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Sixty-five years ago, U.S. and Filipino heroes waded ashore from ships anchored in Leyte Gulf. It was the beginning of the successful World War II campaign to retake the Philippines from the Japanese occupation.

I recently had the great honor to join ceremonies commemorating that event. We flew over mirror-calm Leyte Gulf, ringed by green hills, landing in Tacloban city. From there it was a short drive to the large memorial depicting General MacArthur wading ashore, accompanied by future Philippine President Osmena and Philippine General Carlos P. Romulo.

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The ceremonies were simple: A solemn wreath laying under the sweltering sun was followed by short messages of solidarity and awards to some veterans. Philippine President Arroyo presided. She had been scheduled to speak but a torrential downpour convinced her to cut the speech rather than have all the attendees get soaked. The highlight for me was meeting a group of U.S. veterans and their families who had come to mark the event. Such warm, compassionate people who were clearly proud of the bonds between the United States and the Philippines. Two of them had been part of General MacArthur’s Leyte landing party and, despite their age, still carried themselves with great dignity. Diplomats from Japan, Australia and Canada also joined the ceremonies. My Japanese colleague and I reflected on how the world has changed in the past 65 years. Japan is no longer the enemy of the United States and the Philippines as it was back then but is now a strong ally in promoting peace, development and economic growth.

Not all of Leyte is rooted in the past. While there, I also got to see new U.S. Peace Corps trainees who were learning culture and language in preparation for their assignments in the Leyte region. I also visited a sparkling new facility for American company APAC, where talented Filipino staff provide back-room services for prominent American business and media services.

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