Vicente Lim
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| Vicente Lim | |
|---|---|
| 1889 - December 31, 1944 | |
| Nickname | 4_roan_4,,,,jaxea_06 |
| Place of birth | Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines |
| Place of death | Fort Santiago |
| Allegiance | Armed Forces of the Philippines |
| Years of service | 1914 – 1944 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands held | 41st Philippine Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II of Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) |
Brigadier General Vicente Lim (1889 – 1944) was a World War II general. He was born in Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines, which is also the birthplace of José Rizal, the country's national hero.
The first Filipino graduate of the United States Military Academy (Class of 1914) at West Point, General Lim served as a 2nd Lieutenant during World War I. At the war’s end, he returned to the Philippines, where he continued his military career and quickly rose in rank (initially with the Philippine Scouts and later with the Philippine Army). By 1940, he was appointed to the post of Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army.
When the Philippine Army was incorporated into the American Armed Forces on July 16, 1941, Lim was given the rank of Brigadier General and became the top–ranking Filipino under General Douglas MacArthur, placed in command of the 41st Philippine Division, tasked with the defense of southern Luzon. On April 9th, 1942, the 41st surrendered on Bataan, along with all American and Filipino forces, to the Japanese 14th Army of General Homma.
Lim survived the infamous Bataan Death March, and on June 6th, 1942 was admitted to the Philippine General Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained at Bataan (where he had led the bloody rear guard action against the Japanese in Abucay, Bataan). He recovered quickly, but with the help of his brother–in–law, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez, he concealed this fact. With the Japanese convinced of his incapacitation, he led the guerilla resistance forces of Luzon. Basically, he conducted secret guerrilla activities while pretending to be confined at the Philippine General Hospital.
In 1944 he was ordered to rejoin General Douglas MacArthur in Australia. He attempted the journey but was captured en route by the Japanese. He was held for months at Fort Santiago and the Bilibid prison before being beheaded, along with Colonel Antonio Escoda, shortly before the liberation.
General Lim died 31 December 1944 and is listed among the Tablets of the Missing at Manila National Cemetery; Awards are the Legion of Merit and the Purple Heart.
In addition to his military service, he also authored, To inspire and to lead: The letters of General Vicente Lim, 1938–1942 and was, in 1936, a charter member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
In recognition of his services to the Filipino people, General Lim appears on the 1,000 Peso banknote.
"Lim believed that this nation's strength depends on its national character, that patriotism is a moral quality that must be possessed by all, and that the will to fight makes every citizen a true soldier." — Remarks delivered by then U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph A. Mussomeli for the Opening of Military Exercise Balikatan 2005 – February 21, 2005
[edit] Doctora Pilar Hidalgo–Lim
The wife of General Vicente Lim, Pilar Hidalgo–Lim is one of the founders of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. She became the Centro Escolar University's third president after the death of Carmen de Luna. She steered the university during the reconstruction and normalization of school operations after World War II.
[edit] Trivia
In the 1955 film, "The Long Gray Line" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048312, dir. John Ford, starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara) an actor depicting Lim graduates from West Point, while the narrator says "Vincente (sic) Lim, the first Filipino graduate of West Point."
