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REMEMBER THE BOYS

30 min. documentary

by Stephanie J. Castillo

Contact Info: 

Stephanie J. Castillo

castillosj@aol.com   (808)735-0477

INFORMATION SHEET > > >     

Synopsis

REMEMBER THE BOYS (30 mins. Documentary) poignantly captures the inspiring, true story of a chaplain to his war buddies.

Born in Hawaii and a former Hawaii school superintendent, Domingo Los Banos was a U.S. WWII soldier who went to war in the Philippines as a teenager with some 50 other teenagers of Filipino ancestry from Hawaii . A son of a Filipino immigrant, he and his siblings grew up on the pineapple plantations of Kauai . After the war, he became an educator. Now in his 80s, Domingo is among the last remaining of the 50 ' Hawaii boys' from the U.S. Army's 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment that went to war together.

As their chaplain and as they fall sick, it is Domingo who ministers to them and their families and who eulogizes them when they pass on. What inspired him to be a shepherd to his war buddies? What calls him to make sure the boys are remembered?

Many of the photos we see in this film were take with his little brownie camera that went to war with him.

To assure the memory of the Hawaii boys is not lost on their families or the public, we see that Domingo helped create a commemorative pictorial book and a documentary film that went national prime time on PBS.

His 'boys' are almost all gone, and he is aware his time is to come as well. A tribute to caring, the power of friendship, and the cherishing of memories. What memory of the boys would there be without Domingo, a dedicated documentarian?

Production Credits

            Director, producer, writer, cinematography, editor – Stephanie J. Castillo

            Featuring – Domingo Los Banos

About Domingo Los Banos

A Hawaii-born, WWII veteran who was part of General MacArthur's retaking of the Philippines , Domingo was part of the U.S. Army's 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment.  Son of a Filipino immigrant, he is one of five sons who served in World War II.  He and his siblings grew up in the multicultural mix of a pineapple plantation on the island of Kauai .  He was drafted into the Army in 1944, took his basic training in California at Camp Roberts, and was sent with some 300 teenage Hawaii boys of Filipino ancestry to the Philippines to do do "mop up" work -- that is, to find Japanese troops -- stragglers -- hiding out in the hills.  

After the war, Domingo served as an educator and later retired as a Hawaii schools superintendent.  He then he became a chaplain to his war buddies, Veterans of Foreign War, Post 1572.  

He also served an associate producer, project co-ordinator, and grass-roots fundraiser for the PBS documentary project, AN UNTOLD TRIUMPH, which aired nationally in May 2005.  It told the story of the 1st & 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army.

Director’s Statement

As Hawaii's most prominent independent Filipino American filmmaker, I prepared this film portrait of Domingo Los Banos as one of three portraits of Hawaii Filipino Americans as a contribution to the upcoming Filipino Centennial Celebration in 2006.  My intent is to offer these for use in planned conferences and forums that year, in local PBS broadcasts, and in local and national film festivals.  This was the first one to be finished, with the other two in the works. 

The other two portraits are Norma Vega Castillo, my mother and one of the first War Brides to come to Hawaii from the Philippines; and Corky Trinidad, an independent, nationally syndicated political cartoonist whose work is published daily in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.  

The three profiles I have selected reflect my desire as a Filipino American filmmaker to pay tribute to Filipino Americans in Hawaii that have touched our community in very tangible ways, though not always very visible to the public.  All three have been an inspiration to me and cause me to want to hold them up and celebrate them in the centennial year of 2006. 

I am the principal underwriter of this 90-minute film trilogy, donating my time and equipment and effort.  Budget:: $5,000.  A small grant to cover this cost was awarded the project by the 2006 Filipino Immigration Centennial Celebration Committee.