Talk:Valeriano Abello

Excerpt from Hilary Saint George Saunders, The Left Handshake, 1948

Saunders, Hilary Saint George (1949). The Left Handshake: The Boy Scout Movement during the War, 1939-1945. London: Collins.

Contributed by Chris:

World War II

By far the most remarkable exploit performed by a Filipino Scout was that of Valerino Abello, a member of Troop 11 of Leyte. As a Scout he had learned signaling, and on the day of the attack on Leyte, this accomplishment was to stand him and the American invading forces in good stead. The Japanese had massed the most formidable of their defenses along the eastern coast of the island and they stretched from the Ambao Mountains to the San Juanico Strait, which divides Leyte from Samar. The defenses included tank traps, pillboxes, slit trenches, barbed wire and individual foxholes, and were manned by a full Japanese division. On the seashore and at certain points in the hills behind, batteries of guns and mortars had been installed.

Having served as a capataz, or foreman, over the Filipino laborers who had been forced to build these defenses, Abello possessed detailed knowledge of their general disposition, and the many strong points they contained. On the 20th October 1944, he was at Telegrafo, near Toloso, when looking out to sea he saw a long line of warships moving into position. A moment later heavy shells began to burst near him and he ran at once to the beach, where he was joined by two comrades, Anterio Junua and Vicente Cononigo. By now the bombardment was at its full height, and large and medium-caliber shells were falling along the defenses. It was obvious that this was the preliminary bombardment not of a raid but of a landing in force.

Abello began to signal, repeating over and over again, "Please let me direct the shelling." The waving flags were presently seen and a destroyer closer in shore than the great ships flashed back, "Come immediately. Waiting." The three men jumped on board a native outrigger canoe and paddled out towards the destroyer. They were closing her when shells from a Japanese battery burst into the water nearby and upset the canoe. They took to the sea, swam towards the destroyer and were dragged, exhausted and dripping, on to her decks. Abello was taken at once to the bridge where, giving the Scout's salute, he said, "I know where every main defensive position on shore is to be found, for I helped to build them." The destroyer signaled to the flagship, and soon Abello, from her bridge, was directing the bombardment. New targets were given to the gunners and, most important of all from the point of view of Abello, Tolosa and the other villages and towns within the defense area were spared the hail of fire which fell upon the beaches. One by one each strong point was shelled in turn, and two hours later the assaulting troops headed by the famous Marines, swept in in their landing craft and set foot on shore.

Oliver Puertogallera (talk) 11:51, 14 May 2013 (UTC)