I was a war hero back in the '40s/'50s...

Now I know what I was in my previous lifetime.

I was a corporal who was part of the Bataan Death March, along with the almost 61,000 Filipino and American soldiers. If I didn't die during the march, I could have been brought to the Capas Concentration Camp where I probably suffered more.

Weird, huh?!

Before heading back to Manila after our Pinatubo trip, we decided to pass by the Capas National Shrine. It was on the way back to Manila, anyway.

And a little history lesson wouldn't hurt.

I know about the Bataan Death March (or at least, a bit of it). I remember that I've already seen a shrine dedicated to the heroes who died from that horrific war event. The shrine I remember was along McArthur Highway.

It still is there. The one we visited is a newer shrine. It's hard not to notice this new shrine because it was the only towering structure in the area. The design of the tower itself draws attention. It looks like a space rocket. A little reading, and I found out that the three pillars of the memorial monument are supposed to represent American, Filipinos, and Japanese people of today - peaceful and very different from the time of World War II.

Surrounding the tower are the names of the war heroes.

After taking photos of the magnificent memorial monument, I went around the war heroes wall to check if any of my ancestors are there. That's what my companions did anyway.

When I reached the section M, I looked for Morales. There were quite a lot.

While going through the list, I was surprised to find my own name right there - Angelo Morales. Weird. Freaky. Morbid. Hehe!

Right under the name of the guy with my same name was a guy who had the same name as my Dad - Antonio Morales. Jeez. Double the weirdness. Hehe!

I thought it was really eerie seeing one's own name on the list of the dead. For a minute or two, I wondered about how the other Angelo Morales' life was like. What did he do? How old was he? Was he married? Is he even straight? How did he become a soldier? What did he have to endure? How did he die?

Man, is that weird? I guess you would do the same if you saw a name similar to yours on that wall.

Near the memorial monument is a preserved boxcar. It was one of the boxcars used to transport the prisoners of war to Capas. It was a bit creepy to be standing near it, after reading the marker which described how those boxcars became vehicles of death.

To make the whole thing weirder, there was a "Welcome" sign right underneath the boxcar. What the?! Whoever among the shrine admin suggested that a "Welcome" sign be placed by that war relic is a weirdo. Hehe!

Before leaving the memorial shrine, I said a little prayer. Not just for the other "Angelo Morales," but for all the names listed on the wall as well as those whose names have been forgotten.

That prayer and the visit to the awesome shrine is the least we Filipinos of today could do to say thank you for fighting for our freedom. We salute you.

Good thing I decided to wear my gray "Peace" shirt. Hehe!