Obverse
The obverse of the coin features three armed servicemen and a nurse surrounded by billows of smoke. A tattered Old Glory waves proudly above them. "To the Heroes of Corregidor" "-"
Reverse
The seal of the Marshall Islands, an angel with outstretched wings. Behind the angel, there are two islands with an outrigger canoe and a palm tree. On the upper left and right in the shield are stripes. Behind the shield there is a stylized nautical chart. In the ring above the shield is the phrase Republic of the Marshall Islands, and below, the national motto, Jepilpilin ke Ejukaan (Marshallese: "Accomplishment Through Joint Effort").
Literature (C19.1)
To the Heroes of Corregidor
$5 Commemorative Coin
The Fall of Corregidor
After its demoralizing attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan invaded the Philippines and entrenched more than 60,000 battle-seasoned troops near Manila. In , Far East commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur – with American and Filipino soldiers and civilians - retreated to the Bataan peninsula to make a defensive stand. In the ensuing months, the Japanese subjected the occupants of Bataan to relentless offensives and sunk every supply ship en route to Luzon. In late February, President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to withdraw to Australia, and the general's reluctant departure in March was a crippling blow to his troops. On , Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright and approximately 15,000 soldiers and civilians withdrew to the island of Corregidor, a natural fortress containing an intricate system of tunnels and emplacements. The remaining garrison on Bataan surrendered the following day. By , Japanese troops were less than a mile from the entrance to Malinta Tunnel, the island's most protected underground passage. For the next 12 hours, Corregidor's guardians engaged the enemy in fierce hand-to-hand combat. But their plight was hopeless. On , after all vital materiel had been destroyed, Wainwright surrendered his garrison.
Lt. Gen. Wainwright withdraws to Corregidor
Wainwright Surrenders the Garrison
The Fall of Corregidor $5 Commemorative Coin
Issued by the Republic of the Marshall Islands -
Story of the Fall of Corregidor Coin
The Fall of Corregidor $5 Commemorative Coin was issued by the Republic of the Marshall Islands on , to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Corregidor. This solid cupronickel coin is legal tender of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which was one of the key battlegrounds in the Allies' march across the Pacific during World War II. The coin symbolizes the stalwart courage of the valiant American and Filipino comrades-in-arms, whose gallantry continues to be a source of inspiration and pride throughout the world. The obverse of the coin features three armed servicemen and a nurse surrounded by billows of smoke. A tattered Old Glory waves proudly above them. On the reverse of the coin is the national seal of the Marshall Islands, which appears on all its coinage. The motto, "Jepilpilin Ke Ejukaan," means "Accomplishment through Joint Effort," and the design centers on the nation's symbol, the Spirit Bird of Peace. Above the Bird, the 24-point Sunstar with a diagonal line on either side represents the nation's flag and two chains of islands. The Marshall Islands, granted complete independence by the U.S. in , is proud of its role in the World War II defense of freedom.
The Seige and Fall
Malinta Tunnel ran deep within the bowels of Corregidor. This massive crosscut served as the U.S. and Filipino headquarters, sheltering thousands of personnel — many of them administrative non-combatants — and approximately 1,000 sick or wounded. Although Bataan was lost, Wainwright struggled to obey MacArthur's directive and keep Corregidor, vital gateway to Manila Bay, in Allied hands. But when the siege began, Malinta Tunnel became a subterranean hell-hole. Day and night, more than 100 Japanese guns bombarded the island, leveling the surface to fiery rubble. In the tunnels below, powdery dust from fissues in the concrete covered everything. The stench of death and disease was inescapable, and hunger tore at the strength and will of the occupants. Witnessing the suffering of both his men and the innocent civilian populations he was charged to protect, Wainwright made the agonizing decision to surrender.
Eyewitness to History® Edition.
A PresentationPak® Edition © RMI 4460936
Note
Issued to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Corregidor.