Felipe Gahol's Request for Recognition of the Vulcan Regiment's Supplementary Roster, Jan 1946

5 January 1946

1. Transmitting herewith is the Supplementary Roster of the VULCAN INFANTRY REGIMENT (later known as the CANLURAN INFANTRY REGIMENT, BLUE EAGLE COMMAND), for approval in compliance with letter HPA 330.32 (AG-M) X-370.64. Subject: Supplementary Rosters, dated 31 July 1945.

2. Enclosed herewith also are two certified copies of the original roster of the VULCAN REGIMENT submitted to the guerrilla headquarters in Nasugbu, Batangas, on 10 February 1945; of the history of said Regiment; of its activities while attached to the 158^th R.C.T. and the 11^th AIRBORNE DIVISION; and of the officers organization chart. From the aforementioned documents duly authenticated by Lt. Col. Marcelino de la Rosa, Adjutant and S-1 of the said unit and now processed and activated in the CANLURAN BATTALION, BLUE EAGLE REGIMENT (Combat Team), it will be noted that a number of officers and men who originally belonged to this regiment were not included in the roster of the CANLURAN COMBAT BATTALION, BLUE EAGLE REGIMENT (Combat Team) recognized on 6 March 1945, and in that of the BLUE EAGLE BRIGADE recognized on 9 January 1945.

3. The fact remains that on 15 November 1942, a group of USAFFE officers and men from Taal, Lemery and San Luis, Batangas organized an underground resistance movement against the Japanese, which organization was called “VULCAN UNIT,” the nucleus of the guerrilla activities in the abovementioned towns. Later, on 15 February 1943, the organization was formally organized according to the Philippine Army Table of Organization, and civilian volunteers were accepted. The unit was named “VULCAN INFANTRY REGIMENT.” Then, on 28 December 1944, the unit was affiliated to the BLUE EAGLE COMMAND, and renamed “CANLURAN INFANTRY REGIMENT.”

4. On 6 March 1945, a battalion composed of some officers and men from the CANLURAN INFANTRY REGIMENT was activated and recognized by the SIXTH ARMY through the recommendation of the 11^th AIRBORNE DIVISION. Most of these recognized officers like Colonel Amando D. Ylagan, Lt. Col. Felipe A. Gahol and Marcelino de la Rosa, Major Jovencio Torralba, Captains Gregorio P. Buño and Nicolas Calanog, Lt. Mariano Mercado, and other (ALL USAFFES), who were the organizers and have more knowledge of the set-up of the outfit, were already processed in the Philippine Army and assigned to different stations. But during the preparation of the roster of the BLUE EAGLE BRIGADE, which was submitted to the CG, AFPAC on 9 July 1945, the aforesaid officers of the said CANLURAN COMBAT BATTALION were not consulted by the officers left to take charge of the remaining men who originally belonged to the set up of the mother VULCAN REGIMENT. Said officers did not know what really transpired in the preparation thereof, till after the roster of the BLUE EAGLE BRIGADE came out. The result of this was the disregard of [the] original members of the said VULCAN REGIMENT, which includes some officers and men who were killed either in [the] line of duty or for some other causes in the performance of their assigned jobs. In justice, therefore, to these men who had been active members of the organization from the beginning of its history, and who also rendered invaluable services in the resistance movement and to the United States liberating forces — some dying for its noble cause — the aforementioned Supplementary Roster was prepared, submitted and recommended to that Headquarters for its due credit, consideration and adoption of one of your military contributing factor.

5. The USAFFE members of this outfit, who reported in manifestation of loyalty, to their parent organization following the advice given by high ranking US Army officers to report on or before the expiration of the ninety days period after the liberation of their sector, were not included in the latest roster of the BLUE EAGLE BRIGADE to CG, AFPAC on 9 July 1945, because aside from the other reason unknown, the officers who were left to take charge of the remaining men of the CANLURAN INFANTRY REGIMENT believed that upon processing under the USAFFE, the former would be barred from reprocessing in their guerrilla ranks.

6. It will be noted that Colonel Amando D. Ylagan, the Regimental Commander of our original VULCAN INFANTRY REGIMENT, now processed as Regimental Commander of the BLUE EAGLE COMBAT REGIMENT, is not the one submitting this request. He has left sometime ago to take command of the MP zone of Mindanao and Sulu, and cannot possibly work in behalf of his men. He had, how-

7. These officers and men, forever true to their beloved Philippines, and loyal to their Fatherland, the United States of America, have bound their hearts together under a common cause: the defense of the principles of Democracy for which America has been fighting for. They have come to offer their lives for the defense of that cause, and the United States Army, which carries the symbol of America’s magnanimity in all parts of the world, shall never forget them.

8. Request approval.

For the Commanding Officer:

[Sgd.] FELIPE A. GAHOL
Lt-Col., Inf.
Executive, B.E.C., Reg’t