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.The Marianas Turkey ShootThe Battle of the Philippines Sea (June 19–20, 1944) may have been the most decisive air battle of the war in the Pacific. The Americans were intent on retaking Guam as well as the Japanese held islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota.From these islands the US Army air forces could reach and bomb the Japanese home islands.The American forces led by Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher’s Task Force 58 — comprised a huge armada of 15 fleet aircraft carriers and escorting battleships, cruisers and destroyers. There were also 8 escort carriers to support the invasion of the islands.American carrier forces carried more than 900 warplanes: Hellcats, Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, new Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldivers and a few Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers.The Japanese had 600 aircraft based on the four islands.The Japanese Combined Fleet was led by Vice Adm. Jisaburo Ozawa. His task force numbered 9 carriers and escorts, with about 450 aircraft.Before the Japanese carriers could be sortied from Borneo, 1,100 miles away, the US Navy aircraft had dominated and decimated the Japanese land based aircraft stationed on Siapan and Tinian.But when the IJN carriers arrived on June 19th, the ensuing air battle became an American rout.Edited From the Navy Times:For the Japanese navy, the First Battle of the Philippine Sea had been a virtual coup de grâce to its once dominant carrier aviation force.TF-58’s long-range strike had sunk Hiyo and damaged Zuikaku, Junyo and Chiyoda, two cruisers and the battleship Haruna. Two fleet oilers had also been sunk and one damaged.Of the Japanese carrier and land based air complements, the Japanese lost 429 aircraft. For the remainder of the war that once superb Japanese carrier air arm could only be used as a decoy.During the battle on June 19th the better trained US Aviators of TF-58 lost only 18 fighters, and 12 bombers.US Navy Aviator Lt. Ziegel Neff famously commented, “Hell, this is like an old-fashioned turkey shoot.” thus the air battle famously became known as the “Marianas Turkey Shoot”REF Navy Times: ‘Hell, this is like an old-fashioned turkey shoot.’The battle resumed on June 20th when Vice Adm. Jisaburo Ozawa ordered the Japanese to attack the US Navy forces, but without much success.Then at mid-afternoon on June 20th, US Navy reconnaissance aircraft located the IJN carrier forces and a late afternoon launch of US Navy aircraft was ordered.The Battle on June 20th 1944 resulted in the loss of 79 US aircraft. 17 aircraft were lost in battle, with 62 aircraft being lost due to being forced to ditch due to low fuel or crashing during attempted night landings.The battle of June 19 was the largest single day victory by US Naval Aviation forces in WWIIBelow: Fighter plane contrails mark the sky over Task Force 58, during the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot phase of the battle, 19 June 1944. Photographed from on board the light cruiser Birmingham. (National Archives)

Thailand Involvement in Vietnam War - The Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War Team March 29, 2015Thailand’s attitudes and actions towards the Vietnam War was best described by Thai Foreign Minister, Thanat Khoman in an interview to the ABC Scope program in May 1967. He explained that Thailand was very much a voluntary and active participant in the Vietnam War. His reasoning behind these actions was both as a means of defense of its own borders as well as helping to bring stability to the region as a whole.Thailand had a different outlook to many of its neighboring countries. It had never been under colonial rule and therefore did not have the anti-colonial antipathy towards the new perceived colonial conqueror – the United States. Instead Thailand saw the United States as the only power who could help stave off the seemingly relentless advance of communism. It was a monarchy with a government of both civilian and military participation and very strongly anti-communist. Geographically it held a strategic position with regard to the attempts to stem the communist spread throughout Southeast Asia. It shared a common border to the east with Laos and Cambodia and its airfields, from which American planes took off to bomb communist targets, were only 18 minutes flying time from North Vietnam.The Rise of Communism in Southeast AsiaIn the wake of World War II, Southeast Asia witnessed rapid growth and expansion of communism under the influence of Soviet Union and China. North Vietnam, receiving massive support from these socialist countries, formed many warring groups such as Viet Cong, Khmer Rouge and Pathet Lao to forward its causes – one to annex South Vietnam. Thai Government anticipated the foundation of communist regime in China, the deterioration of French colonist rule in Indochina and hegemonic ambitions of North Vietnam as an emerging threat.Danger at Thai DoorstepsThailand’s worries escalated when communist North Vietnam launched large-scale overt and covert operations in South Vietnam and adjoining areas including Cambodia, Laos and hinterlands of Thailand. The rapid advancements of guerrillas and regular troops of North Vietnam exposed Thai frontiers. In 1961, the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) revolted against the Thai government and began an armed struggle. Many other communist groups, emboldened by the rise of communism, fanned insurgency in Northeastern provinces of Thailand.Northeastern Thailand, comprising 15 provinces and bordering Laos, was the most vulnerable place to the communist terrorists and soon became the newest target of communist subversion. This was a backward region populated by people having pro-communist affiliations and sentiments.An editor of Bangkok Post newspaper in an interview with a foreign correspondent reiterated the sensitivity of these provinces to the communist threat as there was an expected presence of around 1,500 communist guerrillas. To counter this guerilla threat, Thai government deployed 30,000 men comprising regular Army and Police personnel escorted by helicopters (Ibid).Forging Alliance with the United StatesThailand has long developed a close tie with the United States. In fact, they signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in March, 1833 – the first U.S. treaty with a country in Asia. This relation was developed further since World War II as reflected in multiples treaties, economic and military assistance between the two.Thailand had already formed a formal alliance with the United States since 1954 as they joined the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) upon the discovery of the “Thai Autonomous Region” group founded in South West China. Thai and American leaders saw eye to eye and need to stop communist expansion in Asia. Thailand, given its strategic geography and communist threats inside the country, played a crucial role in American strategies in Southeast Asia.Photo credit: ood.vdo http://www.facebook.com/ood.vdoThailand provided Air and Ground bases to the United States, and soon became the largest station of the United States Air Force in Southeast Asia. From 1961 to 1975, the United States installed 7 air bases at Korat, Udon Thani, Nakon Phanom, Ubbon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen, Utapao and Bangkok. Among them, Utapao was a B-52 air base that had great strategic importance (Hunchangsith, 1974). Thai officers commanded each base although the activities were largely carried out by American’s. These bases had more than 400 aircrafts and 25,000 service personnel (Kislenko, 2004). Thai Air Force not only maintained his own planes at each base but also had the task of providing group and air security for the huge installations. More than 80% of the airstrikes on North Vietnamese Army and guerrilla camps were carried out from these Thai bases (Randolph, 1986).Thailand: Launching Open FrontIn 1969, Thai government deployed more than 12,000 combat troops, which included Queen’s Cobras and Black Panther Division of Royal Army Volunteer Force, to counter the guerilla forces in the South Vietnam. Additionally, it had also dispatched around 26,000 volunteer recruits (Aspinall, 2010). The number gradually peaked to 15% of the total Thai regular Army by 1971 (Kislenko, 2004). They got training from the United States Army in the training camps set up close to the borders. The U.S. deployed US 606th Commando squadron to train Thai forces in anti-insurgency operations (Stanton, pp. 278-280). In addition to the ground troops, Thai Air Force crews were also trained and deployed, under the project named “Project Water Pump”, to attack guerrilla hideouts in Laos and neighbouring strongholds (Castle, 1993, pp. 73-74). The exit of Thai troops from South Vietnam completed in April 1972 (Kislenko, 2004).Photo credit: ood.vdo http://www.facebook.com/ood.vdoThai CasualtiesThai troops comprising regular and volunteer men proved more effective and deadly against the guerrillas due to awareness of local geography and culture of the region as compared to the U.S. troops who were alien to the region. However, Thailand’s involvement in the direct conflict was not without cost. As a reaction to Thai aggressive policies, guerilla attacks in its North-eastern borders of Thailand multiplied and their presence increased in thousands – penetrating Laos and Thai soils. In 1967, 138 people including 78 government officials were assassinated by guerrillas in the bordering regions (Kislenko, 2004). These guerrillas were allegedly receiving training and aid from North Vietnam and People’s Republic of China. Moreover, they even received support of various communist groups within Thai soils. A guerilla attack on Udorn air base caused the loss of several US C-141 and F-4D aircraft as well as HU-43 helicopters and wounded 5 service personnel of the US and Thai forces (Administrative History of the United States Information Agency, Volume 1). The insurgents launched several similar attacks at several bordering locations and villages in Thailand and Laos. In total, 351 Thai troops were killed in action while some 1,358 men wounded in the Vietnam War.American Financial SupportThailand received handsome financial support from the United States worth more than $2 billion in total assistance, in which its biggest share was allocated to counter insurgency and anti-guerrilla operations in South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In 1963, a specialized programme was designated by U.S. Military Commander in Chief Pacific (CINCPAC) for Thailand’s counter-insurgency operations, allocating $700 million over six years (Kislenko, 2004). This financial spending by the United States made up 26% of the total exports value to Thailand that later gave an economic boost to the Thai economy.Consequences of Vietnam WarNorth Vietnam finally succeeded in reunifying Vietnam in April 1975. Emboldened by its victories and exit of American troops, North Vietnam expanded its influence and range of military activities in the region. Thailand had to face the wrath of insurgents within its frontiers for years after war. Most of all, its direct involvement in the conflict proved too costly for Thailand in form of political, economic and human loss, but nevertheless, opened up doors for foreign aid and assistance that later thrived the Thai economy.ReferencesAdministrative History of the United States Information Agency. (n.d.). Records of the United States Information Agency. Retrieved December 01, 2014, from archives: Records of the United States Information Agency [USIA]Aspinall, T. (2010). Soldiers of Fortunes Mercenry Wars. Retrieved December 01, 2014, from .mercenary-wars: The Vietnam conflict and the Soldiers of Fortune who became involved.Castle, T. N. (1993). At War in the Shadow of Vietnam: US Military Aid to the Royal Lao Government 1955-1975. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.Hunchangsith, B. (1974). Economic Impact of the US Military Presence in Thailand. Claremont University.Kislenko, A. (2004). A Not So Silent Partner: . Thailand’s Role in Covert Operations, Counter-Insurgency, and the Wars in Indochina .Randolph, R. S. (1986). The United States and Thailand: Alliance Dynamics 1950-85. Berkeley.Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. (1973, April). Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Washington DC, The United States: Government Printing Office.Stanton. Green Berets at War.Thailand. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2014, from lz-vietnam: http://lz-vietnam.weebly.com/thailand.htmlThailand’s Role in the Vietnam War. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from Youtube: Thailand's Role in the Vietnam War5 Things About The Philippines And The Vietnam War You Probably Didn't KnowThe Vietnam War officially ended 40 years ago but did you know that the Philippines played an important part in this chapter of history or that the people of the Philippines have also been affected by the war? Speaking from a Filipino and a historian’s perspective, here are five things you probably did not know about the Philippines and the Vietnam War:posted on Jun. 25, 2015, at 4:38 p.m.Kirby AraulloCOMMUNITY USERThis post was created by a user and has not been vetted or endorsed by BuzzFeed's editorial staff. BuzzFeed Community is a place where anyone can post awesome lists and creations. Learn more or post your buzz!TweetTumblr1. “the First Vietnam”The Battle of Manilla on February 4, 1899. / Via Public DomainThe Philippine-American War and genocide of 1899-1903 (in some cases up to 1913) is considered by many historians as “the First Vietnam” in recognition of the many parallelisms between the two. The Philippine-American war set a precedent of U.S. involvement and interests in the affairs of the region.2. Humanitarian MissionsMarch 7, 1906, http://U.S. troops massacred as many as a thousand unarmed Moros (indigenous Muslim people of Mindanao) who were taking refuge at Bud Dajo, a volcanic crater in Jolo, Sulu, Southern Philippines. / Via http://U.S. National ArchivesAs fellow Southeast Asians, the people of the Philippines have traditionally been sensitive to the humanitarian needs of the people of Vietnam. As early as 1954, the Philippines sent humanitarian missions to Vietnam. Contingents of agricultural experts, doctors, nurses and nutritionists, were sent to provide care for the people affected by the war in both Vietnam and Laos.3. Non-combatant TroopsSouth Vietnamese refugees walk across a http://U.S. Navy vessel. Operation Frequent Wind, the final operation in Saigon, began April 29, 1975. During a nearly constant barrage of explosions, the Marines loaded American and Vietnamese civilians, who feared / Via Public DomainBetween 1964-1971 the Philippine government sent non-combatant troops to serve the medical, dental, engineering and other needs of the Vietnamese people. To this day many Filipino doctors, nurses, teachers, rights activists, humanitarian workers, etc. are found in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam as part of a collective regional consciousness and movements to strengthen the bond between the people of Southeast Asia.4. Welcoming Refugee Communities35 Vietnamese refugees wait to be taken aboard the amphibious command ship USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC-19). They are being rescued from a 35 foot fishing boat 350 miles northeast of Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, after spending eight days at sea.When Saigon and South Vietnam fell in 1975, the Philippines immediately built communities to shelter and aid the refugees. The Philippines was one of the earliest countries to open its borders and welcome refugees with open arms. When the world’s strongest typhoon (Haiyan) hit the Philippines in 2013, many Vietnamese Americans rallied together to send aid to the people of the Philippines in gratitude and recognition of the love the people of the Philippines extended during the war.5. A Dark Chapter in the PhilippinesTHIS PHOTO of police brutality on protesters is among those displayed in the exhibit, “Himagsik at Protesta,” put up by Karapatan at the University of the Philippines Library until Sept. 21 for the 40th anniversary of the declaration of martial rule. / Via Inquirer.netMore importantly for us Filipinos and Filipino Americans, we also cannot ignore the profound effects of the Vietnam War to the people of the Philippines. From a critical perspective, the Vietnam war was used as an excuse to continue the U.S. infringement of Philippine sovereignty. The Vietnam War was also a bargaining chip used to keep the Marcos Dictatorship, a dark chapter of Philippine history, in power. In fact, many of the issues plaguing the people of the Philippines today could be traced back to both the Marcos Dictatorship and the continuing neo-colonial relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines.Flag bearers from the 11 Asean countries march during the opening ceremony of the biennial Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore’s National Stadium on June 5, 2015 / Via AFPHopefully this would help broaden the scope of understanding of the Southeast Asian history and identity. The people of Southeast Asia (all 11 countries in both the mainland and the islands) have long shared a collective consciousness and intersectionalities for thousands of years way before the first European set foot in the region. Let us reclaim what it means to be Southeast Asian beyond the divisions and definitions imposed by Western imperialism. Let us once again stand in solidarity and show the rest of the world the collective strength and resilience of Southeast Asia and its people, our people.Learn more:The First Vietnam: The U.S.-Philippine War of 1899 The Philippines: Allies During the Vietnam War This Day in History: The Philippines agrees to send troops to South Vietnam Filipinos Vietnam War Military Service

There’s a lot of misinformation about this topic, to judge by other answers, so let me clear up what I can.First, Spain did not require anyone to take Spanish (or any other) surnames when they acquired the Philippines in the 16th century. It was almost three centuries later when they first required surnames (see below), and even then most of the names on offer were Filipino, not Spanish.So how did many Filipinos get their Spanish surnames? For centuries, the primary process would have been through baptism in the Roman Catholic Church, at which time those baptized (or their parents) would often choose (Spanish) Christian names: Cruz, Reyes, Santos, Santo Tomas, Santa Maria, etc. These might or might not be passed down from generation to generation; some families, or perhaps some parishes, were pretty consistent with “family” names, while others seem to have allowed each individual to have a “surname” of his or her own, which might or might not be the same as his/her parents or siblings. Some Filipinos held on to local (Filipino) names, especially if they reflected pre-Hispanic “nobility,” such as Lacandola, but again this was inconsistent.My sense from much research in the archives is that at the local level most Filipinos didn’t even bother with surnames, because everyone knew who everyone was, and identified them by their given name or nickname. Only when it came to baptism, marriage, burial, or (rare) dealings with official bureaucracy would a surname even be asked for, and I suspect some people could barely remember theirs, in the same way that some of us can barely remember the ID or passwords we’re supposed to use on various computer applications. (I was able to identify one Filipina who was known by 14 different names in around twenty years!)In the 19th century, the Spanish, trying to rationalize the administration of the Philippines (once the tail-end of their empire; now, with the loss of the Americas, the jewel in the Spanish crown), got tired of this chaos. In 1849, Governor General Narciso Claveria issued a decree that everyone should get a proper surname, selected from a Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos [Alphabetical Catalogue of Surnames] sent out to each province. These surnames were to be given to the entire family, so that fathers and children would all have the same names all the time, and proper records would be kept by churches, schools, and local officials, etc.The ostensible purpose of this decree was to avoid “confusion,” including the hypothetical possibility of people marrying others to whom they were too closely related (because they lacked surnames to tell them this!). Clearly the main reason was to sort out and simplify tax collection and other administrative tasks.Contrary to the belief of many Filipinos, the Catalogo was NOT a list of exclusively Spanish names. In 1973 the National Archives published a phostatic copy of the Catalogo, unfortunately with a poor quality of reproduction. I was the ghostwriter for the Introduction (by Domingo Abella) to this reprint and have a copy of it in my possession. Those who claim it was a directory of Spanish names have clearly not looked into it, e.g., on p33 we find, among many others, the names coppocopy, copcop, copang, copit, copcopin, copag, copari, copada, etc. (These are randomly selected from literally hundreds more on the same page; there are tens of thousands in the whole volume.) In fact the decree specifically says that Filipinos ought not to choose names like “de la Cruz, de los Santos, and some others which are so numerous that they would continue producing confusion.”But although the decree itself is clear, and the background to it fairly evident, we know very little about its implementation. It clearly varied from province to province, presumably according to the (Spanish) governors’ choices. In Albay, for example, there is a remarkable clustering of surnames by first letter, so that in the coast from Tabaco to Tiwi most names begin with the letters B & C; in Sorsogon, from E to L; in the Iraya valley M to S, etc. The town of Oas, dominated by last names beginning with the letter “R,” was said later (jokingly) to have claimed everyone with such last names, including Rizal and Roosevelt! Yet in the neighboring province of Ambos Camarines, no such clustering occurs; the new surnames for each parish come from anywhere in the alphabet. One guess as to this discrepancy - and it is only a guess - is that in Camarines someone took the whole Catalogo around from parish to parish, whereas in Albay they tore out the pages and sent different pages to different towns.What is obvious is that there was enormous inconsistency in the implementation of this decree. Some Filipinos managed to retain old “family” names, although they were only supposed to be able to do this if they could prove that they had used them for four generations (and even then, not “de la Cruz, de los Santos,” etc.) Some Filipinos clearly chose Hispanic names; others apparently chose from the Filipino terms included in the Catalogo. We have no idea how much the parish priests (whether Spanish or Filipino) or even parish clerks (Filipinos) influenced these choices; it is entirely possible that they, rather than the families themselves, assigned surnames to many people. It is likely that a substantial number of people just missed out on the decree entirely - colonial administration was extremely haphazard in those days - though over time, as the colonial state grew and expanded its reach, it would have become harder and harder not to have a “proper” surname.In the end, it is likely that most Spanish surnames in the Philippines today proceed from this 1849 decree and its (imperfect) implementation. We might guess that most Filipinos (or whoever made the decisions on their behalf) thought Spanish names were better than the Filipino alternatives offered in the Catalogo, but that, again, is just a guess. But we also know that many of these surnames antedate the 1849 decree, and presumably arose from earlier baptismal choices.