Pinoy and Proud

By Kiana Marsan

Gregorio “Greg” Canono

March 12, 1924 - Sept. 7, 2017

As Asian Americans reckon with a wave of anti-Asian hate in the wake of COVID-19, honoring the forgotten stories of Filipino veterans acts as a healing reminder of what it means to be Pinoy and American.

A young Greg Canono (Courtesy of Newcomer Obituaries).

Gregorio “Greg” Canono was born on March 12, 1924 in the Philippines. He lived with his parents, Herman and Lucia, in Bamban, Tarlac.[1] This was a mountainous farming region, home to a rural community.[2] He had five siblings, three of whom would die between the ages of five and ten.[3] They would fall victim to starvation during wartime, an all-too-common occurrence in a country where millions live in poverty.[4]“As the oldest, my dad felt a responsibility to make sure they didn’t starve,” said Rebecca Canono, one of Greg’s daughters. “It was probably one of the reasons why he joined the army.”[5]

Canono’s service began in 1941.[6] A day after Pearl Harbor was bombed in the United States, Japan invaded the Philippines on December 8, 2021 through the small island of Batan.[7] As a caddy for two American lieutenants at the time, 17-year-old Canono was immediately recruited for the U.S. Army.[8] By December 16, he had enlisted for the Philippine Scouts, which was a division made up of both American and Filipino service members.[9] They were well-trained, professional units, and it was considered an honor to be accepted into their companies.[10] Canono was a rifleman of the 26th Cavalry, the first to fight the Japanese.[11]

Historically, the esteemed skills and labor of the Philippine Scouts were exploited by the United States. They were led by white officers, equipped with outdated weapons and paid a third of what U.S. soldiers made. Following the Spanish-American War, their manpower was first used in 1899 to quell rebel movements that fought against U.S. occupation, pitting Filipino against Filipino. It was one of many mechanisms of social control used during American colonization from 1898 to 1946.[12]“He didn’t even have a uniform,” said Rebecca Canono.[13]

The Philippine Scouts fought the Japanese for several months, despite a lack of naval or air support for their outnumbered forces. In April of 1942, U.S. General Edward King Jr. surrendered. In what would become known as the Bataan Death March, thousands of prisoners of war—including Canono—were forced to walk 65 miles to a Japanese concentration camp. Many were starved, beaten, or killed before the end of their journey.[14] Canono recalled horrific treatment such as decapitation, as well as physical abuse. After seventeen days, Canono escaped from his captors.[15]"I see the cornfield higher than myself, [so] I jump and keep on running zig-zag," said Canono in an interview with 9News.[16]He walked back home that May, contracting a disease from his trek that left him delirious. After he felt cured, Canono was quick to rejoin the war effort. By May 22, he had joined the United States Army Forces of the Far East (USAFFE) to participate in guerilla warfare. His roles included engaging in hit-and-runs attacks with Japanese patrol, returning for dead comrades, and rescuing army pilots who had been shot down.[17]

As part of these responsibilities, Canono would intentionally be captured by the Japanese in order to gain intel for General Douglas MacArthur.[18] The field marshal had retreated to Australia after the Bataan invasion, coming back in 1944 with U.S. forces to seize the country back from Japanese control. At the time, MacArthur was heralded as the white savior of the Philippines and South Pacific. Later, he would be criticized for his egotistical and poorly guided decisions that cost lives.[19]At the war’s end, MacArthur shook Canono’s hand. “I don’t deserve this,” Canono had said. “Yes, you do,” MacArthur replied.[20]After several years off from the military and at the urging of his Filipino community, Canono used his connections to become a U.S. citizen in 1946.[21] It was an avenue of migration unavailable to many Filipinos, as the Philippine Independence Act of 1934 capped the number of migrants coming to the U.S. at 50 persons per year. Exemptions were only made for those who had military service under their belt, like Canono.[22]

Greg and Connie Canono (Courtesy of Newcomer Obituaries).

But his migration was delayed when he met his future wife, Consolacion “Connie” Manipon. She was a frank woman who spoke her mind and had survived the Rape of Manila during World War II.[23] This was a violent period where many atrocities were committed against Filipino civilians, specifically Filipina “comfort women,” by Japanese troops.[24] The couple married on Feb. 13, 1950, and they had their first child, John, in December of that year.[25]In 1951, Canono enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. It was a decision motivated by personal, political, and migration factors.[26]“He rejoined the air force, but he didn’t want to go back to the army and be in the infantry anymore,” said Rebecca Canono. “He knew that [joining the army meant] he would have to pick up the gun again and kill people, and he didn’t want to do that. He had enough.”[27]

In addition to being an instrumental figure in the Second World War, Canono served in the Korean and Vietnam War.[28] Canono continually came back and sacrificed when called to serve, withstanding pain, trauma, and tragedy. He was intrinsically motivated to provide for a nation he idolized and revered.

“Even before he set foot in the United States, he believed in this country. He believed in what it stood for, and he was a proud man,” said Rebecca Canono. “The lieutenants [who recruited him] knew that my dad had a sense of honor. He was there whenever they called him. He showed them loyalty, so they knew he would make a good soldier.”[29]

Just before Rebecca’s birth in 1961, the entire family migrated to the U.S. They made a home in Park Hill, Colorado, one of the only integrated neighborhoods in the state, when Canono was stationed there.[30] As a result of redlining and loopholes in the Colorado State Fair Housing Act of 1957, segregation was deeply entrenched in the state’s housing market. People of color, especially Black Americans, were denied access to wealthy, predominately white areas. This reality persists today.[31]

Greg Canono and his extended family (Courtesy of Newcomer Obituaries).

“At the time, my mom and dad could only purchase homes in certain places. If you were a foreigner, they didn’t think you could come up with the money to buy a home,” said Rebecca Canono. “I feel lucky that we [Rebecca and her siblings] could purchase a home wherever we wanted to live.”[32] Greg and Connie would go on to have six children; John, Alexander, Arthur, Rebecca, Regina, and Elaine.[33] The two built a tight-knit family, and Canono pushed them to pursue higher education. All graduated college as first-generation students. They became bankers, engineers, and teachers, and most stayed in Colorado.[34] Canono would have eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren by the time of his death.[35]

“He was a great dad. He provided, and he encouraged us. He wanted us to better ourselves,” said Rebecca Canono. “If we needed help, he would be there. He was always smiling, joking around. His grandchildren loved him so much.”[36]Canono retired from military service in 1966. But he kept ties with servicemen and veterans for years afterward, working at Fitzsimons Medical Center and Fort Carson as a civil servant.[37] In these environments, he was comforted by the presence of people who understood the costs of war.From his time in the military, Canono had PTSD that made it difficult for him to stay indoors or be in large crowds. He developed eyesight and hearing problems after a bomb went off during World War II combat, and this grew worse over time.[38] Breathing was difficult as well, and this was likely due to exposure to Agent Orange—a toxic herbicide used by U.S. soldiers against Vietnamese guerillas.[39] Canono’s losses due to war were numerous, but he remained prideful of his service.

“As soon as I said something about the war, he lit up. He was proud. It was like turning on a switch,” remembered Mike Simbre, a friend of the Canono family and Director of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP). “[Mr. Canono] went to get photos, his orders; he showed me everything that he kept from his service. But there was something missing: he was waiting for his medal.”[40] Canono’s rank did not change the entirety of his service during World War II. It wasn’t until later, during his 15-year-long career with the U.S. Air Force, that he was promoted from Private to Sergeant.[41] He earned a number of medals, such as the American Defense Service Medal, For Honorable Service While a Prisoner of War, and Philippine Defense Ribbon among others. None of these were received while Canono was alive.[42]

Greg Canono at Denver's 2016 Veterans Day parade (Courtesy of Getty Images).

If he had not enlisted again in 1951, the veteran would not have been able to receive benefits for his disabilities. Most Filipinos, due to the Rescission Act of 1946, were not granted the citizenship, benefits, or awards that the U.S. had promised. At the time, politicians cited economic hardship and their status as non-citizens of the United States as the reason behind their decision. It is the only sweeping instance of the government revoking military status to an entire ethnic group of people.[43]

It was through the decades-long work of FilVetRep that in Oct. 2017, Filipino veterans from WWII collectively received a Congressional Gold Medal and a ceremony to accompany this recognition.[44] Some, including Canono, never got to see this honor awarded to them. The medal was given posthumously to Canono’s family.[45]

Canono lived to the age of 93, dying of lung cancer on September 7, 2017.[46] He has left a profound legacy, one shaped by his military service and the family he loved and cared for. His story is one that calls on the Filipino American community to remember its fraught past and persistent triumphs throughout history.

Footnotes ↓

[1] “In Loving Memory of Greg Canono,” Newcomer Family Obituaries, 2017, https://www.newcomerdenver.com/Obituary/145856/Greg-Canono/Denver-CO.

[2] “Municipal Profile,” Municipality of Bamban, Province of Tarlac, accessed April 21, 2021, https://www.bambantarlac.gov.ph/municipal-profile/#:~:text=Origin%20of%20Bamban,Pampanga%20and%20the%20Tagalog%20provinces.

[3] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan, Zoom, April 13, 2021, DU VLP.

[4] “Philippines: By the Numbers,” Asian Development Bank - Data Library, last updated April 2020, https://data.adb.org/dashboard/philippines-numbers.

[5] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Andrew Knighton, “The Empire of Japan and the Invasion of the Philippines in WWII,” War History Online, Nov. 17, 2017, https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/the-empire-of-japan-the-invasion-of-the-philippines-in-ww2.html.

[8] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[9] “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2019,” database, ancestry.com, (accessed April 22, 2021), entry for Greg Canono.

[10] “The Philippine Scouts,” The Army Historical Foundation, accessed April 22, 2021, https://armyhistory.org/the-philippine-scouts/.

[11] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[12] “The Philippine Scouts.”

[13] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[14] “Bataan Death March,” history.com, last updated Jun. 7, 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march.

[15] Nelson Garcia, “Storytellers: Filipino veterans fight for honor,” 9 News, last updated March 19, 2017, https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/storytellers/storytellers-filipino-veterans-fight-for-honor/73-422882308.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Mike Simbre, email with Kiana Marsan, April 12, 2021.

[18] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[19] Hampton Sides, “Douglas MacArthur Is One of America's Most Famous Generals. He's Also the Most Overrated,” Time, last updated Nov. 23, 2019, https://time.com/5724009/douglas-macarthur-is-one-of-americas-most-famous-generals-hes-also-the-most-overrated/.

[20] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[21] Ibid.

[22] “Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934,” Immigration History, accessed April 22, 2017, https://immigrationhistory.org/item/tydings-mcduffie-act/.

[23] “In Loving Memory of Greg Canono.”

[24] Ambeth R. Ocampo, “Remembering the Rape of Manila,” Inquirer.net, last updated Feb. 14, 2020, https://opinion.inquirer.net/127352/remembering-the-rape-of-manila.

[25] “In Loving Memory of Greg Canono.”

[26] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[27] Ibid.

[28] “Greg Canono,” Find a Grave, last updated Sep. 17, 2017, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183502915/greg-canono.

[29] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[30] Ibid.

[31] Madeline Schroeder, “Park Hill’s Historic Struggle for Integration,” Front Porch - Northeast Denver, last updated Feb. 1, 2016, https://frontporchne.com/article/parkhillintegration/.

[32] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[33] “In Loving Memory of Greg Canono.”

[34] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[35] “In Loving Memory of Greg Canono.”

[36] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[37] “U.S. City Directories,” database, ancestry.com, (accessed April 22, 2021), entry for Greg Canono, 1979.

[38] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[39] “Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation,” U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, last updated Sept. 18, 2020, https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/hazardous-materials-exposure/agent-orange/.

[40] Maileen Hamto, “Honoring the Legacy of Filipino-American Veterans,” Colors of Influence, Nov. 5, 2017, http://colorsinfluence.blogspot.com/2017/11/honoring-legacy-of-filipino-american.html.

[41] “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2019.”

[42] Rebecca Canono, interview by Kiana Marsan.

[43] Gustavo C. Ingles, “The Filipino Veterans Movement,” PBS, accessed April 22, 2021, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/macarthur-filipino-veterans-movement/.

[44] “The Congressional Gold Medal,” The Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project, accessed April 22, 2017, https://www.filvetrep.org/congressional-gold-medal.