KUNTAO Martial Arts Club the creator of the Annual Bataan Death March Ceremony in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania has now joined two key associations:

Kapitbayan Filipino-American Association, Inc. (KFAAI)

(KFAAI) KUNTAO

American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor

ADBC KUNTAO

Master Keith Mazza

TRADITIONAL WING CHUN

Direct Master of MG-Sifu Yeager is Master  KEITH MAZZA

Master Mazza is the 1^st closed door student of Grandmaster [Sigung] William Cheung.

Sigung was the senior student of Grandmaster Ip Man [Yip Man].

James Keating COMTECH

KALI

Direct Master of MG-Sifu Yeager is Master at Arms JAMES KEATING – COMTECH System.

Master Keating’s instructor was Paul Vunak founder and creator of Progressive Fighting Systems.

Guro Dan Inosanto

Paul Vunak’s Master was Magulang Na Guro Dan Inosanto.

The USS Bataan (LHD-5) has award a commemoration plaque and flag to the Phoenixville Annual Bataan Death March Ceremony held each year at KUNTAO Martial Arts Club.

The plaque commemorates the victims and survivors of the Bataan Death March.

The first ceremony to honor the WWII American and Filipino Veterans was held at Franklin Commons in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania on May 12, 2012.

Bataan Death March History

April 9, 1942 – The Bataan Death March the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 76,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners. The 80 mile march was characterized by wide-ranging torture, bayoneted and murder, and resulted in very high fatalities inflicted upon prisoners and civilians alike by the Japanese Army.

Those that survived were forced to walk to Camp O’Donnell. Even after arriving at Camp O’Donnell, the survivors of the march continued to die at a rate of 30–50 per day, leading to thousands more dead. Most of the dead were buried in mass graves that the Japanese dug out with bulldozers on the outside of the barbed wire surrounding the compound. All told, approximately 5,000–10,000 Filipino and 600–650 American prisoners of war died before they could reach Camp O’Donnell.

USS Bataan

USS BATAAN (LHD 5) was commissioned September 20, 1997. BATAAN is the fifth ship in the WASP class of United States Navy multipurpose amphibious assault ships. The mission of BATAAN is to enable the Navy and Marine Corps team to accomplish a seamless transition “….from the sea” to the land battle, as the lead ship and centerpiece of an Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG). A multi-mission ARG is capable of amphibious assault, advance force, and special purpose operations, as well as non-combatant evacuation and other humanitarian assistance missions.

For combat support, as well as non-combatant evacuation and other humanitarian missions, LHDs have hospital facilities second only to the Navy’s hospital ships, including six fully-equipped medical operating rooms, and hospital facilities capable of caring for as many as 600 patients.

BATAAN is 844 feet long, with a beam of 106 feet. Her well deck is 267 feet long and capable of holding three LCACs. Two steam propulsion plants, developing a combined 70,000 horsepower, drive the 40,500-ton ship in excess of 20 knots. The ship’s living areas can accommodate approximately 3,200 crewmembers and embarked troops.

Legends of FMA Tour

MG-Sifu Dale Yeager with Filipino Martial Arts Grand Masters Michael Giron, Tim Hartman, Max Pallen and Bobby Taboada on their Legends of FMA Tour in Manchester Pennsylvania.  

PHOENIXVILLE — For Dale Yeager, holding a ceremony remembering the Bataan Death March goes far beyond the fact that he teaches Filipino culture and Kali martial arts.

Yeager’s uncle was a prisoner of war after the U.S. garrison in the Philippines surrendered April 9, 1942.

Lawerence Jackson was one of the men put on the 80-mile death march, but he never reached Camp O’Donnell.

“He was cut apart by samurai swords,” Yeager said.

Between 600 and 650 other Americans and 5,000 Filipinos were killed on the march that Yeager commemorated for the second year at his Kuntao martial arts studio in Thursday night.

Members of all branches of the U.S. military, along with civilians, Filipinos, men and women all participated in the march marked by atrocities and sickness throughout.

“This encompassed an awful lot of people,” he said.

“It’s a long-ago event, but it’s not something we can forget,” Spadaro said.

In keeping with that, an area resident, Victor Verano, attended the event wearing the uniform of the Filipino Scouts, a combat organization from World War II.

“We must remember their sacrifice,” Verano, choking up as he told those gathered.

Friday, April 5, 2013

KUNTAO Martial Arts Club [ Phoenixville, PA ] will host a Free FAMILY Movie Night for all ages. Free popcorn!

Please join us. [PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN LAWN CHAIRS]

On Thursday April 11^th at 7:30 p.m. [KUNTAO – FRANKLIN COMMONS 400 Franklin Ave. Suite 115 Phoenixville, PA 19460] we will honor those American and Filipino soldiers who died and survived the Bataan Death March. A Military Honor Guard will be provided by the VFW Post 7155 and the KFAAI Kapitbayan Filipino-American Association of Chester County will provide a Filipino cultural display.

Following the ceremony a demonstration of Filipino Martial Arts used by the Philippine Scouts will be performed.

BATAAN DEATH MARCH HISTORY

April 9, 1942 – The Bataan Death March the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 76,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners. The 80 mile march was characterized by wide-ranging torture, bayoneted and murder, and resulted in very high fatalities inflicted upon prisoners and civilians alike by the Japanese Army.

Those that survived were forced to walk to Camp O’Donnell. Even after arriving at Camp O’Donnell, the survivors of the march continued to die at a rate of 30–50 per day, leading to thousands more dead. Most of the dead were buried in mass graves that the Japanese dug out with bulldozers on the outside of the barbed wire surrounding the compound. All told, approximately 5,000–10,000 Filipino and 600–650 American prisoners of war died before they could reach Camp O’Donnell.

KUNTAO HISTORY

KUNTAO is a cultural club which teaches Filipino and Chinese martial arts [Kali – Traditional Wing Chun], languages [Mandarin and Tagalog] and the history of ancient China and the Philippines.

WEB: www.kuntaomac.com

Dale Yeager the Director of the KUNTAO Martial Arts Club in Franklin Commons has been appointed Pennsylvania Director of the Mataw-Guro Association.

The Mataw-Guro Association was created in 2010 by an act of the Congress of the Philippines to manage and control the promotion of Filipino culture – primarily Arnis de Mano – throughout the world.

“I am honored to be the representative of all Filipino martial arts in the Commonwealth”, says Yeager. “Promoting this culture is an honor for me.”

Yeager is only the 40^th person in the world to be elevated to the rank of Mataw-Guro [Master Teacher] which occurred in 2011.

ABOUT KUNTAO:

KUNTAO is a Filipino – Chinese cultural club located at Franklin Commons, Phoenixville, PA. KUNTAO provides classes for children and adults in the history, language and martial arts of the Philippines and Ancient China.

The MATAW-GURO Association was created by an act of the Philippine Congress to control the promotion of Filipino Martial Arts [Arnis de Mano].

The 4th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MATAW-GURO GATHERING will bring together FMA masters from around the world for two days of high level martial arts training and cultural demonstrations.

LOCATION: The Gathering will be held at KUNTAO Martial Arts Club [Franklin Commons 400 Franklin Ave Suite 115, Phoenixville, PA 19460].

DATE: JULY 27-28

FEES: $50 per person donation for MGA members. Nonmembers $75 per person donation.

Traditions of Chinese New Year