Of the 7,420-strong members of the Philippine Expedition Force to Korea (PEFTOK), who fought in Korea during the war in 1950-53, only less than a thousand are alive today (Dec. 19, 2020).
PEFTOK members, who are still living are former President Fidel V. Ramos, 92, and Maj. Max P. Young (Ret.), 98, PEFTOK president.
Young is one of only two Filipinos awarded the Taegeuk Medal, South Korea’s highest military medal for gallantry in combat. The other is the late Capt. Conrado Yap.
It was during the Korean War that the Filipinos, along with American troops and their allies, proved their heroism in combat against highly superior in numbers the combined Chinese and North Korean forces.
Ramos, then a 2nd lieutenant and a fresh graduate of West Point in the United States, led PEFTOK forces in conquering the strategic Eerie Hill following fierce combat.
On the other hand, Young was a tank commander, who fought almost single handedly the advancing Chinese troops in the famous Battle at Yultong.
Records at the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office headed by Defense Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina, show that all surviving PEFTOK veterans are all in their 90s and late 80s.
But despite their advancing age, PEFTOK members are catching up with new technology such as the Internet when PEFTOK recently sponsored an on-line concert to raise $10,000 (P500,000) to supplement PEFTOK’s scholarship funds for its 2 nd and 3 rd generation descendants to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War this year.
Using the now popular on-line ZOOM, the 70-minute concert featured internationally known performers from the Philippines, whose members are grandchildren of Korean War veterans, Young said.
He said the performers were the Legit Status, the country’s regular podium placer in the 2019 and 2017 World HipHop Championships, who shared the virtual stage with Iskollas, the grand champion of the 2020 Philippines-Korea Virtual Cultural Exchange Festival.
“It is deeply gratifying to see our descendants actively involved in the global celebration marking the 70th year after the Korean War,” Young said in a statement.
PEFTOK is the 6th largest contingent under the United Nations Command (UNC) that fought in Korea during the war.