20th Battalion Combat Team (Philippines)

[[Rodrigo Sarmiento]]

[[Rodrigo Sarmiento]]

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'''20th Battalion Combat Team''', is a combat unit of [[Philippine Army]] from 1940s to 1950s. I was organized to combat communism and anti-dissidents campaigns in Luzon specifically against [[Hukbalahap|Huks]]. However, it was known as the second unit sent to Korea as part of Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) to replaced the battered [[10th Battalion Combat Team (Philippines)|10th Battalion Combat Team]].

'''20th Battalion Combat Team''', is a combat unit of [[Philippine Army]] from 1940s to 1950s. I was organized to combat communism and anti-dissidents campaigns in Luzon specifically against [[Hukbalahap|Huks]]. However, it was known as the second unit sent to Korea as part of Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) to replaced the battered [[10th Battalion Combat Team (Philippines)|10th Battalion Combat Team]].

=== Battle of Hill Eerie ===

=== Battle of Hill Eerie ===

{{Main|Battle of Hill Eerie}}

{{Main|Battle of Hill Eerie}}

It was in May 1952 that Lt. Ramos led a 44-man platoon of the 20th BCT to assault Eerie Hill. The Chinese occupied heavily fortified bunkers. The Chinese were armed with heavy weapons such as howitzers, bazookas, mortars, and .50 caliber machine guns. The presence of Chinese forces at Eerie Hill prevented United Nations Forces from advancing towards North Korea without suffering heavy casualties. Hence, the capture of Eerie Hill was vital.

It was in May 1952 that Lt. Ramos led a 44-man platoon of the 20th BCT to

assault Eerie Hill. The Chinese occupied heavily fortified bunkers. The Chinese were armed with heavy weapons such as howitzers, bazookas, mortars, and .50 caliber machine guns. The presence of Chinese forces at Eerie Hill prevented United Nations Forces from advancing towards North Korea without suffering heavy casualties. Hence, the capture of Eerie Hill was vital.

Elements of the 20th BCT attempted nine times to capture Eerie Hill to no avail. Col. Salvador Abcede, commander of the 20th BCT, picked then 2Lt. [[Fidel V. Ramos]] a fresh graduate of [[United States Military Academy|US Military Academy]] to lead the assault on the strategic hill.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=FVR recalls Korean War exploits |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1073067 |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=www.pna.gov.ph |language=en}}</ref> The young lieutenant in coordination with his superiors and Allied Forces made an elaborate plan on how to attack Eerie Hill and capture it with any casualty as much as possible. Before they jumped off for the risky mission, Lt. Ramos, a devout Christian, led a prayer for God’s protection. Jump off time was before daybreak of May 21, 1952. He divided his men into four groups. To avoid detection, they crawled for two hours through rice paddies. Four hundred meters from the top of Eerie Hill, they stopped for a while and surveyed the area.<ref name=":0" />

Elements of the 20th BCT attempted nine times to capture Eerie Hill to no avail. Col. Salvador Abcede, commander of the 20th BCT, picked then 2Lt. [[Fidel V. Ramos]] a fresh graduate of [[United States Military Academy|US Military Academy]] to lead the assault on the strategic hill.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=FVR recalls Korean War exploits |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1073067 |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=www.pna.gov.ph |language=en}}</ref> The young lieutenant in coordination with his superiors and Allied Forces made an elaborate plan on how to attack Eerie Hill and capture it with any casualty as much as possible. Before they jumped off for the risky mission, Lt. Ramos, a devout Christian, led a prayer for God’s protection. Jump off time was before daybreak of May 21, 1952. He divided his men into four groups. To avoid detection, they crawled for two hours through rice paddies. Four hundred meters from the top of Eerie Hill, they stopped for a while and surveyed the area.<ref name=":0" />