Vicente Podico Lim

About

Filipino brigadier general who is best known for his service in the Philippine Scouts, a military division of the U.S. Army and then as a general in the Philippine Army following the country's independence. He was a staunch advocate for racial equality and equal treatment of the Filipino people by the U.S. Army. After the Philippines declared independence from American rule in November of 1935, he decided to leave his position in the U.S. Army, forgoing his pension, and helped build up the newly established Philippine Army.

Before Fame

He was the first Filipino graduate of United States Military Academy located in West Point, New York.

Trivia

In June of 1944, he was captured by the Japanese army while traveling to Australia and was subsequently tortured and sentenced to death.

Family Life

His father died when he was only 9 years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his three siblings on her own.

Associated With

While serving under Douglas MacArthur in WWI, he refused a military transfer after learning he was being transferred to make accommodations for American troops, and this refusal was eventually accepted by General MacArthur.