On February 3, 1947, Lt. Fermin Ascense presented the colors of the 57th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts, to the Office of the Commanding General, Philippine-Ryukyus Command (PHILRYCOM). At the beginning of WWII, Lt. Ascence was the regimental sergeant major of the 57th Infantry (PS) and was given the honor of handing it over to PHILRYCOM headquarters. Below is the official transcript of the letter issued by the Public Relations Section, PHILRYCOM on the day of the colors’ return.

HEADQUARTERS
PHILIPPINES RYUKYUS COMMAND
PUBLIC RELATIONS SECTION
APO 707

RELEASE February 3, 1947

In a brief ceremony held recently in the Officer of the Commanding General, PHILRYCOM, Col. J. W. Boone on behalf of Major General George F. Moore, formally received the recovered regimental colors of the 57th Infantry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) from Lt. Fermin Ascense, designated officer-courier of the regiment. Lt. Ascence received the colors from Col. Cleo Z. Shugart of the GHQ Adjutant general’s office in Tokyo last January 25.

The regimental colors were saved from capture on Corregidor when an officer of the regiment ingeniously stuffed them into his pillowcase, and managed to hide them in some place in the walls of the Bilibid Prison where he was taken and confined later on. On the re-entry of American troops into Manila, the colors were recovered by the officer and were turned over to a staff officer of General MacArthur’s headquarters where they remained until their presentation to Lt. Ascense in Tokyo last January 25.

According to Staff Sergeant Basilio Viray, wo was the colors sergeant of the regiment at Bataan and who is at present assigned to the 60th Tank Battalion (PS), the regimental as well as the national colors of the regiment were taken over to Corregidor on April 8, 1942 from the Navy Yard at Mariveles by Lt. Cecil M. Sanders, Personnel Adjutant of the 57th, together with all the important permanent records of the regiment.

A significant feature of the final return of the colors to the 57th Infantry Regiment is the fact that both Col. Cleo Z. Shugart and Lt. Fermin Ascense were with the 57th at Bataan. Col. Shugart of the adjutant general’s office in Tokyo was regimental adjutant of the 57th, while Lt. Ascense, who is now serving with the 60th Tank Battalion (PS), was the regimental sergeant major ⏤ the reason why he was appointed courier to safe-hand the colors from Tokyo. The commanding officer of the 57th at Bataan up to the time of surrender was Col. Edmund J. Lilly, Jr., who is now at Ft. McClellan, Alabama.

The officers and men of the 57th Infantry Regiment whose motto is “Anywhere, anytime,” indeed have another good reason to feel justly proud of their regimental colors.