My Twenty Four Years in the Marine Reserve; by Col. Danilo J. Gamboa

I first reported to the Marines on 15 June 1970, having been assigned there to join a group of newly commissioned officers headed by LCDR Adolfo S. Feliciano, LTsg Horacio R Miranda, LTjg. Edgar V Bond Jr., and LTjg. Eduardo Zalvidea to form the Marine reserve Marksmanship and Sniper Detachment that was tasked to upgrade and improve the standards of marksmanship not only in the Marines but the whole AFP as well.

We were all members of the Philippine National Shooting Team and I was already a Lieutenant Senior Grade at the time, having been commissioned on 09 December 1959 as an Ensign in the Philippine Navy. Although I served in the Naval Reserve in various capacities prior to my assignment with the Marines, the bigger part of my reservist service was in the field of marksmanship training and competition shooting.

When we reported to then CDR Cesar C Betita, Commanding Officer of the Philippine Marine Battalion at the time, we had the impression that we would be serving in the same capacity as we had with the Navy Reserve. When we opened the topic of sniper and marksmanship matters, we were surprised when he (the Commandant) told us that before we could become Marine shooters and snipers, we had to be trained to be Marines first.

We were put to training with the Marine units preparing for the Navy amphibious exercise code-named BAHAGHARI THAT WAS CONDUCTED IN LATE June 1970. Other than the regular individual training, which we underwent, I was designated as assistant S-2 under LT Rodolfo G. Biazon.

After BAHAGHARI, we started the marksmanship and sniper training in earnest. Aside from the military aspects of marksmanship we also trained Marines for sports shooting as well. This program produced international shooters among the Marines like Ludovico Espinosa, Pacifico Salandanan, Teofilo Gonzales, Manuel Maclang and many others. All of us hot in the National Open Shooting Championships as members of the AFP Shooting Team and all of us made many international shooting events.

During the 70s we also shot twice in competition with the USMC shooting teams and we were victorious both times. Those two times the Americans competed with us, they were left astounded by the talent the Pinoys had in handling the simple sights of the Garand M1s. The Americans would shoot in the 250-meter KDR with their sophisticated rifles. We competed tenaciously with Garands and our other comparatively newer rifles. We would win on slim margins, victories we credited to our exposure to international competitions. To prove that we were rounded shooters, the challenge for the 500 meters would be made. The test that "separated the men from the boys" was to shoot with Garands using their standard open peep sights. In the 500 meters, the Pinoys settled the question as to who were the men.

In July 1970, the Marines had a new Commandant, Navy Captain Rudiardo A Brow. I felt that Captain Brown did not fit the conventional mold of a Navy Officer. His unconventional nature was manifested by several incidents. The times then were getting troubled and we asked him if we would ever be committed to combat. He told us not to worry, we were reservists, after all, but he asked, "Are you not Marines?"

Even in the early days of Captain Brown’s tenure, it was apparent that then President Marcos was gradually placing his and his family’s protection in the hands of Marines. Captain Brown had us called on continuous AADT (Annual Active Duty Training) orders and at one time deployed our group as backup snipers to the regular Marine shooters who formed part of the inner defense of Malacanang Palace (the Presidents residence and office). We, the reservists were deployed as reserves and were stationed inside Kalayaan Hall in the middle of the Malacanang grounds.

During the first days I kept wondering why the regular Marines didn’t call on us to relive them. I was impressed by their devotion to duty. Many days later, I was called upon to relive one of the regulars but I was given a post on the second floor of the administration building. I wondered how I could cove the street when I could not even see beyond the gate. I found out later when the posted me upstairs that the sniper positions of the regulars were on the fourth floor and were on the fourth floor and were overlooking the ballet classrooms of an exclusive girls’ school were pretty dancers in their sheer leotards would do all sorts of body movements. My earlier impression on the regulars’ devotion to duty was dampened as little. Some of the reservists even felt aggrieved by what was perceived as a manifest lack of comradeship on the part of the regulars who did not earlier share those delightful sights.

Sometime in November 1972, the newly promoted Commodore Brown ordered an awarding ceremony for Marines who were not given awards during that year’s Marine Birthday. I was designated as emcee for that event, an evening parade with awarding ceremonies. The Marine adjutant gave me a list of forty-six (46) awardees. Realizing that the awarding would take such a long time, I presented the list to Commodore Brown, who to my surprise told me to go ahead and award every body in that list. So there it was, a group of Marines in formation (at what is now the parking lot of the Supporting Arms Regiment (Combat Support Group) listening to the reading of order in the darkness at about 1930H. I was sure that witnesses from the other military services would have found that spectacle strange, if indeed they were able to see the proceedings at all.

On 30 January 1973, Commodore Brown’s earlier words about the risks of reservists came true. Ironically, Commodore Brown himself died in a plane crash together with the first Marine Reservist to die on active duty, our Commanding Officer, LCDR Adolfo (Chito) S. Feliciano. Their plane crashed during an inspection of the unit training of the 1^st Marine Battalion that we reservists were also involved.

The rest of the seventies saw us reservist continue with the active mobilization and training program of the Marines, which was then under Navy Captain and later Brigadier General Rodolfo M Punsalang. During all this time, we were made to take training courses whenever and wherever possible. I completed two USMC correspondence courses; the Basic Course, and the Amphibious Warfare Course. I was also sent on an observation tour of some training centers in the USA. I visited Quantico Virginia, Camp Pendleton California and Fort Benning Georgia.

The decade of the seventies closed with me reaching the rank of Commander (that was later changed to Lieutenant Colonel when the Marines adopted ground ranks in May 1978). During the period from 1974 to 1982, I was fortunate enough to qualify twelve times for the Philippine National Shooting Team and won a total of five individual medals and eight team medals in international shooting competitions. I was also elected member of the Rifle Committee in the International Shooting Union.

Sometime in late 1979, the Naval Reserve Command under the command of then Navy Captain Edgardo Gallos decided to hold a test mobilization of reservists just two years out of NROTC. It was further decided that they would be formed into a Marine Battalion to be designated the 10^th Marine Battalion and named the "Polaris" battalion. I commanded that battalion. After a short training, the reservists were demobilized and I was assigned to command the Marksmanship and Sniper Detachment under the Philippine Marine Training Center. (PMTC).

During the preparations for the mobilization of the so-called 10^th "Polaris Battalion, Captain Gallos, instructed me to tell LCOL Balbas, the PMAR G-7 then to design a unit patch symbolizing Polaris. I could not find LCOL Balbas immediately so I asked NavResCom S-3 to have his draftsman design the patch and have it approved by Capt. Gallos. Later, I got hold of the ComNavResCom approved patch and it showed of a group of stars that was dominated by the star Polaris. When I finally say LCOL Balbas, he gave me a drawing of a patch that he designed. I initially didn’t see the symbolism much less identify the symbols. Lcol Balbas pointed out to me that the drawing was supposed to be that of crossed missile. I must have continued to look confused as LCol. Balbas patiently explained that they were crossed Polaris missiles.

I wasn’t sure which of the two patches would be appropriate, the one that reflected the Navy’s awe of the cosmic bodies represented by the stars Polaris or the one that reflected the Marine’s awe of firepower represented by the American ballistic missile bearing the same name. My dilemma was solved when then Commandant, Bgen. Punsalang, instructed me to tell both Captain Gallos and Lcol Balbas that he will not allow any Marine unit, regular or reserve, to support any patch other than the Marine patch, regardless of whether those patches are represented by celestial bodies or ballistic missiles.

The decade of the eighties saw my advancement from training duties to command duties. This transition came when I was nominated by the Naval Reserve Command to take up the AFP Command and General Staff Course (NRI). After completion of the course, I was promoted to Colonel.

I have always hoped that the fact of my reaching the rank of Colonel in the reserve would serve as a model for those officers in the reserves aspiring to rise in rank. If one tries to hard enough, the rank of Colonel is attainable. For me however, it is not just the rank that gives me the greatest satisfaction, it is the fact that I have reached the rank of Colonel in the MARINES.