Czechoslovak courage — Volunteerism in World War 2

In line with the Day of the Valor or Araw ng Kagitingan celebrated every April 9, programs to honor the heroic defense and valiant fight of the men and women of war were conducted. Aside from the Filipino and American soldiers, the Embassy of the Czech Republic also paid tribute to the Czechoslovak nationals who volunteered to defend the Philippines during the second World War.

This story of the Czechoslovak defenders of Bataan is unique, though unknown. Since they were nationals of Czechoslovakia, which at that time was under Nazi protectorate, the Japanese forces had guaranteed their safety. Nonetheless, they still chose to offer their service, and therefore, were considered as the only nationals to serve in the US Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) from countries occupied by the Nazi forces. In the words of Karel Aster, one of the Czech defenders of Bataan who passed in 2019, "Fighting for the Philippines at that time was like fighting for the liberty of Czechoslovakia.