Vicente Lim, our Filipino classmate, who is now a national hero to his people, was executed by the Japanese in Manila, early in 1945. He had commanded a division of the Philippine Army in the Bataan campaign, surrendered, escaped, joined the resistance movement, and was recaptured. Vicente was the kind of man who is always loved and respected by those who knew him. He was anything but handsome, having the darker Chinese cast of countenance, marked with smallpox, and a heavy build. He had a rough and cheerful, even boisterous manner, was a born gambler, and willing to join in any activity. He had a kind heart under this rough exterior, and was very considerate of others in the smallest details. He fully absorbed the spirit of West Point, and was always proud that he was a graduate. He was also very proud of his country and his people, and during his military career had a number of controversies on points of his duties when he thought these were not given due consideration. He was in a difficult position, for the white man in the orient does not always appreciate the oriental; Vicente, however, had a very clear understanding of both points of view. His classmates always felt free to talk to him on any subject in their usual frank manner, and counted upon him to give life and interest to any assemblage. He was christened “Cannibal” at West Point, and he used that title with his classmates all through his life. We all respected and admired his fine mind, his determined character, his honesty and sincerity, and his professional ability; we were pleased when his people gave him an important post in the new independent government, and we were sure of his ability as a commander in the field. His untimely death has been a great sorrow to his classmates. We remember the Cannibal, after West Point days, for such incidents as his improvised class yell at a West Point dinner in Manila, his continual winnings at bridge, his enjoyment of our fifteenth reunion and his regret at missing our 25th, and for his comments on his life as a general: “To be a general officer in any army is no advantage whatsoever; I have lost all the privileges of a young man, and I have to be very careful of my steps”.

He was born on April 5, 1888 at Calamba, on Laguna de Bay in Luzon. He entered the United States Military Academy with his class on March 1, 1910, and graduated number 77 in the class of 107, on June 12, 1914. No better choice could have been made for the first representative of the Philippines to attend West Point. He was commissioned a 2d Lieutenant in the Philippine Scouts, then a part of the United States Army. On his way home on graduation leave he was marooned in Berlin by the outbreak of war, and had quite an adventurous time making his way across Siberia. He remained in the Philippines during World War I, and did not reach the grade of major as did the rest of his classmates; in 1920, however, his permanent majority came. He served with the various Filipino infantry regiments, was an instructor at the Constabulary Academy, and served with the Philippine National Guard. In 1926 he came to the United States with his family for an extended stay; first he attended the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga.; next, he attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and in 1928 he went to the Army War College in Washington. In 1929 he returned to the Philippines and was detailed as P.M.S.&T. at San Juan de Letran College. On June 30, 1936 he was retired from the United States Army with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and immediately appointed brigadier general in the new Philippine Army. He was first assigned to the War Plans Division; quoting from his own letter, “Some of you who are on the inside of the War Department might have read my strategic reconnaissance of every corner of this country. I found that we have the manpower to defend our vital areas, and God has given us the advantage of our natural terrain features to effectively give a nice showing against any first class power. But because of our lack of finance we are struggling hard economically to solve this problem”. In 1939 Lim became deputy chief of staff, and in 1941 he was assigned to the command of the 41st Philippine Army Division. He fought in the Bataan campaign and was captured on April 9, 1942. Later, released from the prisoner of war camp because of illness, he contrived to join the resistance group which included President Roxas. A great many of his associates were captured by the Japs and executed; he attempted to reach the American guerilla leader on Mindoro, but was captured by the Japs and executed sometime in 1945; January 6 according to one report.

“Lim is the hero of Bataan”, states the Philippine Army Bulletin of April 1947, “General Lim’s 41st Division made possible the Battle of Abucay, which I believe is the most decisive battle of Bataan ... At Abucay the Japs for the first time met real opposition ... Contact at Abucay was about 8 January 1942. The Japs, employing massed artillery followed closely by aggressive infantry action hit the 41st Division. For the next 18 days the Japs tried to break the 41st Division line and failed. Abucay was abandoned on 25 January when Jap breakthroughs in Moron and Natib made Abucay untenable ... After Abucay the Japs started to withdraw from Bataan, and resumed their attack in April, thus allowing MacArthur forty precious days for the preparation of Australia as an operational base. If any one factor can be said to have contributed mostly to make Bataan possible, that can be Abucay. And if any one unit can be said to have made Abucay possible that is General Liam’s 41st Division. General Lim knew his military science. General Lim had an uncanny faculty of predicting events. General Lim was an excellent judge of men. Although he had gained the reputation in peace time of being rough and outspoken, in war he was father to his men. He was accessible, and gave his counsel when this was sought. He made his subordinates fight by making them feel that upon their personal efforts depended the outcome of the battle.

He was never satisfied with half measures ... General Lim had human weakness ... our radio announced that Mrs. Lim would broadcast to her husband. General Lim ran to our radio tent and tears welled from his eyes as he heard his wife’s voice and a message from his daughter ... He had a sense of humor ... His ability to estimate the situation, his judgment of men and his common sense were working full blast when, some time on April 7, 1942, General Lim suggested that the fight was over.” One of Lim’s close associates, Colonel Isagani V. Campo, wrote, “(General Lim’s) most cherished thoughts were centered in the welfare of the war veterans and their widows. He had planned for the establishment of memorial homes or hospitals for the veterans and their widows and had pledged to devote the remaining years of his life to this cause” One of Lim’s last official acts was to Issue a commendation to his division, “Your courageous and tenacious defense of your line for the last five days against tremendous odds and continuous bombing and shelling by the enemy merits my highest praise and commendation. I am proud to lead such a group of men”,

Vicente married Pilar Hidalgo in Manila, on August 12, 1917. They had six children; Luis, a graduate of M.I.T., is now with the Philippine Bureau of Aeronautics; Roberto, a graduate of Annapolis, is now a civilian pilot in Manila, having served as a military flyer in the war; Vicente, a graduate of West Point, who also had a war record as a flyer, is with Westinghouse, destined for their Manila branch; the three smaller children, Patricio, 17, Eulalia, 15, and Marta, 10, are at home in Manila with their mother. The family lived in the United States during the war. Pilar Lim is a leader among the women of the Philippines; she and her children will undoubtedly have great Influence in the new Philippine nation.

Vicente’s classmates remember him as a most lovable person, having a keen sense of humor, capable of attacking any new problem, and having the brains and stamina to carry through. Surely his record bears out their opinion. He lived and died a soldier.

—H. B. and F. W. H.