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This page is an addition to the entry for Jose E. Olivares, in the series Hispanic Graduates of the United States Naval Academy.

Jose E. Olivares, USNA 1923, was my father. A Spaniard born of Spanish Colonials from Cadiz and Valencia Spain,he was born a citizen of Spain in 1897, prior to the Spanish American War. His father was a landowner and sugar cane farmer in IloIlo, Panay, in the Southern provinces, of the island of Panay. His famiy elected to remain in the Philippines after the Spanish Amertican War and purchase of the Philippines by the US as part of the Peace Treaty of Paris ending the war. He was appointed to the US Naval Academy at the behest of GEN Arthur MacArthur, who was the Governor General of the Philippine Islands, wholly owned property of the UNited States. He entered th US Naval Academy in 1919, traveling with an American Passport, and graduated in 1923. He was commissioned a 2LT in the US Army's Philippine Scout Auxilliary. hia most prominent asignment was as a Coptain erving on the staff of GEN (US Army Ret) Doglas Macrthur, when he General was named the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army, to form a Philippine Army, in 1935, when the Philippines was granted Commonwealth status.His position was Director of Plans and Operations. He was responsible for implementing the plan to resist Japanese invasion by declaring Manila an Open City, to avoid civilian Casualties, set of defenses in Bataan and Corregidor. He was responsible for securing and setting up ammunition dumps, food and medical supplies, and weapons caches on Bataan. He was also instrumental in organizung a fleet of wooden hulled ships, and training their troops for mine laying and mine sweeping missions. This fleet become the nucleus of the Philippine Navy, and he is honored by the Philippine Navy with a Plaque in their Headquarters celbrating himas Founder of the pHilippine Navy. When Bataan fell, then MAJ Olivares was physically in IloIlo, Panay, on a foraging mission for food and medical supplies. The troops on Bataan were suffering from starvation and Malaria, ulimately causing them to surrender. MAJ Olivares instructed his Philippine Scout Soldiers to go home and await future orders. He made his way back to Manila and his family, by outrigger canoe, traveling during the hours of darkness and hiding on lsnd during daylight hours to avoid Japanese patrols. His first night at home, he and my Mother went out to dinner at the Jai Alai in Manila. He was seen by a Japanese colaborator who knew him to be a Philippine Scout Officer, and very early the next morning, the Japanese broke down our front door and took him away to Fort Santiago Prison. He was kept in prison for several months, tortured and starved, and finally released on parole to my Mother several months later, to die. On his release he was suffering from starvation, amoebic dysentery, pneumonia, and complete physical and mental breakdown. My Mother was able to secure Sulfalinamide from a physician who was a family friend and with that and the Philippine equivalent of Jewish Penicilin (chicken and rice soup) nursed him back to life and health. MAJ Olivares borrowed money from a wealthy brother-in-law of my Mother, and opened a hardware store doing business with the Japanese Army as a cover for information gathering and sabotage of Japanese facilites, by his Philippine Scout soldiers. He continued in that capacity until learning on a short radio broadcast that US troops had reached Santo Tomas University, where American civilians were being held, and rescued all of the civilians. Hdonned his uniform and parade saber, and led a platoon of forty Philippine Scouts in uniform on a foot patrol to Santo Tomas to report in to the US Army for duty. His platoon was armed for the most part with machetes, although one or two were armed with rifles that they had buried wrapped in Oil cloth to hide from the Japanese. He returned two weeks later in a military staff car with a Side arm and insignia of a Lieutenant Colonel, we learned that he had been restored to duty and assigned as Commander of a Philippine Scout MP Batalion and assigned to policing duties in the liberated city of Manila. In July of 1945, the Philippines was granted Independence, Two weeks earlier, by the COL Olivares, was granted US citizenship and transferred from the Philippine Scout Auxilliary (disbanded), to the Regular US Army. In 1948, he reverted back to his permanent rank of LTC, and was reassigned to the United States as Executive Officer of Ft. Willams, Maine, a Coast Artillery Post part of the Harbor defenses of the USA. In 1950, he closed out the Coast Artillery and turned Ft. Williams over to the USAF. CAC was disbanded and he chose to transfer to the Air Defense branch of Artillery, attending the Senior Field Grade Officers Missile Course in Ft. Bliss, Texas. Upon graduating from the Missile Course, he was made executive Officer of the 1st GM Brigade (Student Brigade). He served in various capacities at Ft. Bliss including Chairman of the OCS Board, and finally retired as an LTC after 30 years of active duty in August 1953. As a civilian, Olivares worked first bas an Insurance Salesman, but soon was given a Ford Foundation grant to earn his Teaching credential. He spent the rest of his life teaching mathematics at the High School level, retiring in 1988, but continued teaching as a substitute in O)range County, California High Schools until his death in 1970. During his time as a civilian, he appealed his retirement as an LTC and was finally granyted promotion on the Reyired list to the rank of COL backdated to his retirement date of August 1953. COL Olivares is buried at the Sawtelle Veterans Administration Cemetery, adjacent to the University of California at Los Angeles. ECOUSMA1957 (talk) 02:52, 8 November 2015 (UTC) Edward Charles Olivares, USMA 1957 472 Crest of Pedlar Drive Monroe, VA 24574-2210 edward.olivares1@gmail.com