After his alleged tenure with the guerilla forces, he joined the USAFIP in December 1944 with the U.S. 14th Infantry Division in the Philippines, finishing his military career as a Major. He celebrated by recognizing himself as Lieutenant Colonel instead of his actual rank being a Major and wore a Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) and two Silver Stars.
Apart from these, he claimed to be awarded the Medal of Honor by General Jonathan Wainwright himself and that he received the Purple Heart. He also said that he was the most awarded war veteran in the Philippines and the United States, all medals of which he wore on a veteran garrison cap. Altogether, this made him the fake war hero, a lie that would be relevant even in today’s political arena in the Philippines.
What Really Happened According To Historians:
Let’s start with the most obvious statements that were fake: him being the most awarded military veteran in the history of the Philippines and United States Armed Forces.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines has found that Marcos’ name does not appear on any recipient of awards lists issued between 1941 to 1945, a list that was compiled by the staff of General Douglas MacArthur himself.
This means that Gen. MacArthur did not award him the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), nor did Gen. Wainwright pin him the Medal of Honor, nor did he receive a Purple Heart. Perhaps the most laughable, the Gold Cross and the DSC were the only awards given in the war, making it impossible for him to obtain 33.
Well, how did he get the medals then? We do not know for sure. They are either stolen or bought over the years.
How about when he held off a Japanese offensive at the Battle of Bataan then? That was false too. The head of the intelligence unit of the 21st Division (USAFFE) Maj. Manriquez, denied all of Marcos’ claims. He later received multiple Cartier watches from Marcos when he eventually became president.
Did he really lead a guerilla group? The US Army and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines had checked his claims and concluded that they were baseless and exaggerated. Ironically, in a statement Marcos gave to the US Army, he claimed that members of the Maharlika were ordered to be employed by the Japanese police together with the constabulary.
Furthermore, he claimed that Maharlika formed a trading company in the Regina Building in Manila to finance their guerilla operations – a building that was a hotbed for Japanese spies and collaborators. Ferdinand was also implicated to be a Japanese collaborator. However, the evidence is sparse.
Marcos’ Father, the Japanese Propagandist
How about when he escaped from the Kampei Tai after his release from the POW camp? It’s unknown whether Marcos had really joined the Bataan Death March. However, it was confirmed that his name did not appear on any of the released soldiers from the said Japanese POW camp.
As confirmed by the Japanese government at that time, they released prisoners because they were disease-ridden or their families were part of the Japanese propaganda machine.
Luckily for Ferdinand Marcos, his father, Mariano Marcos, who was the Representative of Ilocos Norte from 1925 to 1931, was a known propagandist for the Japanese government, as proven by a diary of Mariano Marcos’ Japanese interpreter.
Another report claims that the Marcoses were indebted to then-Associate Justice and Former President Jose P. Laurel, as he reversed the conviction of Ferdinand for murder. Ferdinand Marcos was convicted of murdering his father’s political rival, Julio Nalundasan, with a rifle shot to the temple. This 1938 conviction was also extended to Pio Marcos (Mariano’s brother) and Mariano’s brother-in-law, Quirino Lizardo.
Laurel would then become the President of the Philippines under the Japanese occupation. This is not to say that Laurel was a propagandist himself. Many historians are cut between labeling him as a paid agent of the Japanese or was really true to being a Filpino president. Several historians do attribute his courageous actions against the Japanese during that time, many of them in secret.
Yes, Marcos Faked His Military Career
With the overwhelming evidence, it’s safe to say that a large majority of Ferdinand Marcos’ military achievements were false. However, the effects of his lies are still felt today. His son, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., is now the front-runner to win the Philippine presidency in the upcoming 2022 elections, riding the coattails of his father’s alleged military and political accomplishments.
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