Philippine–American War

It was during the Philippine–American War where the fourteen-year-old Vicente's sense of nationalism and patriotism first came to the fore. It is said that he formed a group of children his age to act as couriers for the guerrilla movement of General Miguel Malvar's forces operating in the Calamba area.^[1]

Philippine Normal School

In the period following the Philippine–American War, Vicente continued his studies at Liceo de Manila, and completed the teacher training program at the Philippine Normal School.^[2] He went on to become a teacher in a public school in Santa Cruz, Manila for a year. He decided to pursue further studies and returned to Philippine Normal. Vicente was an outstanding student, getting top marks in mathematics, as well as in other subjects. He was as good an athlete as he was a student. Impressed by his athletic skills and intelligence, a supervisory teacher encouraged Vicente to take the entrance examinations for the United States Military Academy at West Point. While Vicente only placed second in these exams issued by the Philippine Bureau of Civil Service, his 99% score in Mathematics won him the coveted scholarship. In 1910, Vicente became the first Filipino to enter West Point.^[1]

"A birth date more amenable to Academy regulations"

Vicente Lim's admission to West Point was not without any hitches. Army records reflect his birth date as April 5, 1888. By the time Lim reported to the United States Military Academy on March 1, 1910, he had already passed his 22nd birthday, which made him technically ineligible to enter the academy. While Lim took the West Point qualifying examinations in 1908, which would have made him eligible to report to the academy in March 1909, it is likely that the process of shipping required documents back and forth across the Pacific simply took too long. It thus became necessary to "indulge in the time-honored practice of adopting a birth date more amenable to Academy regulations."^[2]

"Cannibal" Lim

While Lim was the first Filipino to report to West Point, he was not the first foreign cadet to attend the academy. At that time however, foreign cadets were still an uncommon sight. When Lim arrived in the United States, he could hardly speak English.^[3] His skin was darker than that of his American classmates, who were largely ignorant about the Philippines and thought that the Philippine Islands were inhabited by savages. These factors (and perhaps the racial prejudices that were still prevalent during that period), earned Vicente the nickname "Cannibal".^[4]

Cadet life

For the first Filipino cadets who entered West Point, there was little incentive to excel academically. Filipino products of the academy were restricted to entering service with the Philippine Scouts (then exclusively organized as an infantry unit) after graduation, whereas the regular privilege for top-ranking graduates was a choice of career path (engineers, coast artillery, cavalry and infantry, in the order of usual preference).^[2] Nonetheless, Lim was eager to prove that he was just as competent as any of his classmates. "Cannibal" Lim strove to overcome his deficiencies (linguistic, or otherwise) -- and did so. He soon earned the respect of his classmates as he survived his military engineering subjects, and he excelled in chemistry and mathematics. Vicente was also popular as he helped the class "goats" in their Spanish lessons, since Spanish was his second language. He also excelled in fencing and earned a spot on the academy's Broadsword Squad. For his skills on the firing range and proficiency in handling infantry weapons, he earned a badge as a Sharpshooter.^[4] The rigorous training at West Point ingrained into Vicente's very being the academy motto of "Duty, Honor and Country". This eventually became the dominating motivation in his life.

Fighting racial prejudice

At West Point in 1914

Vicente Lim was known to his classmates as a person who was very proud of his country and his people. He refused to tolerate any form of derogatory remarks against him and against Filipinos. As a prelude to his struggle for equal treatment of Filipinos in the Army later on in his career, Lim often responded to racial provocations in a personal, or even physical way. These incidents often got him into trouble at the academy. It was something that continued right up until the days leading up to Lim's graduation from West Point. Manuel L. Quezon, then the Philippines' Resident Commissioner to the United States (he would later on become the president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines), visited West Point to attend Lim's graduation ceremonies. Upon Quezon's arrival, he was met by the underclass Filipino cadets there, whom Quezon went on to ask where Lim was. One of the cadets said that Lim was "walking the area" (a traditional form of punishment at West Point) because, "a professor said a derogatory remark concerning Asians and Lim defended us." To this, Quezon replied, "Lim is impetuous, but he certainly did the right thing."^[5]

The first Filipino graduate of West Point

After four years and having survived all the rigors of West Point, Vicente Lim graduated from the United States Military Academy on June 12, 1914, ranking 77th in a class of 107. Graduating was in itself an achievement, as the class of 1914 originally started out with 133 cadets. Lim was the only foreign cadet to graduate that year, in a class that originally included one cadet from Cuba and another from Ecuador.^[2]

The outbreak of World War I and Lim's initial assignments

Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy, Vicente Lim was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Philippine Scouts. Prior to returning home to the Philippines, the young Lieutenant was sent to Europe to observe and study the set-up of the armies there. At the outbreak of the First World War, Lim was marooned in Berlin. To make his way back to the Philippines, Lim had to travel via the Trans-Siberian Railway, and had "quite an adventurous time making his way across Siberia."^[6]

Lim eventually made it back to the Philippines, and was given his first assignment with a Scout garrison in Fort San Pedro, Iloilo in Western Visayas. Lim was later assigned to the island fortress of Corregidor.

In 1916, Lim began teaching at the Academy for Officers of the Philippine Constabulary in Baguio City (the academy was later renamed the Philippine Constabulary Academy, and eventually evolved into the present-day Philippine Military Academy). Lim taught courses in Military Art, Military Law and Topography and also handled Equitation and Athletics.^[1] It was in Baguio that Vicente would meet and begin courting his future wife, Pilar Hidalgo, who was spending the summer at the Holy Family College. Pilar had gained distinction as one of the country's first female mathematicians and was the first female Cum Laude graduate of the University of the Philippines. (Pilar would also become known as a prominent civic leader, and one of the staunchest advocates of women's suffrage. Pilar later on became a co-founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. She also became Centro Escolar University's third president after the death of Carmen de Luna and steered the university during the reconstruction and normalization of school operations after World War II.)

Vicente and Pilar met each other for a second time in April 1917, and their courtship continued. On the 6th of the same month, the United States ended its neutrality and declared its entry into World War I. The Militia Act (enacted 17 March 1917) called for the formation of 3 brigades for the mobilization of a Filipino division to prepare for combat in Europe. Ultimately, certain political considerations, as well as other numerous delays would push the physical mobilization of these Filipino units to October 1918. The First World War ended a month later, without any of these troops being shipped out.^[7] However, the uncertainty brought about by the situation then, forced Lim to press for a quick engagement and an early wedding. A military wedding was held in Quiapo Church on August 12, 1917.^[1] Soon after the wedding, Lim and his bride departed for Jolo and later on, Zamboanga, where Lim was assigned.

First clash with General Douglas MacArthur and other controversies

Just as he did during his days at West Point, Lim never hesitated to make his displeasure known towards unfair treatment and discrimination against Filipino officers on the basis of race. As early as 1914, Lim complained to Manuel L. Quezon about the "insults and petty harassment he had suffered because of his color". In 1922, as a captain stationed with the 45th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts at Fort McKinley (now Fort Bonifacio), Lim refused an order to transfer to Corregidor "when it became apparent that the reason for the order was to free living quarters at the Fort for incoming American officers." The Commanding General of the Scout Brigade at McKinley, General Douglas MacArthur, relented, and allowed Lim to remain at his post.^[2] It would not be the last time that Lim would clash with the army brass on similar issues.

The task of ensuring that Filipino officers were accorded equal treatment in terms of compensation, benefits, promotion and respect in the American Army engaged Lim intellectually and emotionally. So passionate was Lim about this that there is a story of him punishing a lower-ranking American serviceman who refused to salute him. To get his point across, (then) Major Lim ordered the American to face a hat stand where his Major's cap was hung and to continuously salute the cap until ordered to stop.

While Lim was mostly vocal on issues related to discrimination in the Army, he was equally vocal on the importance of maintaining a certain standard among its officer corps. He did not shy away from giving critiques of his fellow officers in the Philippine Scouts (Americans included) who were "unfit" to serve. In 1927, Lim wrote Major John Sullivan, assistant to General Frank McIntyre, the Bureau of Insular Affairs Chief: "I have many friends in the Scouts, but I can frankly state that as a whole they are the greatest handicap for the government ... The great majority of them are even disgusted with their own selves."^[2]

Lim was a staunch believer that the strength of any military organization was a function of the quality of its corps of officers. It was a cause he would continue to champion later on in his career, during the formation of the fledgling Philippine Army.

Further military education

The passage of the National Defense Act of 1920 finally allowed Filipino officers to be assigned to various military schools in the United States for further military education. In 1926, Vicente Lim was assigned to the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was at Benning that Lim became classmates with Akira Nara, who would later on command the Japanese 65th Brigade, one of the Japanese Army's invading units during the Battle of Bataan (Lieutenant General Nara became notorious for having ordered the slaughter of over 350 men of the 91st Division, Philippine Army (USAFFE) ). Upon completion of his training at Benning, Lim was sent for further studies to the United States Army Command and General Staff College (USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

In 1928, Lim continued his extended stay in the United States, and he was subsequently assigned to the Army War College in Washington, D.C. As part of the coursework, then-Major Lim wrote a thesis in April 1929 entitled, "The Philippine Islands - A Military Asset". The paper was praised by the Commandant of the War College, Major General William D. Connor, as a "study of exceptional merit made at The Army War College". General Connor would go on to forward the document to the War Plans Division, War Department General Staff for reference, "being of interest to that Division". As it would turn out, the paper would accurately predict the conduct of the campaign Japan would eventually launch against Filipino and American forces in the Philippines in 1941–1942.

These advanced courses enhanced Lim's knowledge of military science and further honed his keen military mind. At the outbreak of World War II, this same education and training would prove invaluable, as Lim was the only Filipino at that time to have attended the USACGSC and the Army War College.^[2] This made him the only Filipino General technically qualified to command a division.

Colegio de San Juan de Letran

Lim returned to the Philippines in 1929 and was appointed the professor of military science and tactics (PMS&T) at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and raised the standards of the training program there.

Retirement from the US Army

After more than 350 years of foreign rule and almost 40 years after the first declaration of Philippine independence at Kawit, Cavite, the Philippines took the penultimate step towards self-rule. On November 15, 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established. The first act of the Commonwealth Government, The National Defense Act or Commonwealth Act. No. 1 (enacted on December 21, 1935), laid out the country's National Defense Policy and established The Army of the Philippines, a force completely separate from that of the United States'.

Lim's West Point education and his completion of command and general staff programs in the United States, made him a natural nominee to aid in the establishment of a national defense system for the Philippines. However, Lim was faced with a dilemma: either to stay on with the US Army as a lieutenant colonel and complete the required tenure for a full pension, or to join the fledgling Philippine Army, sacrifice his tenure and get less pay. Lim ultimately decided to do the latter; he retired from the United States Army June 30, 1936. He joined the Philippine Army and was immediately given the rank of brigadier general.^[6]

The formation and mobilization of the 41st Infantry Division, Philippine Army

The outbreak of war and the withdrawal to Bataan

The little training (or in many cases, no training at all) that the men of the nascent Philippine Army received between September 1941 and December 1941, would turn out to be all they would take to battle against the menace that was to befall the Philippine Islands. As late as December 1, 1941, only about two-thirds of the 41st Division had been called into active service. Only a few days later, on December 7, 1941 (December 8, 1941 in Asian time zones), Japan launched an attack on Pearl Harbor. Within a matter of hours of each other, Japanese forces also commenced attacks on Guam, Wake Island, the British crown colony of Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaya, and the Philippines.

The defense at Abucay

"Lim is the hero of Bataan", states the Philippine Army Bulletin of April 1947, "General Lim's 41st Division made possible the Battle of Abucay, which I believe is the most decisive battle of Bataan. , . At Abucay the Japs for the first time met real opposition. . . Contact at Abucay was about 8 January 1942. The Japs, employing massed artillery followed closely by aggressive infantry action hit the 41st Division. For the next 18 days the Japanese tried to break the 41st Division line and failed. Abucay was abandoned on 25 January when Jap breakthroughs in Moron and Natib made Abucay untenable. . . After Abucay the Japs started to withdraw from Bataan, and resumed their attack in April, thus allowing MacArthur forty precious days for the preparation of Australia as an operational base. If any one factor can be said to have contributed mostly to make Bataan possible, that can be Abucay. And If any one unit can be said to have made Abucay possible that is General Lim's 41st Division.

Absolute knowledge that they were to hold at all cost gave those members of the Regiment, who were fighting for their homeland, an additional incentive. The Filipino soldier did not have to be motivated to fight. They were the only Philippine Army unit to have been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for helping the 57th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Scouts.^[19]

696 casualties from the intense fighting along the Abucay front^[20] for the 41st Infantry Regiment out of 1821.^[19]

"Probably due to the very heavy casualties that they had suffered in the actions along the Mt. Natib-Abucay line, the Japanese were slow to follow up the advantage gained by the Corps withdrawal." "Considering the lack of training in almost all of the Philippine Army units, their combat efficiency was much higher than expected." 500 casualties being hospitalized due to malaria daily, by March, the figure had risen to almost 1,000.^[20]

Abucay, not yielding an inch of ground, saving Bataan from early defeat

It was in Bataan that the Japanese met the stiffest resistance from the armed forces during the campaign. For over 3 months, the 41st Division fought gallantly under grueling hostile fire, determined not to give up any ground. It was assigned to defend the biggest portion of the main battle position, yet it repelled the heavy armored and infantry attacks of the Japanese. The previously untested troops of the 41st repeatedly denied any ground to the superior enemy forces and inflicted heavy casualties on every Japanese offensive. Because of the repeated beatings they received from the 41st, the Japanese actually began avoiding the sector that the 41st defended. For this, General Lim, and the rest of the men of the 41st Infantry Division earned respect and commendation from their co-defenders. In a letter sent to General Lim during the siege, Carlos P. Romulo wrote: "Everyone here is praising your courage and your ability. You are THE one Filipino General who has caught the imagination of everyone. The General (MacArthur), speaks highly of you all the time ... The General has spoken to the President (Quezon) about your courage and he has praised you time and again. The President once told me: "I have always said that fellow Lim is the only General we have in our army with cojones, and he is showing it now." Romulo later on wrote, "General Lim is the embodiment of the Philippine Army in Bataan: ragged, starved, sick unto death, beaten back hour after hour --- but invincible!"

The Orion-Bagac Line

Having been forced out of their positions along the Mauban-Abucay line, the Filipino and American defenders of Bataan made a hasty withdrawal to its second (and last) defense line on Bataan, the Orion-Bagac line. Compared to the Mauban-Abucay position, the Orion-Bagac line was a shorter, continuous line that spanned the middle of the Bataan Peninsula. Here, General's Lim's 41st Division was assigned to defend the center of the line, in front of Mt. Samat extending to the Pantingan River to the west.

The fall of Bataan

After almost four months of fighting the Japanese, the elements, hunger and disease, and with their fates already sealed by the decision made by Allied leaders to defeat Hitler's Germany first, the beleaguered defenders of Bataan were simply in no condition and position to effectively resist the enemy's final push to defeat them. The final Japanese offensive for Bataan began on Good Friday, April 3, 1942. The main attack was directed at the center of the main line of resistance, the sector covered by General Lim's 41st Division. The attack was preceded by an intense and sustained aerial and artillery bombardment. The intensity of the bombardment and the use of incendiaries effectively depleted the Division's ability to hold the line. By April 7, 1942, General Lim had assessed that the fight was over. One of Lim's last official acts was to issue a commendation to his division, "Your courageous and tenacious defense of your line for the last five days against tremendous odds and continuous bombing and shelling by the enemy merits my highest praise and commendation. I am proud to lead such a group of men."^[6] On April 9, 1942, all Filipino and American forces on Bataan were ordered to surrender. Bataan had fallen.

The Bataan Death March and incarceration at Camp O'Donnell

After the surrender of Bataan, the Japanese Command anticipated that they would take around 25,000 prisoners of war (POWs), only to find that they did not have the logistics to transport the more than 65,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans who surrendered. The Japanese had also assumed that the surrendering soldiers would have their own rations, not realizing that the defenders that had given them such stiff resistance for more than three months, had just been surviving on half rations or less. The results were no less than disastrous. Filipino and American prisoners, who were already exhausted, sick and starving, were forced to go on a 65-mile (105 km) forced march from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga. Thousands died along the way. But starvation and exhaustion were not the only killers in this "march of death". Prisoners were subjected to untold brutalities by their Japanese captors, who had all been trained in the Samurai's medieval warrior code -- Bushido—and were taught that being taken prisoner was far worse than death. All prisoners, therefore, were looked upon as subhuman and unworthy of respect.^[14] Stragglers were beaten, shot or bayoneted. Those who attempted to escape or stop to get water met the same fate. Many that were too sick to continue on the march were buried alive. Even the courageous Filipino civilians that were caught offering food or drink to the passing columns, were beaten or killed as well.

Those that survived the march to San Fernando were then herded like cattle and jammed into boxcars, where thousands more died of suffocation because they had all been packed in too tight. Many accounts describe how the dead were kept standing because there simply wasn't any room for them to fall. The trains then took the POWs to Capas, Tarlac, from where they had to march the last 8 miles to Camp O'Donnell. This whole tragedy would later become known as the infamous "Bataan Death March". Some estimates state that as many as 20,000 men died during the march. General Lim was among those who survived.

Unbeknownst to the survivors of the 9-day Death March, their suffering was far from over. A former Philippine Army camp, Camp O'Donnell was a facility designed to accommodate only 10,000 men. Cramming five times that number into the camp resulted in the deaths of thousands more. Poor sanitation, the lack of medical facilities, the shortage of food and water, and the continued brutality of the Japanese guards all contributed to the death toll.

Underground resistance and guerrilla operations

As if the ordeal of the Bataan Death March and the horrific conditions at Camp O'Donnell were not enough, many surviving American POWs were sent off on "hell ships" to do forced hard labor in Japan, Manchuria, Korea and Taiwan, among others, until the end of the war. Those that were too weak, were incarcerated in various POW camps across the Philippines. Filipino POWs that survived O'Donnell were more fortunate, as they were eventually paroled and released by the Japanese. All were made to sign waivers that they would not join any resistance movements. Nonetheless, many did continue to fight the Japanese and joined the underground and various guerrilla organizations.

Upon his release, General Lim went to live in Manila with his brother-in-law's family, the Clemente Hidalgos. By this time, the Japanese had installed a puppet government headed by President José P. Laurel. Lim was sent feelers to head the puppet Philippine Constabulary. Absolutely determined not to have anything to do with the Japanese-controlled government, he had himself confined at the Institute of Cancer building of the Philippine General Hospital. With the cooperation of his doctors, Lim was pronounced "sick", giving him a ready excuse to turn down the appointments offered to him. He supposedly told an enraged Filipino ranking official that he preferred death at the hands of the Japanese, rather than an assassin's bullet.^[25]

Lim used his time at the PGH to get back to health. Friends sent him food and other forms of help, and thus was comparatively well provided for. Lim sustained himself at the hospital by using proceeds from the sale of shares he owned in the Mangco Dry Dock. He continued to fight the Japanese using these same funds, personally financing various guerrilla activities in the provinces. Directing all of these operations from the PGH, Lim had his operatives give regular weekly reports about Japanese troop movements, disposition, and military installations.^[26] Such information, like those provided by many other brave Filipino guerrillas, greatly contributed to the success of American and Filipino military operations to liberate the Philippines in the latter part of 1944 to 1945.

General Lim's involvement in the underground and guerrilla operations inevitably made him a target of the Japanese Military Police.

Legacy

Brigadier General Vicente Lim's distinguished service in the military spanned a period of almost 35 years and 2 World Wars. He was a pioneer throughout his career, being the first Filipino to graduate from West Point (and from various general staff schools), a charter member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, and a key figure in the formation of a young nation's armed forces. He continued to "inspire and to lead" throughout the gallant stand at Bataan, and the guerrilla resistance. Today, he is remembered as the consummate professional soldier, who never compromised his principles, and stayed true to "Duty, Honor and Country" to the very end.

Medals for gallantry and outstanding military service

For all his years of serving with distinction in the military and for "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements" Lim was posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit by the United States Army. Lim was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart by the United States (awarded for "being wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces").

In recognition of General Lim's bravery and gallantry during the Battle of Bataan, the Philippine government awarded him the Distinguished Conduct Star and the Distinguished Service Star, the Philippines' second, and third highest military awards. He was also given a posthumous honorary rank of Lieutenant General.

Monuments and memorials

In recognition of his services to the Filipino people, General Lim likeness appears on the Philippine 1,000 Peso banknote together with José Abad Santos and Josefa Llanes Escoda. Lim also appears on postage stamps (₱3.20 value) which were first issued on August 22, 1982.

Postcard depicting Vicente Lim

In September 1951, the former Camp Paciano Rizal in Calamba, Laguna was renamed Camp General Vicente P. Lim in honor of the revered commanding general of the 41st Infantry Division. The location of the Camp was the site where the 41st Field Artillery Regiment of the 41st Division was mobilized prior to the outbreak of World War II in the Philippines. The Camp once served as the site of the Philippine National Police Academy and the headquarters of the PNP's INP Training Command. Today, Camp Vicente Lim serves as the Headquarters of Police Regional Office 4A (PRO 4A) CALABARZON, whose area of responsibility covers the five provinces of Region IV A: Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon.

Across the Cultural Center of the Philippines, on Roxas Boulevard is a statue of Brigadier General Vicente Lim, along with a marker with the inscription: "We are born to live a life which is valuable only if we live it unselfishly, not for our own gratification, nor for that of our family - but for our country. Men should not fear death, but dishonor and defeat. There is nothing more beautiful than to live and die for the defense of one's country against a common enemy. There is nothing meaner and more vile than to yield to that enemy without fighting to the last ditch." - Vicente Lim, March 20, 1941. It is a quote from a speech the General gave to a group of UP ROTC graduates during their commencement exercises.

A bust of Brigadier General Vicente Lim, is one of six busts featuring various Philippine national heroes in the town square of Hinigaran, Negros Occidental.

The Headquarters building at the Philippine Military Academy is named Lim Hall in the General's honor.

Various schools across the Philippines (such as the General Vicente Lim Elementary School in Tondo, Manila) are named after Lim.

The former Barangay Kaput/Capot in Orion, Bataan is now named Barangay General Lim. Part of one of the more important battles during the Battle of Bataan, the Battle of Trail 2, took place here.

Many streets across the Philippines are named after General Vicente Lim.

Traditions and annual ceremonies in honor of General Vicente Lim

About his fellow soldiers

With all this talk I sincerely give the credit to my officers and enlisted men. They are the ones who did it all. Mine is only to inspire and to lead them. When history is written I will give them all the credit. Their satisfaction is mine to share.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his wife from the front line in Bataan, February 20, 1942

On service and fighting for one's country

to me, the satisfaction of the service, well done, is more than anything that any amount of money can give. This you might call is the satisfaction you get for your services towards your own people and country ... But most important of all is to leave a name that my posterity may be proud of.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to one of his sons, 1938

I am of the firm conviction that the success of national defense will not depend much on the armaments nor the training of our able-bodied men but will depend 90% on the will of the people to fight for the country.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1940

There are many forms of service that you can render to your country ... what I want to impress on you is that if death is necessary to accomplish your end in upholding your dignity and that of your country then death should be nothing.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1941

We are born to live a life which is valuable only if we live it unselfishly, not for our own gratification, nor for that of our family - but for our country. Men should not fear death, but dishonor and defeat. There is nothing more beautiful than to live and die for the defense of one's country against a common enemy. There is nothing meaner and more vile than to yield to that enemy without fighting to the last ditch.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a commencement address to the ROTC graduates of the University of the Philippines, March 1941

On dignity, conviction and principles

You will go further, even if you may not acquire wealth, but you will be happier and well contented if you go via the straight path in life -- that is honesty and integrity.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to one of his sons, 1939

No great man will ever succeed in life if they do not grind their teeth and take the most dangerous path for the attainment of an end.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to one of his sons, Roberto, 1939

If you make a mistake, take it on the chin. Those things will happen many times in your life. Swallow it. Have that strength of character to make the best out of it.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1939

no matter what you do, be careful of what you say and if you happen to say it, do it.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1940

Dignity is of prime importance in successful living ... Give your life if dignity can be protected or restored. That should be the philosophy of all Filipinos.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1941

On preparation

Necessity is the mother of invention. Danger is the father of preparation.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1941

I wish you will bear in mind that no matter how small a thing you want to do, plan it ahead of time, think it over and allot a certain time for you to prepare your plans, for a mediocre plan is better than a brilliant unprepared plan that is haphazardly carried out.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1941

On patriotism, democracy and nation building

The principal defect of our national defense is not the training nor the lack of finances, but the great and dangerous defect of democracy which has been implanted into the minds of the Filipino people. We have a nationally wrong conception of democracy. Our democracy in the Philippines is unilateral. It is only for the benefit, for the freedom, for the rights, comfort and happiness of each individual member of the nation. That is the common belief, and I venture to say that 99.9% of our people believe in that kind of democracy. They do not know their obligations, their duties and the sacrifices that they should give to the state which is the relative counterpart of the amount of personal democracy he should indulge. The two should balance.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1940

If we desire the respect of other nations, we must show them that we are exerting all efforts to build a nation not only strong in arms but unconquerable in spirit. An indomitable will to fight & an unflinching resolution to defend at all costs "life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness" are the fundamental characteristics of any nation that deserves to survive

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a commencement address to the ROTC graduates of the University of the Philippines, March 1941

A civilian doing his work in the pursuit of national defense is just as much a soldier as a man in uniform, if not better; because patriotism is a moral quality which should be possessed by all.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a commencement address to the ROTC graduates of the University of the Philippines, March 1941

Others

You must, however, not lose your sense of humor, which is also a great item in your success. Sense of humor is the counterweight for your misfortunes which you will meet from time to time, from the smallest to the biggest ... If you take anything seriously without any sense of humor and you should happen to fail, it will be the beginning of your downfall.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1939

My greatest misgiving in this Army is the old system of the Filipino people. For an honest man it is rather the cause of my unhappiness. I am unhappy every time I see an officer or a reserve given more advantage over his brother officer because of his political or personal pull. That irritates me so much, I just cannot get over it.

— Brigadier General Vicente Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1940