b'FAGAN .from page 2Filipinocomrades.AscaptainofhisWith the specter of lynching, race riots and the chain unit, Fagen led skirmishes against the pursuingtroopsofGeneralFunston whooffereda$600rewardforhisgang looming over Tampas Blacks, Fagen lived in dread head. A report of his "supposed killing" failed to convince even the U.S. Army,at all times. Searching for any escape from Jim Crow, so Fagen continues to live on, at last arriving at his niche in the American National Biography (San Juan). Fagen enlisted in 1898, being assigned to the 24th Infantry The Philippine resistance movement fought valiantly against the well-armedRegiment, a unit of so-called Buffalo Soldiers.Americans.LuzvimindaFrancisco states that the "Filipinos had to adapt to their limitations as best they could.withdarts,theubiquitousbolo,and evenstones,prompting(US)General Lawton to remark, \'they are the bravestWar until the end of WWII. ing him to 30 days of hard labor. Lifeoutofhisbarracksandmetwitha men I have ever seen\'" (Francisco). Was Fagen a hero or a mad dog?wasimmutablyalteredwhenFagen,Philippine insurrecto officer, who had ItisalsonoteworthythatonceThe answer is rooted in whether youafterjustafewmonthsofbattlingarrangedFagensescape.Therebel theAmericanscapturedPhilippinebelieve that fighting against U.S. colo- Filipino rebels, turned his back on theagenthadahorsewaitingforFagen PresidentEmilioAguinaldoinAprilnialism/imperialismin1899,inthisU.S. army and joined Filipino revolu- outsidethegarrison,andtogether, 1901,theyexpectedhostilitiestocasetheU.S.warofPhilippinecon- tionarieswhowereactuallyfightingthey disappeared into the jungles.ceaseandwere"dismayed"thatthisquest, is righteous and worthy of giv- against American invaders. Fagen was never captured or killed. wasnotthecase.Asthemovementing rise to a true hero, martyr and cou- At the time, there was a fierce debateOut of respect and tribute for his role againsttheAmericanpresencehadrageous Buffalo Soldier, who desertedinAfricanAmericancommunitiesonasguerrillaleader,hisFilipinocom-massivesupport,thefightingcontin- the U.S. side and joined the Philippinetheir role in these foreign wars. Manypatriots addressed him as El General, ued "unabated." This revelation led theRevolutionaryArmy.ThePRAwassaw the invasion of the Philippines asalthoughhewasaCaptain.Despite leaderoftheUScampaign,Generalfightingtoestablishtheirowninde- a race war, through which white set- the wide respect and honor in which ArthurMacArthur(GeneralDouglaspendentrepublicaftertheSpanishtlerswouldinevitablyrepeatinAsiahe was held by his fellow anti-imperi-MacArthur\'sfather),toresign.Whilewere kicked out. thewaveofenslavementandgeno- alist insurgents, the U.S. army brand-inthePhilippinesin1989,IvisitedDiariesandletters,Blacksoldierscide that had been inflicted on NativeedFagenadeserterandtraitorand theverylocationintheCordillerapostedinthePhilippinesrecountedAmericans and Black slaves. Contraryexpunged all memory of him from the where Aguinaldo was captured by thehow racism was endemic in the U.S.toenlistmentpromises,Africanannals of history. His racist white U.S. Americans. military, describing the racist abusesAmericansoldiersinthePhilippinesGeneral, Frederick Funston, described I am thankful of one of my friendssufferedbybothAfricanAmericanswere relegated to second-class status.Fagen as a bandit pure and simple, who shared with me this article below,and Filipinos. Officersoftenorderedthemtocarryand entitled to the same treatment as aboutDavidFagen,thathesawonout dirty jobs that no white soldiersa mad dog.Counterpunch. FagenwasanativeofTampa,wantedtodo.TheywerealsoforcedInthiswritersestimation,Fagen Florida,theyoungestof6childrento serve as expendable shock troopswasanythingbutamaddog,but offormerslaves.Hegrewupwhereonthefrontlines,whereliveswereacourageousresistancefighterwho ______________________________________ Jim Crow racial segregation laws pre- most at risk, while white commanderschose the right side in a battle against vailed.Withthespecteroflynching,stayedbackatasafedistancefromU.S.aggressionandimperialism.I race riots and the chain gang loomingthe Filipino rebels. Filipino insurgentsconcludewiththeaspirationalbelief, overTampasBlacks,Fagenlivedinput up posters and distributed flyers Forgotten: an Africandread at all times. Searching for anywithmessagesencouragingcoloredcirculated by many, that Fagen fell in lovewithaFilipinawomanandran American Soldier Turnedescape from Jim Crow, Fagen enlistedsoldiers to join their cause, appealingaway to the mountains to live a peace-in1898,beingassignedtothe24thto their common suffering at the hands Rebel Leader in theInfantry Regiment, a unit of so-calledof white Americans. ful life with her.Philippines Buffalo Soldiers. HistoriansstudyingthePhilippine- Long live the memory of David FagenExpansionistUSA,intentondevel- AmericanWarestimatethatatas opingaglobalcommercialempire,manyas15BuffaloSoldiersdecided By Jonathan Melrod, Counterpunch dispatched 6000 African American sol- thattheirplace,ratherthanhelpingJonathanMelrodisauthorof diers,including2100ofthefamedto suppress the Filipinos struggle for\'Fighting Times: Organizing on the BuffaloSoldiers,tothePhilippinesindependence, was in joining them inFront Lines of the Class War\' (PM Y ou wont find this story anywhereislandsperPresidentMcKinleysrevolution.ThesupposeddesertersPress). He is married to Maria Isabel else for Black History Month, butassessmentthattheracialinferiorityof the 24th infantry proved one thing:Lopez, Filipina actress and political youshould!Bythemid-1900s,aof Filipinos justified denying them sov- systemicracismandoppressionbyactivist. Together they are involved BuffaloSoldiernamedDavidFagenereignty and engaging in a bloody warwhite Americans was enough to forgeinthehumanrightsstrugglein was virtually a household name, par- of conquest. Fagen, now on the battle- alliances across vast national and eth- thePhilippinesandtheon-going ticularly in the African American com- field, detested his white commandingnic lines. defenseofindigenouspeoples munity.Fagensstorymakesmythofficer Lt. Moss, a West Point graduate.This may have been the very reasonancestral lands from incursions by ofthefalsecontentionthatAfricanMossandFagenclashedrepeated- FagenturnedhisbackontheU.S.thePhilippinearmyatthebehest Americansofferedlittleresistancetoly, with Moss eventually fining Fagenarmy, for a new life as a Filipino guer- of foreign mining and logging com-institutionalized racism from the Civilmore than a months pay and sentenc- rilla. One night, Corporal Fagen snuckpanies.BODY OF CHRIST NEWS MARCH 2023 follow us onfacebook 7'