Looking up Magsaysay Blvd from near the bridge.
Well, what can you say about the City of Olongapo on the island of Luzon in the Philippines? When I was in high school, I had a couple of friends who were older and had joined the Navy right after they graduated. When home on leave they would tell stories of a place in the West Pacific that you just couldn’t believe. You sort of blew it off as over-excited storytelling and tell yourself that there just can’t be any place on earth like this. Then, you get there and realize they were pretty accurate in their descriptions of this small Philippine city that appeared to pretty much survive on the money spent by soldiers, sailors and airmen looking to cut loose.
Whether you just spent months at sea or crawling through a jungle you need some sort of way to just relax for awhile and have some fun. I’m guessing that in 1972 the average age of enlisted military personnel was probably in their early 20′s. There were those who enlisted after high school and were sent to the fleet immediately after boot camp. So many who had never stepped foot into a bar, tavern or night club were allowed to do so here. This was where many young men could test their endurance and capacity for consuming alcohol among other substances, since many weren’t of legal age stateside. When off-base you were still
responsible for being an “ambassador” for the United States, so there was some form of decorum and conduct you were expected to follow. Let’s just say there was some “leeway” in what was considered proper conduct, but if there’s one place on earth where you can act like an uncivilized animal, it was this place.
Near the gate to the base.
The main street right outside the Subic Bay Naval Base gate was Magsaysay Blvd. In 1972 there were concrete sidewalks that dropped off to a dirt road surface. They were just starting to pave the center of this road with concrete at the time. To cross the street during the monsoons you stepped off the sidewalk into dirt or mud for about 15 feet and then stepped up on a concrete slab in the middle, then off it into the mud and over to the other sidewalk. This main street was lined with bars with hotels sandwiched in between. One evening I went to a bar off the beaten path by myself. I must have been nuts! I remember walking back toward Magsaysay Blvd. on muddy side streets where there were no street lights, it was pouring rain and yet probably 75 degrees. We had been warned to not travel alone or off of the main streets there. You had to be very careful if carrying a camera or wearing a wristwatch as it would most likely get snatched. I never went to town with my wallet. I carried money in a front pocket and in my back pocket I carried my military ID and Geneva Convention card. At the time there were known terrorist and guerrilla camps in the jungle outside of town and it was reported that they would love to get hold of a U.S. Serviceman. There was one other time I ever went off the main drag and that was with friends. One of the guys had a girlfriend there who invited us to her place for a meal. I think the only use for electricity in her shack was a refrigerator and a light bulb. Oh, she must have had some sort of stove because she made us some stir-fry vegetables and fish which we washed down with ice cold San Miguel beer.
My cab that took me to White Rock Beach
There was one lazy Sunday I didn’t have the duty and wanted to get off the ship. To hell with terror threats and street crime, I’m going to take off to see some sights outside of Olongapo. I can take care of myself, since I couldn’t find any of my buds that would want to go with and it was the middle of the day. I went into town with a bunch of my new recently purchased 35mm camera gear. I got into a cab and told him to take me to White Rock Beach. This ride was pretty harrowing in that the driver would go like hell squeezing this little Datsun through narrow slots, around blind corners in the outside lane and zooming around ox driven carts. It was nice that part of the trip was on paved roads! He dropped me off at the beach where I spent a few hours just kickin’ back and chillin’. I peeked into the pool area at the resort near the beach and then caught a cab back to town. Pretty uneventful day but nice to just get away.
An optional mode of transportation here.
White Rock Beach, located west of Olongapo
White Rock Resort.
As I mentioned the main street was lined with bars and night clubs. The cool thing here is that most of the places had a musical theme. What I mean is that there were rock and roll places and next door may be a country western bar and next to that may be heavy metal (well, heavy as it was in those days). Walking down the sidewalk was just like playing with the tuner dial on your car radio. You would hear a Chicago song and then next door you would hear Janis Joplin and next door to that you might hear Led Zeppelin. What fascinated me is how the Filipinos were such masters at imitation. These weren’t records or tape playing that I heard, they were live acts. Imagine hearing Ring of Fire coming out of a bar and it sounds exactly like the bassy, baritone of Johnny Cash. You walk in and there is this little brown guy in a western shirt, jeans and boots, about 4′ 6” onstage with his band making this sound. It was incredible! It made you want to stick around and see how they did with Folsom Prison Blues or I Walk the Line. There were a couple of places that had a Janis Joplin act. There you would find this tiny native Filipina belting out this big sound on stage. She would even have the Southern Comfort bottle (probably ice tea) at the base of her microphone, occasionally grabbing a swig. She had the sound and the mannerisms down to a tee. There were some places where the band may follow up a Buck Owens song with something from the Beatles and they would sound spot-on! These people could pick up on the instrumentation and vocals of virtually anyone they studied and of course, western culture was the money-maker.
Another form of transportation here.
Another place I remember was called Swanky’s International. It was up at the end of Magsaysay and a short block or so to the east on Rizal Avenue. The bands there always covered songs by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Grand Funk Railroad and Deep Purple. The girls there could “doctor” your cigarette for you if you chose to partake. It was interesting that this place had a uniformed guard at the entrance, as some of the joints did. He was usually leaning in the doorway with one hand up around the corner of the door jamb. I was told that there was a button up there at his fingertips and when he would recognize someone from the local police, vice or drug force approaching, he would trigger a certain light on the wall that alerted the girls to hide any contraband that may be out.
The music was rather comforting in that it reminded you of home. Sometimes it was sad for the same reason. The one common thread with all the clubs was our beverage of choice, good old San Miguel beer. When especially sultry out you would offer the boy an extra 25 cents to bring you one from the bottom of the cooler with frost on it. And if he dug one from the bottom of the freezer/cooler that still has slush in it, give him an extra dime! They really could occasionally find one in that condition! The “working” girls would always come to your table and try to get you to buy them an over-priced cocktail with which the bar raked in their revenue. The girls were also there to solicit favors for later in the evening, if you chose. Most all of these women would tell you that they from some distant village or province and were here to make money for their family and for college. These girls were like temporary wives or girlfriends to some of the guys. They knew when you were getting shipped out and when you would return, so were available for you on your next visit to Subic Bay. Evidently there was a coconut telegraph that could provide the “ladies” with ship movement and know what we were doing before we did. John had his Yolanda and Scotty had Jane Fonda Superstar, who worked upstairs at the D’Wave Club. Now I don’t remember how she got that nickname by us, but I’m betting it was before we were aware of the full impact of Jane Fonda’s anti-war stand. Oh, to be young and single in this third-world Adult DisneyLand. This was everything (and more) my friend Dave said it was several years prior. As I recall, the interiors of most of these places seemed the same; dimly lit and muggy. Some had swamp coolers or real a/c, others not. Some had more spiders or lizards on the walls than others. Some had floor shows that would be really hard to describe.
The sign in the middle of the image says it all!
One club I remember up on the right side of Magsaysay had a pond out in front with a wrought iron fence surrounding the water. In this pond lived a 5 foot alligator (or was it a croc?). A woman stood outside with a basket where you could purchase a cute little live baby chick (or were they ducklings?) from her. Once you made the buy you were to toss it into the pond for the alligator to toy with, eventually gulping it down. One night I witnessed some inebriated marines daring each other to bite the heads off the little live creatures and then throw them in. Guess what? Headless chicks bobbing in the pool sort of took the sport out of the gator’s tortuous activity, but he ate them anyway. Don’t let anyone tell you a U.S. Marine ain’t tough!
The Grand Ole Opry on Magsaysay
Some of the "working" girls of the Grand Ole Opry Club
Walking this street was a multi-sensory barrage of sights, sounds and smells. When you left the main gate at the base, the road leads you right over Shit River. Smell would tell you how it got the name as well as looking upstream, you could see all the shacks of the barrio built up to and over the water. As you crossed the bridge there were children below in their small banca boats begging GI’s for change. I suspect there was a hierarchy within these beggars because there would be some poorer ones with no boat who simply bobbed around treading the stinky brown water. Whether you tossed pennies, a nickle or a dime, they would dive for it and come up holding it in their hands. This river was a 40 foot wide open sewer, for god’s sakes!
Beggar kids from the barrio working in Shit River
As you walked into town, you smelled the beer and tobacco wafting out of the bars and clubs. You smelled the street foods, like fresh popcorn and the monkey meat or chicken livers grilled on skewers on sidewalk hibachis. Smells from cafes or restaurants were usually pleasant but may be followed by the odor of sewage and then a few feet down you’ll get a whiff of some sweet jasmine and then back to something rotten wafting from an alleyway or bad plumbing. On the road you could catch the roar of a colorful jeepney passing by or the smelly exhaust and putt-putt sound of a passing 2-stroke motorized tricycle or sort of a moped rickshaw contraption that could carry 1 or 2 (or 3 close friends).
Jeepney in front of the D'Wave Club and the 007 Club.
One food ritual I had there was when first going into town I would go to a little cafe on the left side of Magsaysay a few doors past the bridge and get a plate of pancit canton, a noodle dish. Sometimes I would order the lumpia, too. They were like spring rolls, sometimes fried. In addition to anything grilled on a sidewalk hibachi, I also ate a few hum baos. These were a sweet doughy bread that had meat in the center that was like it was in a barbeque sauce. I asked a mama san once what the meat was and she said “dog”. They were still pretty tasty. The one street food I always thought that some evening I would get drunk enough to eat was the balut. I never did. Women would stand on a street corner with a basket with some steamy towels in it. Buried in these warm towels were duck eggs. These fertilized eggs had an embryo inside that when at a certain stage of development, were then boiled. Essentially, it was like our hard boiled eggs but with a little feathery body treat inside. Just peel the shell off, sprinkle with some salt and eat. I was told that you should keep track of the semi-developed beak so you could use it as a toothpick.
Patrick & his honey-ko
I had another food ritual there that took place on the base. When we would come back to Subic Bay from Viet Nam for repairs and maintenance, the very first place I would go was the enlisted mens club on the base. Wasn’t that called the Sampaguita Club? I would go there and order a filet mignon and a 7&7. Those several special meals there are the only time in my life I can recall ever having filet mignon. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered it stateside.
Dennis, remember the old couple who would take turns begging for money. One night it would be the woman with her hand out and eyes rolled back in her head and then the next night it would be the husband.
No Jeff, I don’t remember them. I do remember an occasional cruel bastard that would throw a handful of shiny washers into Shit River from the bridge. The kids would dive for them thinking they were dimes. When they surfaced they would be super pissed! It wasn’t too funny when they had an accomplice on the bridge that would give chase and slice the offending sailors achilles tendon. Ouch!
I heard stories that before our time over there when you had to wear a uniform off base on liberty. When crossing the bridge you would be pestered by the boys wanting to give shoe shines. If you refused or gave them any shit, you got a streak of black shoe polish across the back of your whites.
69/70 Had a shoeshine boy rubbed neutral polish over my spitshined shoes when I said no. Never anything on my whites
My favorite port. I was stationed there from 1974 to 1976. The aligator was in front of Paulines. I worked Harbor patrol Security on PBR’s, Special Operations Branch, and Kennelmaster at K-9 (Military Working Dog Branch). Learned to like baluts.
Hey Stubby, thanks for the memory clarification on Paulines! That definitely sounds very familiar. It sounds like you had some interesting duty there after your time on the Franny H. Congrats on the baluts, LOL!
Stay tuned for other LIBERTY CALL: posts, but the rest will just be mostly photos. The memories of Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila and Kaohsiung,Taiwan in 1972-73 are just not as vivid to me as Olongapo.
Was there in 74. Spent most of my time at the “L” club or the Sierra Club. Did balut once! (It was raw, not boiled) Tried dog once as well…loved the monkey meat!
Oh man, you must have really been toasted to eat a raw one! I used to like those steamy doughy things with the sweet BBQ meat filling in the center. One time I asked a mama-san in a club what the meat was in the center and she told me it was dog. I still ate a few even after that in addition to the awesome “monkey” meat on the stick. I think those steamed dough things are called hum-bao.
those doughy things you mention below are called Sho-pow, a chinese steamed bread, which is why it is doughy, steamed, not baked.
Remember the Spanish Gate. We use to eat there on the way to the Club for happy hour where the drinks were about 10 cents. Then we would hurry out the main gate. When the liberty limit was reached in town, the gate was closed off. This may have started when the Battle Groups increased.
I think the Radar Gang settled on D’ Wave Club. We didn’t feel too comfortable in Swanky’s.
Man Stubby, your memory is great! I think I’ve fried most of mine, hehe. Yes, now I remember the Spanish Gate. I believe you may be correct on the D’Wave Club being a sort of central location for the Radar Gang. That’s where Scotty’s girl “Jane Fonda” worked. I think Swanky’s may have been the hangout for the Weapons guys or maybe it was Engineering. I know that the couple of times when I left there, the sidewalks felt like walking on a waterbed all the way back to the ship!
I once talked a new guy into wearing his dress blues on liberty in Olongapo. He was very popular with the ladies (must have sweated off 10 pounds).
The base was outstanding with the beaches (dungaree, all hands, Cubi Point, Grande Island), golf, bowling, horses to ride. There was even a football team that played in full pads against Guam, Japan, Okinawa, Clark, and maybe Korea. The players were mostly TAD from the large ships. When I was on the Connie we had an OS there for the whole cruise. I went to a game during the rainy season once. Too windy to use umbrellas and trash cans beeing tossed around but the game went on.
Brought back some memories. I was there well before any paving of roads or sidewalks….First appeared on the scene in ’65…Hung out n the Joy Club, Lil China Inn, and a few others..Was actually stationed at the ComSta at San Miguel about 30 miles north towards IBA. Spent lots of time in Subic City….sometimes never made it out of there to get to Olongapo. And could I tell you stories.. similar to those you experienced or heard though….I just had a bunch of them after doing 3 tours all with extentions there and at Sangley Pt. Anyway enjoyed the read….good job.
I was TAD from NSGA Taipei to San Miguel May-Jun ’71. Took a few trips to Po Town, but only when Subic was void of ships. We would rent a micro-bus, stop at the San Miguel brewery in San Antonio for a case of beer and finish it by the time we got to PO. I remember the gator pit, and a place called the Rocket Room that we stayed away from for some reason that I don’t remember. My recollections of Subic are hazy as we were hammered before ever arriving. I have a better memory of the Cross Roads at San Miguel. My favorite spots were the Sampiquita and the UAC (Ugly American Club) – what an appropriate name. There was a kick ass band at the UAC in those days. There was one place that was off limits after the Huk’s shot it up one night – or so the story goes. The bars at the cross roads would rotate the pay day floor show. I have this vision of a drunk sailor laying on the floor of the UAC with a dollar bill in his mouth, and someone yells out “does your mother know what you’re doing?”
Liberty in Taipei was excellent also; but much more civilized and pricey – everything cost 3 times as much as in the PI.
ah, the ugly american….had a girlfriend from that bar…name of nancy, as I recall…
Thank you for the photos. I was there from 1970 to 1972 and regret I never risked taking my camera outside the main gate. During the 71-72 cruise I was assigned to Shore Patrol every duty night in port. I usually spent the night walking back and forth along Magsaysay, but one night they had enough SPs to assign me to the Olongapo jail to take custody of any sailor unfortunate enough to be arrested by the local constabulary. The city was home to three political parties at that time; and the party controlling local government incarcerated the other two as outlaw gangs. The back wall of the jail was a line of three cells separated by bars. The place was illuminated by a single naked bulb dangling by an electrical wire from the ceiling in front of the center cell. Each cell was standing room only. Male members of the two gangs were in the two outer cells to prevent them from injuring each other through the bars. The center cell was for female prisoners. There was a small crowd of visiting friends outside the cells bringing food to the prisoners since none was provided otherwise. The crowd was generally attired in shorts, tee-shirts, and shower sandals, but the immaculately groomed police wore crisply pressed military-style khaki uniforms and carried M16 rifles.
Thanks Al, for the comments! You notice I have no photos at night, hehe. I too stood Shore Patrol duty during the ’72 WestPac and the ’73 WestPac a few times. It was a different perspective on an evening in Olongapo when you were stone cold sober. I don’t remember if a senior Petty Officer carried a side arm or not, but all I ever had was the billyclub. We broke up a couple of fights, but it was pretty uneventful for the most part. I we saw a sailor taking a leak in an alley we made sure he came back toward Magsaysay and not wander off the other direction. Do that and you may never be seen again! There was a club down at the end of Magsaysay where it met Rizal that I think was up on a second floor. We were supposed to break up a crowd but nobody was causing a real problem so we let everyone have their fun. We did get to shove our way through the huddled mass of guys to get a front row look at the “floor show” the girl was putting on. When we would walk into a club a girl might ask me “Hey, what your name?” In the deepest bass I could muster I’d reply “Johnny”. She’d say “Johnny who?” I’d reply “Johnny Cash!” “Oooohhh, we love you!” LOL
That jail sounded pretty hairy!
Dennis
Sounds like the New Jollo Club where once a sailor swallowed a peso coin during a show and was taken to Cubi Point Hospital to have it cut out. Once referred to as the New Jollo Chapel before taking our Squadron Chaplin to services there.
On my first Sunday off duty in Subic Bay, I decided to see what Grande Island offered as an alternative to Olongapo. At the boat landing they warned us to stay within the cleared area on the landward side of the island because the harbor boats couldn’t patrol the South China Sea side, and pirates would come ashore armed with shotguns and machetes to rob any sailors they found. When the boat reached the Island, most of the passengers headed for the Navy club to the left, but I chose to explore the outdoor recreational facilities to the right on my own. When I reached the far end, I found an off limits sign where a single lane dirt road continued walled in by nearly impenetrable jungle vegetation on either side. It had rained the day before, and I could see no recent footprints or vehicle tracks on the dried road surface of raindrop pocked mud. No one was watching from the cleared area behind me, so I decided to take a short trip down the road. I was almost immediately hidden from the clearing as the road curved into the jungle. I continued cautiously watching for footprints or recently disturbed vegetation beside the road. I found none and followed the road around the island to ultimately emerge from the jungle behind the Navy club. Enroute I found numerous concrete fortifications (some damaged by second world war artillery fire) and a rusted 6-inch coastal artillery gun being overgrown by the jungle. There was also a rocky beach on the South China Sea where the water was decidedly clearer than the turbid sandy beach on the bay side recreation area.
On later trips I took a mask, snorkel and swim fins to explore the coral reef off the rocky beach. It was like swimming in an aquarium with the colorful tropical fish and reef animals. I never saw any pirates, but there were numerous small, transparent jellyfish which were difficult to see and relatively painful when I accidentally let them touch exposed skin. A tee-shirt was usually adequate protection, but I recall a painful episode when one got inside my shirt.
Another time I took my camera to get photos of the old coastal artillery disappearing rifle of what the Army had called Battery Flake of Fort Wint. As I was focused on finding a good perspective for natural lighting of the subject, I was discovered by one of the Filipino security personnel employed by the base. He was patrolling the road on foot with a shotgun. He was happy to help me continue my photographic documentation, and would theatrically posture with his shotgun to clear subject areas of interest before I entered. We talked about our backgrounds and jobs as he escorted me back to the Navy club. I thanked him for his help and he invited me to visit his family’s club in Olongapo that evening.
He turned out to be just another guy collecting a fee for each customer he could bring in. He had a couple of side routines for making sure I spent all the money I brought with me and he established his percentage rather than the club owner. As we were walking down Magsaysay, he surreptitiously pointed me out to a conspirator who then made a clumsy attempt to pick my pocket. He promptly suggested it would be safer if he carried my money. I had only brought a few dollars with me, so I played along to see what happened. He called one of the hostesses over as soon as we selected a table at the club. As we were having drinks, he inquired indelicately if I liked the girl; and then asked if I had any more money, because it wasn’t really enough. I thanked him for showing me his family’s club; and walked back to the base saddened by the evidence the corruption of Magsaysay didn’t stop at the main gate.
A friend aboard a minesweeper awakened in his bunk one night to find one of the shipyard employees searching through his trouser pockets. Do you remember the story about the truckload of Japanese cameras and stereo equipment being stolen from the Subic Bay post exchange and ramming through the main gate to disappear into Olongapo? Air Force personnel had a similar story about one of the Clark Field crash trucks running through the front gate with sirens blaring. I don’t know if they were true; but I remember each US gate guard was unarmed, but accompanied by a Filipino with an M16 — because it might be an international incident if a wealthy American were to shoot an impoverished Filipino. I wonder if the Filipino would have fired high if directed to shoot an escaping thief.
Thanks again for more Subic Bay memories, Al! I don’t recall ever hearing of the infamous PX heist on the base. I like your story of how it’s hard to trust anyone there during that period of history. It seems as if most of the locals were networked or in cahoots somehow to separate sailors and G.I.’s from their dollars/pesos. In regards to your last sentence, YES, my cynical side says that the armed Filipino would have fired high, since the thief was probably a cousin-brother-uncle who would later share in his bounty with the “guard”.
I only have one vague memory of Grande Island. Some buddies and I took a water taxi out there one evening to have some drinks at the club. I suspect we had already “prepped” at the Sampaguita club on base. All I remember there is stepping off the water taxi and walking the narrow dock toward land. It was night-time and there were lights under the dock illuminating the sealife below in the crystal-clear water. It felt sort of like walking over an aquarium. I don’t think we stayed there very long and headed back to Olongapo for the rest of the evening.
Some of the clubs could be rented for a private party. One of the Australian ships held a party allegedly beginning when the Australian crew simultaneously removed all their clothes. That event was long remembered by the surprised party hostesses.
Do you recall the US Navy swap program in effect during the Vietnam War? It was possible for a sailor to swap duty stations with another sailor holding an Identical billet on a different ship. There were a number of restrictions, but it was attractive to sailors on a deploying ship who wanted to avoid a prolonged separation from their families, and to sailors on a returning ship who wanted to continue enjoying Olongapo’s life style.
I met a division officer who related a swap story illustrating the possibilities. As I recall, one of his third class petty officers was in the midst of a difficult family situation which was likely to degenerate into a hardship separation, or at the very least distract the sailor from his duty responsibilities. So a swap was arranged with a sailor from a returning ship as his ship prepared for deployment. The division officer reported the replacement petty officer was a good performer at sea, but made various arrangements to live ashore whenever the ship was in Subic Bay.
The first visit to Subic Bay was marked by the new sailor informally scheduling a division party at an Olongapo club which rewarded him with an individual room with food, drinks, and hostess services for as long as the ship was in port. New sailors returning to the ship reported the colorful party with stories encouraging shipmates to visit the club on subsequent nights ashore. The environment encouraged testing limits to provide new experiences maintaining the popularity of the club for subsequent visits to Subic Bay.
Ultimately the wild party excesses killed one of the hostesses. The replacement petty officer was reportedly arrested by Philippine authorities; and the ship sailed without him.
No Al, I never heard of that “swap” program. I first reported for sea duty in 1970. That was when Rear Admiral Elmo Zumwalt was in charge and it was called the “new” Navy. We saw lots of other changes effected that bothered the senior PO’s and other career guys in the way we were allowed some relaxed restrictions. It’s possible the “swap” thing could have been Zumwalts doing, I don’t know.
Dennis
Yeah well,,ya gotta admit it was hot up there,you know us Aussies don’t stand on ceremony.
DDG. Snipe 1969
The “swap program” really had more to do with your detailer in Bupers. I pulled off a swap with another RM after we finished ComSysTech school. We both entered the 3 month school with ongoing orders to our final duty station. I had been ordered to NorthWestCape Australia, and he had orders to NavCommStaPhil at San Miguel where I had been stationed previously. All during the three month school, I made up things I knew he would not like about the place. I pretty much told him he may as well get his divorce now as he surly would have one before getting out of the PI. Then as a good friend, I told him I would trade orders with him. He would love Australia and hate the Philippines. He agreed, so I got on the phone to my detailer (someone I knew and had previously been stationed with), and we both agreed on the phone to him that we wanted to trade orders…With the phone call completed a week later a message came in amending both of our final orders. He went to Northwestcape, I went back to Comsta Phil. I then took 30 days leave upon arrival, went to Cavite City, to Sangley Pt, my old duty station. The comcen there was part of ComstaPhil. I had left 9 months previous and my old Chief was still there. A few strings were pulled and I was slotted to return to Sangley Pt. After my leave, I went back to San Miguel to check in again, pickup my orders sending me to Sangley and left again for Cavite City….I would still often go to Po town via Victory Liner or Saulog whichever left Cavite first. Since my work schedule much of the time was rotating two eves, two days, two mids then 80 hours off, I had plenty of time to spend once getting there.
I found an interesting history book by Gerald Anderson entitled “Subic Bay from Magellan to Pinatubo”. He indicates there was nothing left of Olongapo after the scorched earth evacuations of World War II. The Olongapo we remember was part of the Subic Bay Naval Base when the Philippines became independent in 1946. The Navy built a community with water, telephone and electrical utilities for Filipino civilian employees at the base. When NAS Cubi Point was built during the Korean War, the runway alignment included the Filipino village of Banicain. Filipinos living in Banicain were relocated to Olongapo when their village was demolished. Although they may have enjoyed new homes with public utilities, unemployed Banicain Filipinos chafed at the restrictions of living on a naval base. Olongapo became a focal point for perceived continuation of US colonial practices. The issue reached national proportions when an American sentry at the Naval Supply Depot shot a Filipino and the Navy failed to put the sentry on trial. In response, the mayor of Manila announced in July 1955 that American servicemen accused of crimes in Manila would be tried in Philippine courts rather than released to military authorities. Martial law was declared in Olongapo when the American owner of an Olongapo auto parts store was murdered in October 1959. Although Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay (for whom Olongapo’s main street of clubs was named) had ended the Huk rebellion in 1954, the murder was attributed to the Huks when the town of Olongapo was turned over the Philippine government in December 1959.
I just remembered a song of the era sung by some of the talented musicians of the clubs. I was sung to the melody of the Ballad of the Green Berets substituting “Subic Bay” for “Green Berets” and using a chorus of “She went short-time with America’s best.” Unfortunately, that’s all I remember. Can anyone recall more of the lyrics?
Google “Ballad of Subic Bay”.
Ballad of Subic Bay it’s on you tube posted by me.
Here’s the link:
Green back dollars hangin’ on her chest.
She’ll go short time with Americas best.
One hundered men she’ll lay today.
But only three in a normal way.
was on the Newport News ca 148 ,1972 veitnam tour,,Had a blast in po city,,,,,,,thats about all i remenber.
What about the Sanpageita Club on base……downed a lot of Paul Mason Cold Duck there before heading out to town…….yee haa
Dennis, this site was a great find. !! Your memories from Subic brought back soooo many mem’s from my time there. I don’t quite remember the names of the bar’s I visited just the great times. You’re right about the singers, they could impersonate anyone, and it did make you homesick on some of the songs. Was out there with you on the gunline brother, Newport News CA148.
Hey, thanks for the comments Chuck! I remember one day I snuck up topside for a quick smoke. You guys were sitting north of us firing inland somewhere between Hue and Quang Tri. I had my Instamatic camera with me but you guys were about a mile away. I borrowed the starboard lookouts binoculars and held one of the lens up to my Instamatic lens to get a shot of the Newport News. That distinctive sihoulette was even more awesome with all that fire-power! I just ran across that photo lately somewhere around here recently. Take care, bro!
Yea I remember eating a nice meal at the EM Club one night and the band playing in the other room started singing I beleive it was the Beach Boys ” and I told my buddy, My God The Beach Boys are here !! We stopped eating and stepped into the other room and there on the stage was just a local PI band playing…What a surprise !!! The Filipinos were capable of a lot of things, I remember a shipmate who worked in the Officers Wardroom and one day he and I were sitting on the mess decks and he took the celophane wrapper from my cigarette pack and with just a few twists he made a ballerina out of the celophane. Unbeliveable !! I have a lot of respect for for the Philippine People. I beiive the US did a great diservice to our allies the Filipinos.. Just my opinion.
I served on the USS Gray DE 1054 about the same time. ’72 would have been my first cruise. We were probably in Subic at the same time. Your article brought back some interesting memories. It sure was an experience for a small town Pennsylvania boy.
I was an RM on the USS Ranger in 1974 when we were in Subic… this brought back so many memories… I had a real cutie pie from the Pearl Club named Marlene that was stunning… spent many days on Grande Island with her but she had a secret about her home life that I tried to crack but couldn’t, probably married but wouldn’t admit it. Then I moved in with Bonnie who lived in a little apartment somewhere behind the clubs, I would just poke my head out of the door and there was the little neighborhood store where I would get my cold ones… Bonnie took real good care of me and we lived with her mother, sister and brother who all had jobs around the town… then I got daring one night and decided I would drop in on Bonnies sister at what ever club she worked at…. last thing I remember was the shattered San Miguel bottle around my feet and my body heading toward it…. Things went down hill from there and probably a good thing cause Bonnie was looking for a ride to the States. I had a blast in the P.I…. went back in 1994 to shoot fireworks off the barges in Manila for the centennial celebrations… sure did bring back a lot of memories…. I used to have home movies of me diving off the diving board at White Rock… smashed my nuts everytime, but I was the only one who dared and I loved it… There was a little quiet joint around the corner that also had hot peanuts and we would listen to my buddy Lang play guitar, drink San Miguel and eat peanuts…. what a place… I still beg every Phillipino I know for a plate of Pancit…. only they know how….Monkey meat, lumpia, pancit, and an occational baloot for breakfast with a healthy dose of White Castle Rum. … I can still hear the Moody Blues Nights in White Satin, playing over and over and over.
And then there was the American community 1976 4th of July celebration in Singapore….
OR….. the excursions to MIDWAY ISLAND…..
Ahhhhhhh…, More wonderful memories of the P.I.! Thanks Dave, ya made my day.
D.
Wow, so many memories of times long ago. I was attached to VA-52 that deployed on the Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War. I remember many great times in Olongapo, walking down the streets hearing the bands in the clubs play, going in for a few San Miguel beers and lots of dancing with the local girls. If you closed your eyes sometimes you would think you were listening to the actual band that recorded the music. “Smoke on the Water” or as I use to refer to it as “The Phillipine National Anthem” blarred everywhere. I remember one particular afternoon sitting in a bar listening to “July Morning” ( a Uriah Heep song ) and savoring the time. I was single back then and I rermember the sadness I had when we left port for the last time to head back to the states. So happy to be heading home but so sad to leave behind so many memories and friends.
Wow! what a memory. I was there on West Pac in 77 on the Whipple. You sure triggered a lot memories. I used to tell some stories to friends when home on leave or when I got out. They really didn’t know what to think. It was really one of those “You had to be there” places to get it. I have some stories I can still tell and I have some stories I will never tell.
Keith, you hit the nail on the head. “You had to be there!” No-body outside of a vet that’s been there, done that can possibly understand a place like this. “Some stories you can NEVER tell,” LOL.
Dennis, in one of your comments, or blog’s you spoke about the ship trying to manuver to stay on station and that the ship would steer a triaungler course or something simular. Question, was it common to steer towards the shore while making this manuver ? Does any topside sailors have this info ?? This is coming from a snipe who didn’t get out of the fire room much !!! Thanks, Chuck
Chuck, I don’t recall anything about any triangular courses. You may be referring to when we were close inshore traveling parallel to the beach maybe firing at a target or not. From what I’ve heard, we were drawing fire from shore batteries so that they would be trained on us and that would allow a cruiser like the USS Oklahoma City to fire with their big guns and not have to maneuver as much, being the larger vessel.
Up in CIC whichever of us was manning a radar scope, also had the deck lookouts on our SP phones. The port lookout would be calling out splashes that were coming in towards us. With each report as shells would come closer his voice would go up another octave. We would recommend to the bridge “Hard right rudder, all ahead flank.” They would ALWAYS continue on a northerly course for a few more minutes before getting out of there.
I always wondered how the snipes would know what was going on or not really hear about until after the fact. I don’t think those of us in the Combat Information Center really always had the whole picture as the command up on the bridge was running the show.
Nice blog spot! I was born in Olongapo back in 1983 to one of those bar girls. Scary! I currently and have been living in the United States since 1986, I do remember some things there. And the funny thing is that I am a legacy of military members. I guess which explains my interest in joining. I was turned down from the Army because of a medical issue “hernia” I was born with. Blah thats shitty. But I my brother is in the Marines. Both my father and bio-father served the Navy. And my grandfather from the philippines was part of the MPA and got out of it and hid from them. To my legacy my great grand father faught in Pearl Harbor and many more cusins but too long of a list. One of these days I hope to find my bio-father. If anyone can point me to ideas that I probably have not tried I AM ALL EARS!!
Michelle, contact Andrew Delgado Monti…retired cop and private investigator, Monti.investigations@gmail.com. Send him what you got in the way of information and he may be able to help. Shouldn’t cost you too much for a basic name/address search. If your bio-father is in the US, he should be able to find him. Good luck.
John,
Thank you sooo much. I don’t think without a ss# that my mother threw away is going to be much helpful. I know that he was on the USS Coral in 1982. There is just too many missing peices. Because I have checked out this cruise book and cannot locate the name she gave me (William Johnathan or William Jonathan). I think she gave me or he gave her a false name. But then again my mother told him her name was Melanie (Mel) due to the fact it was probably common for a filippina bar girl and that her dad was an ex affiliation to the MPA(Muslim Philippine Army) and was in hiding. I know that he had blonde hair and blue eyes, which makes sense where my 10year old son has the blonde hair and blue eyes. Someday I will find him and I will probably know the history of my fathers side of the family and my brothers before me. Appearently theres two before my birth and almost close in age (29). Thank you though. I will look into this…
Michelle -
My memories of Olongapo include observing probable children of US servicemen on the sidewalks of Magsaysay Boulevard; and a few women of my age who appeared to be daughters of the Japanese occupation. I wonder if you would share with us your perception of life in the Philippines for children of military romances in comparison to children of more traditional unions?
Al Wellman,
Lets see I was born there in August 1983 and moved to the United States in 1986. The little time I was there was intoxicating enough to make me miss my other side of culture. As a child you don’t normally think of the mistakes or adolescent decisions your parents made prior to your creation. I rememeber my grandfathers house tucked away furhter into the jungle of Olongapo, tortoises from the sea, the crazy rain, early headstart, the candy store and many more at the USN Base. I have no idea what the name of the base was, but I do remember my step dad’s comments about a so called speed bump that ended up being a snake and the monkeys that histerically swung from tree to tree. The greatest part about that insane comute to base was the view. I remember this one time when the sun began to set, which I might add in any location high above see level is always beautiful, was the bats that came out of hiding and man there were allot….But to target your question more, for me its more afffecting as an adult. I’m turly excepting what had happend in the past and even more thankful of the father I have grown to know. Taking a chance for true love with a filippina with a baby must have been odd, but it all worked out. The saddest part of all this as I pointed out only affecting me once the truth came out. I was only 10. I never felt more empty when my dad told me this. And even worse when my mother told me 8 years later that my biological father came back and did meet me at 5 months old then she dropped the bomb when she stated that he gave her his social secruity number for my future curiosity. To sum up my feeling about this, lost completely, my heart truly is missing a piece of who I am. Growing up, my heart never changed about how I felt to serve this country as my father did. I am truly greatful for those who serve and attent American Military University. I am daddy’s girl!! HooRAH!! But to be honest I think ppl take their family for granted and if I had what they had (knowing) life would have been completly different. I do have one thing that keeps me somewhat attached from that memory, a picture he had taken of me and my mother when he met me for the first time. My heart aches to know that he was the one that took that picture.
Hi Michelle, I came across your post and I know of someone who can help you find your father. I assume that you know basic info about him like name, SSN, etc. I have a friend who find fathers/parents of adoptees and Amerasians.
You can join this facebook group so you could post your inquiry
https://www.facebook.com/groups/326616480787185/
Thank you Matt.. The only down fall is that at one time there was a ss# that my father had given my mother, but selfishly my mother got rid of it. So all I have is a name and basic information of his title and the name of the vessel he was in. I am about at that point where it seems hopeless. I thought it would have been nice to meet him, especially since he gave his ss# to my mother just incase I wanted to ever find him and know who he was. My fear is that I am 29 year old and I do not want him to assume I care not to ever know who he was….. This information was hidden from me up until 19years ago.
Dennis:
I probably should have repied here instead of the
“My four years in the Navy” In future I’ll reply here
Tom “Butch” Callen