Lieutenant Colonel James M. Cushing (circa 1910 – August 26, 1963) was a

mining engineer Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

who commanded the

Philippine resistance against Japan During the Japanese occupation of the islands in World War II, there was an extensive Philippine resistance movement (Filipino: ''Kilusan ng Paglaban sa Pilipinas''), which opposed the Japanese and their collaborators with active underground a ...

Cebu Island Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 1 ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

.Smith, R.R., 2005, Triumph in the Philippines, Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific, CHAPTER 4, Special Operations in the Pacific
''U.S. Army Special Operations in World War II'', David W. Hogan, Jr., CMH Publication 70-42 (1992)

Early life

James McCloud Cushing was born at Guadalajara, Mexico, about 1910Report of the Death of an American Citizen; Department of State, Foreign Service of the U.S.A.; Manila, Philippines, Sep. 17, 1963 to Canadian-born U.S. citizen George Cushing (1856-1925) and Mexican citizen Simona (De Navares) Cushing (1895-1981). George was a managing director of the Canada Mexico Trading Company. In 1920, the family was living in El Paso, Texas, and ten year-old "Jimmie's" native tongue was listed as Spanish.

Military

Cushing's forces in the Cebu Area Command numbered about 8,500. In early 1944, he was instrumental in the

Koga KOGA is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer based in Heerenveen, Friesland. The company is known for its long time partnership with Japanese frame manufacturer Miyata, producing bicycles and sponsoring racing teams under the brand name Koga Miyata. As ...

affair in which the Z Plan of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

was recovered by his guerrillas. Cushing traded Japanese admiral

Shigeru Fukudome was an admiral and Chief of Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Biography Early life and career Born in Yonago, Tottori prefecture, Fukudome graduated from the 40th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1913, ran ...

and other survivors of a plane crash (but not the captured Z Plan) for the assurance that Japanese forces on Cebu would stop murdering civilians; a promise which the Japanese kept. In 1945, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

Post war

Cushing survived the war and continued living in the Philippines. On August 26, 1963, he and his wife Wilfreda Alao (Sabando) Cushing were on an inter-island transport en route to Mindoro Island from where they lived at TayTay, Palawan Island, when he succumbed to a heart attack. He was 53 years old. Colonel Cushing was interred in

Libingan ng mga Bayani Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB, , ) is a national cemetery within Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly Fort William McKinley) in Metro Manila, Philippines. First established in May 1947 as a fitting resting place for Philippine military personnel fro ...

(Heroes' Cemetery) in Manila.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cushing, James M. 1910s births 1963 deaths Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Army colonels United States Army personnel of World War II American guerrillas of World War II Place of birth missing Burials at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

Early life

Military

Post war

See also

References