like this to bring together scholars, former adversaries, and students — ensuring both the stories of sacrifice and the lessons of war are shared and reminding us that peace must be built and renewed.”
The panel discussion focused on the conclusion of World War II, its relevance 80 years later and its cultural, historical and diplomatic legacies.
Approximately 40 guests from local historic and academic communities, as well as student groups joined the event in person at the cemetery’s theater inside the visitor center. It was also livestreamed to remote participants.
Manila American Cemetery in Taguig City, Philippines, is American Battle Monuments Commission’s largest cemetery in the world and honors those who were killed in World War II during operations in the Pacific, mostly in New Guinea and the Philippines, between December 1941 and September 1945. Approximately 17,000 American service members are buried at the cemetery, and more than 36,000 individuals are memorialized on the Walls of the Missing. The site was officially dedicated on Dec. 8, 1960, and also includes the final resting places of almost 600 Philippine Scouts.
