Skip to content

July 27, 1941

I did not pay so much attention when Lt. Sid Huff, USN, our OSP Advisor on the Staff of Gen. MacArthur, told me last month that his Boss may be Called to Active Duty.  Today, its impact is manifested after reading the front page news about Pres. Quezon’s Proclamation No. 740, announcing the Military Orders of US Pres. FDR dated July 26, 1941 that the Phil Army is called into the service of a newly formed United States Army Forces Far East  (USAFFE) and  Lt Gen MacArthur CAD and designated as Comdg. General. We read the announcement with serious trepidation but glad the USA is reacting to the realities of what is happening in the area with the Japanese building its military forces in French Indo China.  It is also reported that Japanese troops are flooding Cambodia and Thailand with the consent of the French Vichy government.

I  had dinner at Tom’s Dixie hosted by Lt. Tony Chanco USMA ’38 and with him were Lts. Vicente E. Gepte USMA ’40 and my Mistah and Tocayo, Ramon Olbes.  The main topic of our discussion was the USAFFE whose new HQ will be at Victoria St, Intramuros a few blocks from OSP Hq at Port Area, Manila.