Fil-Am war vet dies in US

WASHINGTON – One of the few surviving Filipino-American World War II veterans here, Guillermo Rumingan, died of heart attack on Tuesday. He was 86.

Fondly known as Mang Emong, Rumingan was a guerrilla during the war and participated in the rescue of American prisoners of war (POWs) in Cabanatuan in January 1945, the basis of the book “Ghost Soldiers” and the movie The Great Raid.

He was one of the founders of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans in Washington and helped lead the campaign to restore full US recognition and veterans’ benefits to his comrades in the Philippines and the United States.

Prior to his death, Rumingan was scheduled to travel to Manila to attend the 70th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan at Mt. Samat.

In 2004, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History honored him by displaying his photo and story as part of its permanent exhibit in the nation’s capital.