LAST Monday the Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Philippines commemorated the 97th birthday of Karel Aster, considered the last Czech defender of Bataan.
Born on May 15, 1920, he is, to this day, the last living survivor among all the Czech defense volunteers who took part against the Japanese Invasion in the country during World War II, according to the embassy.
Aster was awarded the “Medal of Victory” and the “Medal of Defense” in recognition of his honorable civilian combat service in the Philippines by the order of the secretary of national defense in 2015.
He was also awarded a year before with the “Gratias Agit”. It is the highest civilian award bestowed by the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs to acknowledge prominent personalities who have committed themselves to work for the benefit of society, for the promotion of friendship among nations and for the promotion of the Czech Republic in the world.
“Aster’s motivation to join the army immediately after the Philippines was bombed in order to stop the advancing armies was formidable,” said Jan Vytopil, deputy head of embassy of the Czech Republic in Manila.
In a long letter dated November 10, 1945, Aster detailed his experience as a volunteer in the US Army Service in Manila and as a prisoner of war. He also depicted in his memoirs the fate that befell other Czech volunteers—seven of whom tragically died either in the Bataan Death March or in the Japanese captivity.
“The conditions were so terrible, it is hard for me to describe them,” he wrote in a letter to his parents. “We no longer behaved as human beings, and the only thing that helped us survive was one’s instinct for self-preservation. It shows humans can endure more than most animals.”
The Czechs were the only other nationals who volunteered en masse and took part in the wartime activities beside the Filipino and US troops during the Japanese Occupation. The memory of fallen Czechs in battle are remembered and preserved with a special memorial at the Capas National Shrine in Tarlac beside the Philippine Scouts and US Memorial.
“Every year it is the honor of every Czech ambassador to pay his tribute to these courageous compatriots, whose names stand alongside their Filipino and American brothers-in-arms,” Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Jaroslav Olša Jr. noted.