Missing in Action
by Oliver Carlos
I have a relative who fought in Bataan. His name is Conrado Miranda, he’s a private in the USAFFE. Conrado is the younger brother of my paternal grandmother, Ceriaca Miranda-Castillo. He hails from Gerona, Tarlac and he was in his early 20s when his unit was deployed in Morong, Bataan in 1942 to face the advancing Japanese Imperial Army.
The war in Bataan was tough. The USAFFE, composed of Filipinos and Americans, fought at the disadvantage. They were outnumbered by the enemy who had a steady supply of ammunition, food, and medicine. The USAFFE were technically doomed as all the routes for the influx of supplies were cut-off. They were practically cornered in the peninsula. They also had another enemy- malaria mosquitoes.
But the defenders of Bataan fought gallantly. Notwithstanding their wounds, hunger, lack of medicine, and fever from malaria, they continued to hold their ground. The war in Bataan raged on for more than 3 months, beginning in January 1942, and ending bitterly with the USAFFE surrender on April 9 of that year.
The life story of Conrado Miranda had a bizarre ending. He was missing in action. He was just presumed dead by his commanders. No corpse of him was recovered as evidence that he really died in battle. The USAFFE just booked February 22, 1942 as Conrado’s day of death.
Meanwhile, Conrado’s family hid themselves in the hinterlands of Gerona, Tarlac in the whole duration of World War 2. His father Catalino, who was a land surveyor in the Commonwealth government, died of a heart attack while he was in their hiding place. After the war, they transferred his remains to the Gerona public cemetery.
In 2017, my father and I tried to locate the grave. We found it underneath some vines. After removing the wild plants, we saw a gravestone with two names — Catalino Miranda and Conrado Miranda, father and son. But my Dad was quick to tell me that only one body is underneath that grave — that of Catalino’s only. Conrado’s remains were never found. His family just placed his name on the gravestone to sort of give him a decent burial and memorial.
The story of Conrado got me thinking. A soldier who was missing in action is not necessarily dead. Most people assume him as dead. But what if he isn’t? What if he survived Bataan? Maybe he just got wounded and some locals took care of him, just like in the movies? If so, could have he lived a long life elsewhere? Did he get married and had children and grandchildren? Is he still alive? If so, he’s nearly 100 years old by now. There are hundreds of what ifs, or possibilities on what really happened to Conrado.
Around 2,000 years ago, there was another case of a missing body. The corpse of Jesus was nowhere to be found on that blessed Sunday morning. His grave was empty, only his burial clothes remained. The community had conflicting beliefs. Those who crucified him thought that his body was just stolen by his disciples. But Jesus’ followers firmly believe that their Lord has risen from the dead!
This is what faith really means. Faith is believing deep in your heart that Jesus rose from the grave after dying for your sins on the cross. He ascended into heaven, and he will return one day to get all those who have faith in him. Those who have repented from their sins and have put their trust in Jesus’ resurrecting power will be resurrected by Jesus himself on the last day. That’s the meaning of being saved by faith.
The apostle Paul discussed this comprehensively in 1 Corinthians 15. We read in verses 14, 20, and 22 (NIV):
“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith… But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…so in Christ all will be made alive.”
Dear friend, you have a choice to make. Do you believe that Jesus is alive? If yes, be joyful! Live your life with confidence that you will be with him for eternity.
