to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy… and to laugh along the way
Coming home, marching out from those dark woods, I would appreciate more clearly why General Abadia insisted that officers must first prove themselves in the trenches before aspiring for higher commands. Men do not follow rank. They follow credibility. They follow leaders who have carried the same heavy pack, walked the same knee-deep muddy trails, endured the same sleepless, shivering nights, and shared the exact same mortal dangers.
Little by little, the mountains would humble me with lessons that no staff assignment could teach: that leadership begins with shared hardship, that credibility is earned rather than assigned, and that comfort, if left unchecked, has a quiet way of softening even the most experienced of soldiers. I had returned to command a Scout Ranger Company. I didn’t realize it then, but my Rangers were also slowly – and subtly – teaching their commander how to become one again.
I had barely been introduced when she looked at me and asked, almost matter-of-factly: “Sundalo ka pala? Ilan na ang napatay mo?” (So you’re a soldier? So, how many men have you killed?”) For a second, I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t know whether to laugh or to take it seriously and defend myself.
The experiences I gathered taught me that war is not composed solely of heroic battles, dramatic victories, or thrilling near-death escapes that we see in the movies. It is also made up of empty seats at family tables. Of birthdays spent far from home. Of children who know their fathers only through photographs. Of friendships ended abruptly by a burst of gunfire. Of brave men making decisions that unknowingly become their last.
As we step into this new year, let our positivity embrace all the possibilities ahead. May it be filled with love, laughter, and countless blessings. Let’s celebrate our wins together and support each other through any challenges that come our way.
Six young men, all PMA graduates, all lieutenants, all Scout Rangers, all sons of general officers with four bearing their father’s first name—all fell under combat conditions while in noble service to the nation. They could have easily stayed on safer grounds; instead, they chose the difficult path. They chose to be Scout Rangers.
Color My World 