Clark Veterans Cemetery, Angeles City, Philippines: What's the Big Deal?

In another blog, I wrote about an attention-getting - and incomplete - item from today's news:

• "Clark Veterans Cemetery, Angeles City, Philippines: Reality Check"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (July 3, 2011)

Bottom line: When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, quite a lot of ash fell on a 17-acre military cemetery.

Lost in the Shuffle? Not Quite

Quite a few homes and businesses were destroyed, too. Besides earthquakes, ash, lava, oversize mudslides, and pyroclastic flows, folks on Luzon in the Philippines had sulfur dioxide and really hot steam to deal with.

It was not a good year for hundreds of thousands of people.

Back to that cemetery. Quite a few Americans and Filipino/Pinoy/whatever soldiers were buried at Clark Veterans Cemetery. The United States Government had been paying for maintenance until the nearby air base was abandoned. The base was in somewhat less than ideal condition after the 1991 eruptions, I gather.

Living There, Willing to Help, Willing to Accept Help

Despite the impression I got from the news item, folks who actually live near the cemetery are quite willing to accept help - even if it doesn't come from America's national government. Imagine!

Here's how I ended that post:

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

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

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

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

(Apathetic Lemming of the North)

(What's with writing as "the Lemming?" I explained why I use the 'editorial we' third-person for most posts in that blog in April, 2011.)

Moving on.

Who Cares About Dead Bodies?

Why should I, or anybody else, care what happens to a bunch of dead bodies?

Aside from what I'd hope are obvious reasons - the Son of the Living God cares, so I figure it's a good idea to follow His lead. Besides, it's in the Catechism:

"The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities.²⁴² Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.²⁴³ Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God:²⁴⁴

"He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food must do likewise.²⁴⁵ But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.²⁴⁶ If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?²⁴⁷"

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2447) (and see Matthew 25:31-46)

As I've said before, I can't make another person give to some charity - and wouldn't if I could. On the other hand, I don't think it hurts to suggest a direction for charity to take.

Also, I write with the authority of "some guy with a blog." I don't speak for the Church. That said, if it was a choice between either helping dig out a cemetery, or helping some of the hundreds of thousands of folks living near the cemetery who survived the eruptions, but lost homes, jobs, or fields - I'd be inclined to help the living, and let my Lord sort out whether or not that was a good decision.

Remember - the folks buried in the Clark Veterans Cemetery are already buried. A little more deeply now - which probably matters to their family and friends.

By the way, there's been some bureaucratic SNAFUs involving the Clark Veterans Cemetery, too - which nobody seems willing to take responsibility for. Does this matter? 10,000 years from now, maybe not so much.

Right now, for the family of Army Staff Sergeant Hershel Lee Covey? knowing whether he's missing in action or buried at sea (according one official record) - or - buried at Clark Veteran's Cemetery (according to a grave marker there)? I think it might make a difference.

"...Still, the Clark gravesites look forlorn compared to the American cemetery in Manila.

"A U.S. government decision to take control of the Clark cemetery could shed light on the fate of still-missing Americans, Wright said, citing the case of a U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Hershel Lee Covey, whose name is on a Clark cemetery tombstone that declared him as having died on July 17, 1942 in the Philippines.

"A check by The Associated Press showed ABMC lists Covey as 'missing in action or buried at sea.'..."
(Associated Press, via FoxNews.com)

I'm not quite as convinced as the AP seems to be, that putting bureaucrats from the same lot that scrambled the records of Sergeant Covey in the first place will necessarily straighten things out. Letting a competent private-sector researcher go through available records, and check out the grave site, seems a better approach.

But that's just my opinion.

ABMC, by the way, is the American Battle Monuments Commission (www.abmc.gov). The commission was established by Congress in 1923: and they've got a fairly good-looking website.

Catholics, Burial, and Getting a Grip

The last I heard, most Americans still bury our dead. My parents, for example, are buried. In Illinois and in North Dakota, in both cases. They'd been cremated first.

How could I, a practicing Catholic, live with this? Quite easily, once I looked up what the Church had to say. I've written about that before. (September 25, 2009)

Oh, by the way - have a fun, and safe, Fourth of July weekend. If you are in America. Otherwise, have a nice weekend: or enjoy this country's Independence Day from a distance. Your choice.

A few places to check out, online:

• Fourth of July is Independence Day
  USA.gov
• U.S. Independence Day a Civic and Social Event
  America.gov (June 22, 2010)
• Fourth of July Celebrations Database
  Researched, Compiled, and Arranged by James R. Heintze. American University, Washington, D.C.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "World Refugee Day 2011, the Pope, and 'He Doesn't Have Family...' "
  (June 20, 2011)
• "Compassion, Apathy, and This Catholic"
  (June 5, 2011)
• "Japan, Catholic Relief Services, and Fraternal Sharing"
  (March 20, 2011)
• "Rambling on About Death, Resurrection, Burial and Cremation"
  (September 25, 2009)
  Particularly
  • Cremation: Not Recommended, but Allowed
• "Cotabato Bomb: Not Everything Affecting Catholics is Aimed at Catholics"
  (July 5, 2009)

Cotabato Bomb: Not Everything Affecting Catholics is Aimed at Catholics

Then again, sometimes it is.

And sometimes it's hard to tell.

A Bomb in Cotabato

A bomb exploded in the Philippine city of Cotabato today. The numbers of dead and injured vary with each account, which is normal for the hours after incidents like this. People on the ground are more interested in finding people who need help, or whose bodies need to be cared for: and the aftermath of an explosion tends to be somewhat disorderly.

What I found interesting was how the Catholic connection was being handled:

"Suspected Muslim guerrillas detonated a bomb near a Roman Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippines on Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding 46.

"Pope Benedict XVI condemned the attack.

"The bomb exploded outside the Immaculate Conception cathedral in Cotabato city as churchgoers were attending Mass. Two people were killed instantly in the attack and three others, including a militiaman, later died in hospitals, military officials said..."

"...Cathedral guard Nestor Luna said shrapnel flew in all directions, inflicting wounds on his head, arms and feet...." (AP)

The Associated Press reports, accurately enough, that the bomb went off near a Catholic cathedral, when worshipers were there for Mass. It's not at all unreasonable to assume that the cathedral was the target.

That's an assumption, though. CNN has another angle on the story.

"Three people were killed and 37 injured after a bomb exploded Sunday morning in Cotabato City, Philippines, the military said...."

"...The bomb exploded in a small restaurant, near the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, while Mass was being celebrated, [Philippine armed forces Major Randolph]Cabangbang said. Early reports indicated that the restaurant was targeted.

" 'The wounded and killed were mostly soldiers,' Cabangbang said...." (CNN)

The CNN's reference to and dismissal of the cathedral appears in their fourth paragraph. The BBC paid a bit more attention to the cathedral, and explained why the soldiers were on the scene.

"A bomb blast outside a Roman Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippines has killed five people and injured at least 26 others, officials say...."

"...The bomb went off outside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception as people were leaving Mass, the army said.

Police told AFP news agency that two of the dead were soldiers guarding the cathedral...." (BBC)

"Restaurant?" Well, Sort of

Going back to The Associated Press' story, we may get a closer look at the "restaurant" that CNN indicates may have been the target.

"...The improvised explosive, which was set off remotely by mobile phone, was hidden near a row of food stalls selling roasted pig,..." (AP)

"Restaurant" and "row of food stalls selling roasted pig" aren't exactly the same thing in American English: but both sell food which may be eaten on or near the point of purchase, so both AP and CNN stories could be considered 'accurate.'

Taking a Closer Look: Infidels, Soldiers, and Pork

A Reuters update article gives a bit more detail:

"A bomb exploded outside a church in the southern Philippines during Sunday morning mass, killing five people and wounding 35, an army spokesman said."

"Rogue Muslim rebels were suspected of placing the bomb near a food stall outside the church in Cotabato City, said Colonel Jonathan Ponce. The device was detonated when an army truck was passing, he added."

" 'This is the handiwork of the rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),' Ponce told reporters...."

"...A woman selling roast pork was killed on the spot while four others, including a soldier and three-year-old boy, died in a nearby hospital. Five soldiers were among those wounded, Ponce said."

"Witnesses said the bishop celebrating the mass had just finished reading the gospel and was about to begin his homily when an explosion was heard...." (Reuters)

All four articles identify the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as the group identified as responsible by Philippine authorities. CNN identifies MILF as "an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines." The BBC, citing a Reuters report, quotes the leader of MILF denying the charge. The MILF leader, rather sensibly, said " 'Who needs a Christian-Muslim conflict?' " (BBC)

'Will Suspects and Motives Please Form Two Lines: "A" Through "M," and "N" Through "Z" '

There's no shortage of possible targets:

• A woman
  • In public
  • Doing business
  • Involving pigs
• Never mind the woman: the pork might have been the target
• Soldiers
  • In a passing truck
  • Guarding the cathedral
• The cathedral and/or its worshipers

The MILF leader may not want open warfare with his bunch against a largely Catholic nation: but it doesn't follow that one of his followers might not have gotten the bright idea to kill two birds with one stone, and target both the soldiers and the non-Muslims: with pigs and an uppity woman thrown in as a sort of bonus.

Here's What I Think: and Don't Think

I don't think the cathedral was the target: but I don't think the cathedral was not the target, either.

The timing of the explosion, during or immediately after Mass, demands consideration of the idea that the Catholic cathedral and/or its worshipers were targets.

But, as I pointed out, there were so many 'enemies of Islam' (as defined by some terrorists) in the area that it's not terribly obvious which was the intended target.

'And the Moral of This Story is - - -

The point of all this is that assumptions are just that: assumptions. They may or may not be true: and determining the truth can be a tedious and difficult task.

Related posts, about assumptions:

• "Pro-Life People - 'Domestic Terrorists and Violent Racketeers': Who Knew?"
  (June 1, 2009)
• "This Time it's Clover Road Baptist Church: 'Everybody Knows' What Those People are Like"
  (April 11, 2009)
• " 'Catholics and Muslims along with the fake Jews all are Satanic Cults' - Who Knew?"
  (April 2, 2009)
• "Old Woman Attacked Proposition 8 Demonstrators: Who Knew?"
  (November 13, 2008)
• "Catholics Don't Believe the Bible: Who Knew?"
  (September 26, 2008)
• "Catholic Beliefs and Practices: Don't Believe Everything You Read"
  (September 16, 2008)

In the news:

• "UPDATE 1-Blast outside church in Philippine south, 5 dead"
  Reuters (July 5, 2009)
• "Bomb blast near south Philippine cathedral kills 5"
  The Associated Press (July 5, 2009)
• "Bomb blast kills 3 in Philippines"
  CNN (July 5, 2009)
• "Bomb blast near south Philippine cathedral kills 5"
  The Associated Press (July 5, 2009)
• "Bomb hits Philippine church-goers"
  BBC (July 5, 2009)