Suluan Island – the First Step to Liberation Day

If we are going to read our history books regarding World War II seldom or most of them don’t even mention the small island of Suluan in it. In the history of World War II, Suluan Island has a great role for liberating the Philippine Islands in the hands of Japanese Imperial Army most especially in the fulfillment of the General Douglas McArthur’s undying promise “I Shall Return”.

Reachable by a boat travel from the Port of Guiuan, Suluan Island is blessed with white sand beaches that will captivate the heart of those who will visit the island. Aside from a dip to its pristine water, tourist can do snorkeling, scuba diving and surfing on its water. .

Based on history, Suluan Island is part of the historical municipality of Guiuan. It is in the island of Suluan where Magellan had stayed for a few days before meeting the locals of Homonhon Island more than 400 years ago and it is in the said island also where the first force of liberation force of the Allied Forces landed to secure and prepare the island of Leyte for the arrival of the liberation forces headed by General Douglas McArthur.

Before General Douglas McArthur landed in the shore of Leyte in 20th of October 1944 and engage in the biggest Naval Battle in the history of man-kind. Three days before his arrival the Sixth Ranger Battalion, commanded by Colonel Henry (Hank) Mucci was the first American force to return to the Philippines with the mission of destroying coastal defense guns, radio and radar stations on the islands of Dinagat Island and Suluan Island in Eastern Samar within the offshore of Leyte.

This was the first mission for the 6th Battalion that was activated at Port Moresby, New Guinea in September 1944. The ranger was able to swiftly kill and captured some of the Japanese defenders and destroyed all enemy communications. This attack was the beginning of Battle in Leyte Gulf.

On Suluan, they dispersed a small group of Japanese defenders and destroyed a radio station, while they found Dinagat unoccupied. On both, the Rangers proceeded to erect navigation lights for the amphibious transports to follow three days later. The next day, the third island Homonhon, was taken without opposition. Meanwhile reconnaissance by underwater demolition teams revealed clear landing beaches for assault troops on Leyte.

This event in Suluan which was earlier known as Sentimental Journey although part of our history is not nationally recognize, which Mayor Annaliz Kwan had ask for the national government to recognize it.

“Guiuan had played important role in the national and world history particularly in World War II, and the event in Suluan had played an important role in the liberation day during World War II,” she said.

“Every year here in Guiuan we celebrate the Suluan Raid, which is a prelude to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, this is our way to honor those who have help to liberate the country from the forces of Japanese Empire,” she added.

At present a lighthouse structure in the island of Suluan serves as one of the memory of World War II.

“Aside from their attack at Suluan Island, prior to it the American forces had constructed an airport in Guiuan with more than 50,000 American soldiers working day and night and completed it less than 1 month, although this airport was consider classified at that time, I think since the war is over and it is more than five decades already we should now celebrate this event nationally and not in secret,” she added.

The Navy 3149 Base located a Ngolos which is 23 km from the town proper was the base of the American soldiers of WWII as well as the famed Enola Gay, the B-52 Bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on August 7, 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan gives a great command view to American soldiers to the Pacific Ocean.