Ze391. (-01) this is the older 1945 32nd Div. Red Arrow Monument, without a plaque, and it is broken now. It has been moved by the road contractor to the left side of the Cabalisian River within the last 2 or 3 years during the new road and bridge construction.
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I changed my mind and will make this 6th album of our walk down the Villa Verde Trail on the 13th of June 2019. This album is an update on the older and newer Villa Verde 32nd Div. Red Arrow Monument in San Nicolas, Pangasinan on the Villa Verde Trail. Everything about the Villa Verde Trail is now accessible because the Authorities building a new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road along the track of the Villa Verde Trail. We started on top at Malico and walked down, the 32nd Div. Monuments was our last goal
Something I wish the authorities would do:
Establish a Memorial Park in Malico, in the Salacsac Passes, on top of the Villa Verde Trail like the Balete Pass Memorial when the new Pangasinan- Nueva . Like the Balete Pass Memorial it should be at the boundary between Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya. The park should or could incorporate the Japanese Memorial Marker in Malico; it could or should incorporate the US tank, about 2 km down the Villa Verde Trail from Malico. A small Japanese artillery piece is in Malico already, a heavier Japanese artillery piece is about half way between Santa Fe and the Balete Pass in a DPWH compound. The older 32nd Div Villa Verde 1945 Marker at the new Villa Verde Bridge in Santa Maria East could be repaired; missing plaques replaced and move it in this new Villa Verde Memorial Park in Malico.
The construction of the new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road along the track of the Villa Verde Trail is making progress. The about 20 km from Santa Fe to Malico is concrete and is open for traffic. Near Malico a new concrete bridge is being built over a creek.
The about 23 km from San Nicolas to Malico is maybe 50 % finished, blasting is going and a few embankments in ravines or ridge point are not stable yet. Motorcycles are using it and once a great while someone is taking a great risk and uses a car.
If you are interested, then a lot more information and pictures are in this forum page, it got 4 pages already, click here:
Ze392. (-02) my two friends and our friend driver are standing next to older 1945 32nd Div. Red Arrow Monument, without a plaque, and it is broken now. In back is the construction camp for the new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road.
Ze393. (-03) this is the older 1945 32nd Div. Red Arrow Monument, without a plaque, standing on the left bank of the Cabalisian River. The monument is broken now. Before the road construction started the monument was resting on the right bank.
Ze394. (-04) this is the broken off red arrow tip of the older 1945 32nd Div. Red Arrow Monument, without a plaque, standing on the left bank of the Cabalisian River now.
Ze395 (-05) this is the new Villa Verde Bridge over the Cabalisian River, this is the start of the new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road along the track of the Villa Verde Trail. The name of the bridge is actual Ville Verde.
Ze396. (-06) this is an Aug. 2014 image of the Cabalisian River crossing by the Villa Verde Trail. The older 1945 32nd Div. Red Arrow Monument, without a plaque, was sitting on the right river bank and was partially buried in a tilted way by the river sand. It was not broken yet. I was able to follow about 7 km up the Villa Verde Trail at that time and I walked to the point where the Villa Verde trail splits up according to my map.
Ze397. (-07) again here is a Google Earth image for your orientation as to where the two 32nd Div. Monuments are.
Ze398. (-08) this is the SW corner of the San Nicolas Plaza which has a newer Villa Verde 32nd Div. Monument and it has a plaque. I know that the old monument is recorded on the 32nd Div. web pages but the new one is not.
Z399. (-09) this is my speculation that the plaque of the original monument was put on this new monument, I do know the wording is exactly the same as it is recorded in the 32nd Div. web pages.
Ze400. (-10) this is my speculation that the plaque of the original monument was put on this new monument. This is the SW corner of the San Nicolas Plaza which has this newer Villa Verde 32nd Div. Monument and it has a plaque.
Ze401. (-11) these words on the plaque of the newer Villa Verde 32nd Div. Monument are exactly the same as on the older one by the Cabalisian River. The Monument record in the 32nd Div Web pages says so.
Ze402. (-12) this is really a very unique fact; the San Nicolas High School, even today has the name: Red Arrow High School. To me that means that the people of this town had a very, very close relationship with 32nd Div. in WWII. I asked about 10 people, grownups and students that it was named after the nickname of the 32nd Div. nobody knew.
Ze403. (-13) our van looks like it went thru some rough spots but it and we made is safely down the Villa Verde Trail from Malico. For safety we had the van follow us walkers. And we seen some impressive vistas and have a better appreciation of what the GIs and their Filipino comrades had to endure.