Ok,this is nothing less than a PC award. The Filipino sailor did nothing "above and beyond the call of duty" for one thing,and for another,it didn't involve enemy action.
If they were THAT freaking desperate to name a war ship after a minority,they should have looked for the Filipino Scouts that worked with the Guerilla Band led by a Colonel named Wendal/Wendle something (Fertag?)that was not even an infantry officer. IIRC,he was a Engineer,and instead of surrendering after chickenshit McArthur fled to Australia for safety,he remained behind and organized a Philippine Guerilla band that gave the Japanese fits. He was so well-organized that by the time that phoney-ass McArthur "returned to the Philippines" and waded ashore in that fake filmed "invasion photo",Wendal and his group met them with a band playing Patriotic military music.
BTW,it has been said and written that McArthur was HIGHLY pissed about a mere Colonel in engineering naming himself a General and declaring he was the US Military Authority in the Philippines,and at first even refused to provide supplies to him and wanted him arrested and court-martialed for posing as a General Officer.
McArthur was a COLLOSSAL asshat. A walking and talking human hemorrhoid that even put himself in for a Medal of Honor once,even though he didn't do ANY fighting in that war.
AND.......,Wendel (I am now pretty sure) Fertag did ALL of this on his own by REFUSING the orders to surrender. Yes,he did receive supplies delivered covertly by the US Navy from time to time,but he and his guerilla band were the "whole show" when it came to US resistance to the Japanese occupation until the invasion by the US Army was a done deal.
Even after the invasion,his,by then,HIGHLY experienced troops worked as scouts and advisors with US Army units that were rooting out the Japanese invaders.
Come to think of it,why didn't the US Military name something after him?
He was an early advisor to the US Army Special Forces training doctrine,and IF I remember correctly,was killed while advising some national army dealing with a communist guerilla uprising some time in the late 50's or early 60's. I could easily be off on the dates,thanks to Chemo Brain,but you can get a rough idea from what I wrote.
One HELL of a man and one HELL of a soldier!
