THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 12, 1994 TAG: 9410120487
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Ocean View residents may peek out their windows one Saturday afternoon and see a curious sight - a beach landing by a guy dressed as a World War II Army general proclaiming that he has returned to lead them to victory.
There will be no need to fall in; he will be just an actor portraying a famous man, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, in his moment of fame, the Army's return to Leyte Beach in the Philippines 50 years ago this month.
Where better, local officials figured, than Norfolk to stage the nation's biggest commemoration of the event? Norfolk is home of the MacArthur Memorial, the final resting place of the renowned leader.
The re-enactment at Ocean View Park will be just part of a three-day celebration, Oct. 20-22, called ``I Shall Return . . . America Remembers.''
MacArthur's landing, with 132,000 men and 107,000 tons of equipment, culminated the largest battle, in total tonnage, in naval history. Japan, whose navy was decimated, was doomed to defeat in the war after losing the Philippines.
Lyman Hammond has been carefully planning the celebration for three months. As director of the MacArthur Memorial in downtown Norfolk, he said, he wanted to honor the general in a big way.
``World War II was probably the defining event in the history of the United States this century,'' Hammond said. ``It's going to honor those people who served our country at that time. Plus, it's going to honor the Filipinos that were sacrificed in the Philippines.''
Eric Gibson, who is representing the War Memorial Museum of Virginia in Newport News, is tackling the role of MacArthur, a commanding figure who would later spar publicly with President Harry S. Truman. The War Memorial Museum also is providing authentic uniforms for the re-enactment.
The events, Hammond said, will recognize not just MacArthur but all veterans of the war in the Pacific, who often feel left out of World War II celebrations.
MacArthur's landing at Leyte Beach is often overlooked, Hammond said. ``In the sense of the naval armada, (the landing) was larger than Normandy and the fighting was just as severe in the Pacific as anything that took place in Europe. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the biggest naval battle ever, before or since.''
The last day of the celebration, which will feature the beach landing, will be followed by a recorded broadcast of MacArthur's famous ``I have returned'' speech.
``I'm hoping the people of Norfolk and Hampton Roads come out to honor the veterans,'' Hammond said. ``It's been 50 years. There were so many of them and so many didn't come back.''
The celebration will begin at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 20 with the commemorative ceremony at MacArthur Square. Scheduled guests include Raul Rabe, Philippine ambassador to the U.S.; Francis Salvarone, MacArthur's former aide; and John D. Bulkeley, who took MacArthur from Corregidor in the Phillipines aboard a PT boat. by CNB