Posted by Ramon M. Ong on May 6, 2002:

After my Vietnam tours finally ended in 1969, I was assigned to the Philippine Military Academy. The Dean of the Academic Board asked me what subject I wanted to teach. "Spanish, Sir," I said. "No. You teach Mechanics." he replied. So I went and reported to the Dept. of Mechanics where Col. Ted Sanchez would be my boss for 5 years. Col. Sanchez was a perfectionist. He insisted on reviewing our lesson plans, checking our solutions to the daily quizzes to see if they could be further simplified, and evaluating our classroom techniques. Small wonder that the Department of Mechanics was always rated by the Dean as well as the Cadets as the best. Col. Sanchez always insisted that we Instructors go the extra mile to help the students. He made sure that Cadets with deficient grades received the appropriate Extra Instruction hours from us. If an exam was particularly difficult, we knew that our weekend at home with the family was a hopeless dream. We would be in the classroom with the appropriate number of Cadets, solving problems and answering queries. Ted, as we fondly called him behind his back, was an avid coffee drinker. He loved brewed coffee and plenty of it. There was always a pot brewing in the office. Most of us were happy with one cup a day. Ted needed 6 or 7 cups lest he suffer withdrawal symptoms. Ted liked being busy. There was never a dull moment for him as he welcomed extra jobs like President of the PMA Officers' Club and President of the Credit Union Cooperative. He loved sports too and rarely missed playing basketball and baseball during Athletic Days. I think Ted liked being busy at home too. He and Elvie produced 8 or 9 children. Somehow, the entire family could be all compressed inside the family Volkswagen Beetle. I finally discovered the Sanchez secret - when the males inhaled, the females exhaled and vice versa! I am sure Ted loved his children equally, but there could have been a "slight" manifestation of favoritism when number one son Ted Jr. followed his father's footsteps to West Point. Mrs. Ong and I visited Cadet Sanchez in 1980, just prior to his graduation. I left PMA and Col. Sanchez with nothing but respect, admiration and affection for this Officer and gentleman. I salute you one more time, Sir! That star in your Dress Gray is now a star in the sky. Keep watching over our Cadets at the PMA! Brigadier General Ramon M. Ong (Ret) - USMA '63 Armed Forces of the Philippines

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