Posted by Ramon Ong on April 6, 2012:

I had the opportunity to work very closely with COL Villanos when were both assigned with the 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division, Philippine Army in Jolo, Sulu in 1983. I was the already the Division Chief of Staff, when he came in as the new Assistant Division Commander. Because of limited accommodations, even for senior officers, we became roommates for some time. This is how I got to know him better. He was an Ordnance Officer and a bit inexperienced with Infantry operations, so I had to familiarize him on how to command a major Army unit the Infantry way. He soon learned the ropes, and before long, it was his turn to teach me about staff work. COL Villanos had been a staff officer for many, many years and was at one time the AFP Chief of Ordnance and Chemical Services in GHQ. I was amazed at his staff expertise and mastery of the intricacies of staff planning, analysis and supervision. COL Villanos' specialty was in the field of logistics. He showed us how a Division can accomplish so much, even with insufficient resources. Maintenance of armaments, vehicles and equipment is always a big problem for a unit that is far away from the supply depots of Fort Bonifacio and Camp Aguinaldo, but under the expert guidance of our Ordnance asset, our Infantry Division was able to reduce the big problem into a smaller, more manageable one, in the months that followed. COL Villanos was a great storyteller, and I really enjoyed our times together before and after our work schedules. We spent a lot of spare time on the runway of the Jolo National Airport. Our Division Headquarters was located beside this Airport, and since the runway was rarely used by the Philippine Airlines' flights, we soldiers took advantage of the opportunity to do some jogging on the runway. There was a slight risk in using this particular airstrip. Sometimes there was an unscheduled landing by a private aircraft. Or a cargo plane from the Philippine Air Force. But even riskier was the fact that although one end of the runway was a populated barrio, the other end was a forested jungle! A pair of senior officers like the Division Chief of Staff and the Assistant Division Commander jogging side-by-side along the entire length of the runway would be prime targets for some hostile snipers concealed in the bushes. Fortunately, the Division G-2 or Intelligence officer minimized the problem by deploying several soldiers at key locations along the runway, every morning and afternoon. COL Villanos joined me in my physical fitness schedule. His spirit was always willing, but initially, his flesh needed some upgrading. OK, a lot of upgrading. But gradually, his walking evolved into jog-walks until finally, he could maintain a non-stop trot with me for the entire 1.2 kilometer runway. Soon after, I was reassigned to a Brigade, but by the time COL Villanos and I parted ways, he had lost several inches of his waistline, and he had to buy new shorts and uniforms. I knew COL Villanos only as an O-6, a full Colonel. But there are many in my family who knew him as a Cadet. I refer of course, to my wife, Esther, her siblings and her parents -- who were stationed in West Point for the entire time that Cadet Villanos was there. MSgt Villador and his wife were both Ilocanos and they felt a special kinship with this particular Cadet who spoke to them in their native dialect. At that time, there were two Filipino Cadets named Joe -- Joe Dado and Joe Villanos -- and they visited the Villador family quite often, and often at the same time. To differentiate the two Joes, the Villador family re-named them "Big Joe" and "Li'l Joe." These two nicknames stuck with them for many, many years. Each time Esther and I visited her parents in California, they never failed to ask us, "How is Li'l Joe?" Occasionally, they even remember to ask, "And how is Big Joe?" Esther was still studying at the Post Elementary School when she first met 4th Class Cadet Villanos in 1952. She finished 2nd Year High School at the same time 1st Class Cadet Villanos graduated in 1956. So she knows a lot more about Cadet Villanos' social life during his 4 years stay at West Point, because she met all of his drags. These ladies stayed at the Villador quarters each time they visited West Point. And of course, they often spoke with Esther, when they were not with Cadet Villanos. So Esther learned a lot of things about Li'l Joe. The 1955 Hollywood movie, "The Long Gray Line" starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara shows a few seconds of someone playing the part of Cadet Vicente Lim, the 1st Filipino graduate of West Point. Rumor has it, that the actor chosen for this brief but important role was Cadet Joe Villanos. I end these recollections with my final, farewell salute to a friend, roommate and mentor. Sir, be thou at peace!

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