Tunay na Sundalo (Real Soldier)

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

When I was in my teen and inside the military cargo plane C-130 from then Nichols (Villamor) Air Base in Pasay City to Awang, Dinaig, Maguindanao for countless of times, I had that grudging envy and real appreciation with those grim young men sitting on the floor of the plane clad in a black uniform red wild cat badge's Scout Ranger and those camouflage and steel helmet donning Marines.

"Ito ang mga tunay na sundalo, some if not many of them would be in direct combat to death with the ferocious Moro enemies. These are dead men walking," I told myself reminiscing how even a lowly ranked member of the British Special Air Service (SAS) was looked up by Army and Air Force officers who rode together in an Army transport plane because of the toughness of his training and the hazard of the job he wiggled in.

“Hindi ito ang mga sundalong kanin na naka upo sa swivel chairs sa mga kampo at nangungupit ng sueldo o benefit ng mga sundalo o mga police na nangungotong sa mga sakla-an at peryahan sa Luzon".

DANGEROUS TIMES. Filipino doctors are dying as front liner versus the dreaded novel Corona Virus 19 that becomes a pandemic specter not only in the Philippines but globally. Photo Credit: Yahoo News

 These are real soldiers who died because of conspicuous intrepidity and priceless self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty.
 

Let's cut the chase!

Here an excerpt of a mourning but proud son Leandro L. Resurreccion III to a valiant father and namesake, a surgeon at the Philippine General Hospital, who died serving those patients infected by the lethal respiratory virus.

The surgeon left a hefty paying medical job in Australia because his expertise was rare in the Philippines and wanted to altruistically serve the marginalized Filipino patients:

"At around 6:25 A.M on the 31st of March 2020, my father Dr. Leandro L. Resurreccion III, Pediatric Transplant Surgeon, passed away due to Acute Respiratory Failure brought about by Covid-19.

There were no hugs, there were no kisses, and there were no goodbyes. As a matter of fact, the last time I saw him, he was still able to smile. It gives you a kind of heartbreak that I cannot even explain.

When I was 13 years old, he was certified as a Pediatric Transplant Surgeon in the Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He was offered to stay there but he chose to come home because at that time there were no Pediatric Transplant Surgeons in the country. And we needed one. He did not do it for money nor for prestige, but because he was needed. He always embodied a kind of fiery passion for his profession but he always spoke of what the country needed together with such passion.

And I choose to remember him like this. Not only as a statistic in the current war we are fighting. Not only as a surgeon who pioneered for the nation. Not only as a father for his family. But as a Citizen of The World who cared for it and fought for it. He will always be our hero.

Dr Leandro Resurreccion III of the pediatric transplant surgeon at the Philippine General Hospital. Photo Credit: Rappler

I thank God for the 57 years you gave him. I thank the country for giving him a home for those 57 years. I thank my family for being there for us during this battle...

I hope I am not looked down for this, but I appeal to the National Government. Your efforts this lock down have been commendable because I have seen firsthand how the battle against Covid 19 has been fought on with full force but I appeal that we may have a more coherent plan in order to test everyone and isolate. Let us break the chain.

Lastly, I appeal to each and every person to please, please, please stay at home, unless it is absolutely necessary. Let us not only protect our loved ones, but also our frontliners in this fight against this ravaging enemy. If we lose those who protect us, who else will?

                                                           Rest In Peace, Dad. I love you forever.

                                                             You will always be my hero

***
Heart breaking, gee whiz!

In the Full Metal Jacket flick, a story about U.S Marines fighting those pajama clad 

and sandal sporting Vietcong guerrillas, a grunt named Cowboy shouted to a huge 

muscular M-60 machine gun wielding Private Animal Mother to forego his reckless

 plan to retrieve two of their platoon mates who were shot and gravely wounded by

 a Vietcong sniper, later on we discovered an AK-47 wielding lady son of gun, 

ensconced in a nearby tall building: “Doc Jay and Eightball are wasted! You know that!”

For me, the death of Dr. Resurrection was not wasted he was a hero fighting a phantom enemy that continue to claim lives of fellow doctors and vulnerable Filipinos and other citizens of the world.

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(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)