Seventy-five years ago, on December 25, 1944, after a six-week campaign to liberate the Philippine island of Leyte, Allied forces under General Douglas Macarthur were mopping up the last vestiges of Japanese resistance. The invasion of the Philippines was one of the last major land battles of the Pacific War leading up to the surrender of Japan. By the 26th, MacArthur announced the end of organized resistance on Leyte. It was a fitting Christmas gift to the Philippine people and MacArthur’s forces would pursue the enemy back to the island nation’s capital in Manila.
Tag: LST
Goldman was an ordinary man who performed extraordinary feats despite his own wounds and suffering. For the rest of his life, he would carry with him the scars, both inside and out, from that fateful day in November 1944. He was one of countless Coast Guard men and women who have gone in harm’s way to serve others. His efforts testify to the service’s core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty.
Post written by William H. Thiesen, Ph.D, Coast Guard Atlantic Area Historian Ensign Joe Tezanos (U.S. Coast Guard photo) In the spring of 1942, 22-year-old Joseph Tezanos, a factory worker and Spanish immigrant, enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. His life would change forever. By the end of the decade, Tezanos would be a highly