Brigadier General Virgilio Norberto Cordero Jr. (June 6, 1893 – June 9, 1980) was a Puerto Rican soldier who served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. Cordero authored two books about his experiences as a prisoner of war, and his participation in the

Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March was the Death march, forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of around 72,000 to 78,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war (POWs) from the municipalities of Bagac and Mariveles on the Bataan Peninsula to Camp ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early years

Cordero was born in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, the capital city of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

when the island was still a Spanish colony. There he received his primary and secondary education. He moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from

Penn State College of Engineering The Penn State College of Engineering is the engineering school of the Pennsylvania State University, headquartered at the University Park campus in University Park, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1896, under the leadership of George W. At ...

in 1917. That year he also graduated from the

Army ROTC The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based officer tr ...

(Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program of that educational institution.Toledo Blade - Jun 9, 1980
/ref> He then entered the officers candidate school in

Madison Barracks File:Madison Barracks.jpg File:Madison Barracks02.jpg File:Madison Barracks Stone Tower.jpg File:Madison Barracks Stone Tower 02.jpg Madison Barracks was a military installation established in 1813 or 1815 at Sackets Harbor that was built for oc ...

, New York and graduated with the rank of second lieutenant.

Military career

Cordero enlisted in the United States Army after graduating from PSU. He served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and by 1922, according to the Official Army register, he held the rank of captain of

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. On December 8, 1941, when Japanese planes attacked the U.S. military installations in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, Cordero, who by then held the rank of colonel, was the Battalion Commander of the 31st Infantry Regiment. The 31st Infantry covered the withdrawal of American and Philippine forces to the

Bataan Peninsula Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga, Bataan, Balanga while Mariveles, ...

and fought for four months, despite the fact that no help could come in from the outside after much of the

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

was destroyed at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

and mid-ocean bases at

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

and

Wake Island Wake Island (), also known as Wake Atoll, is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The neare ...

were lost. Cordero was named Regimental Commander of the 52nd Infantry Regiment, 51st Infantry Division of the new Filipino Army, thus becoming the first Puerto Rican to command a Filipino Army regiment. He commanded 72nd Infantry Regiment (PA) on the last days of Battle of Bataan. The Bataan Defense Force surrendered on April 9, 1942, and Cordero and his men underwent torture and humiliation during the

and nearly four years of captivity. Cordero was one of nearly 1,600 members of the 31st Infantry who were taken as prisoners. Half of these men perished while prisoners of the Japanese forces. Cordero along with other senior US military officers were liberated in the

Mukden Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. It is the province's most populous city with a p ...

POW Camp after the unconditional

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

on September 2, 1945. From July 1946 to November 1947, he served in the US military base in

Caserta, Italy Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. An important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city, Caserta is located 36 kilometres north of Naples on the edge of the Campanian pl ...

before returning to the United States. While in Italy, he was awarded a Silver Star Medal and the Legion of Merit for his actions in Bataan. In 2020 Virgilio N. Cordero was Posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.

Silver Star citation

Post-World War II

Cordero continued to serve in the military retiring in 1953 after 36 years of service. Cordero wrote about his experiences as a prisoner of war and what he went through during the Bataan Death March. He authored ''My Experiences during the War with Japan'', which was published in 1950. In 1957, he authored a revised Spanish version titled ''Bataan y la Marcha de la Muerte''; Volume 7 of ''Colección Vida e Historia'', published by: A. Aguado. On June 9, 1980, Cordero died of lung ailment in the U.S. Navy Hospital at

Roosevelt Roads Naval Station Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, nicknamed Rosy Roads, is a former United States Navy base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The site operates today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport, a public use airport. History In 1919, future US Preside ...

Ceiba, Puerto Rico Ceiba () is both a small Ceiba barrio-pueblo, town and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in northeast Puerto Rico. It is named after the famous Ceiba tree. Ceiba is located in the north-east coast of the island, bordering the Atlantic ...

. He was buried with

full military honors A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

in Section G, Plot 3 in the

Puerto Rico National Cemetery Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Bayamón, in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It encompasses of land, and at the end of 2005, had 44,722 interments. Until 2021, it ...

located in the city of

Bayamón, Puerto Rico Bayamón (, ) is a Bayamón barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in Puerto Rico. Located on the northeastern coastal plain, it is bounded by Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Guaynabo to the east, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, Toa A ...

. Cordero was survived by his wife, the former Gloria Haydon (1922–1981) of

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census. It is the home of Olin College. History ...

, four children and three grandchildren.

Military decorations

Among the military decorations which Cordero earned were the following: Tabs: * 31 Infantry Regiment Coat Of Arms

31st Infantry Regiment

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero Jr., Virgilio N. 1893 births 1980 deaths Burials at Puerto Rico National Cemetery Deaths from lung disease United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Bataan Death March prisoners Military personnel from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican military officers Puerto Rican Army personnel Penn State College of Engineering alumni Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals