Former Airman oversees U.S. cemetery in Manila

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Val Gempis
  • Air Force Print News
MANILA, Philippines --  Dan Neese gets strange looks when he invites people for dinner and gives them his address. It is not because he is some kind of a weird character, but living inside a cemetery is something most people do not normally brag about.

Mr. Neese resides at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial here. It is the final resting place for 17,206 Americans from World War II.

The number represents 40 percent of the burials which were originally made in temporary cemeteries in New Guinea, the Philippines and other islands of the Southwest Pacific area. Most of the troops lost their lives defending the Philippines and the East Indies in 1941 and 1942. The cemetery, located about six miles southeast of the center of Manila, was dedicated in 1960.

Mr. Neese is the cemetery’s superintendent. His house sits amid 152 acres of gently rising ground lined with mahogany trees. There is a front-gate plaza with a circular fountain and a memorial court containing a 60-foot tower with a small chapel inside. A Wall of Missing is inscribed with the names of 36,284 people.

For Mr. Neese, taking care of these fallen heroes is a great honor.

“I get goose bumps every day I walk out into the cemetery,” Mr. Neese said. “I’m proud to serve them.”

His mission here is to ensure that the cemetery maintains and meets the highest standards as a living memorial to fallen servicemembers overseas. Their families have entrusted the care of their loved ones to the cemetery caretakers.

He said that it is very important to show people who have not been to the United States that the country holds its servicemembers in high esteem.

“We want people to know how much we care and appreciate the sacrifices they made,” he said.

Mr. Neese can relate to the families of those buried here because he understands the sacrifice that comes with being a servicemember. As a former Air Force security policeman, he spent five years patrolling flightlines and base perimeters during the 1970s. After he got out of the military, he started working for civilian companies, but after a few years, he decided he wanted to go overseas again.

For the past 15 years, he has been part of the American Battle Monuments Commission, a small independent agency of the executive branch of the U.S. government. The commission is responsible for commemorating the services of America’s armed forces through maintaining suitable memorial shrines and constructing military monuments and markers in foreign countries.

Mr. Neese leads a team of nearly 40 people, mostly local Filipinos, who maintain the cemetery’s day-to-day operations.

“It’s labor extensive,” Mr. Neese said.

The group makes daily rounds to ensure that the grass and plants at the cemetery are in good shape. In the tropical climate, watering the plants regularly is important. Another problem they face is the effect of severe air pollution in the Manila area. Also, because of tropical storms, trees sometimes fall in the cemetery causing damage to the headstones. The cemetery has a team of local marble engravers to repair or make new ones.

Other cost-free services they provide for friends and relatives of those interred in or memorialized here involves providing plot-location information, giving travel information and suggesting accommodations near the facilities. They also offer photographs of headstones and engraved names, plus arrange for floral decorations placed at graves and memorial sites. Few families get the opportunity to visit the cemetery because of distance and travel costs from the United States, he said.

The cemetery receives letters and e-mails from relatives of those interred here. They are very thankful for the care the crew provides for their lost loved ones, said Mr. Neese, adding his work here is one of the most rewarding things he has ever done.