Gaudencio Macaraig, Jackson Crews, and Marilyn Crews

[00:05] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Oh. My name is Gaudencio Macaraig McRae. I'm age 96 today. Date is February 28, 2024. Rosa, my licensing partner, Jackson Jackson is your grandson. My grandson.

[00:41] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: I'm Jackson Patrick Crews or Jackson Paul Cruz. I'm twelve years old. And today's date is February 28, 2024. And we are here in Fort Myers, Florida. And my relationship to my partner, he is my grandfather. My name is Marilyn Cruz. I'm 51. Today's date is February 28, 2024. We're in Fort Myers, Florida, and Jackson is my son and Gaudensio is my father. Okay, so where were you born?

[01:22] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I was born in Santa Clara, Batangas, Philippine.

[01:28] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And when.

[01:32] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Where.

[01:32] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: When were you born?

[01:36] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I was born in Santa Clara.

[01:39] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: When were you born?

[01:41] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: When? I was born in January 21, 1928.

[01:50] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: What was it like? Can you explain where did you grow up? Can you explain how. How it was like, the feelings of it and like, how it was like an everyday life for you?

[02:05] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Great. Is good for me because I like swimming.

[02:14] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Hilaria, who were your parents?

[02:18] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: My parents is FedEx Margaret and Eugenia la Samana.

[02:28] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And what were your parents like? Were they kind to you?

[02:31] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Were they very kind to me?

[02:35] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And how was your relationship with your parents? Did you get along with them well.

[02:39] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Well, we just. You are just fine, you know. We love each other. We love, you know.

[02:48] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Did you get into trouble and what was like the worst act you did?

[02:53] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Well, yeah, when I was in trade school and my friend picked me up for a ride. So we are poor guys in a jeep and drove away, you know, some were going around and so happened the car crashed and we are all hurt. And my brother picked me up and picked me at home. So I rest, you know.

[03:34] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Were you still in the Philippines when that happened?

[03:39] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Pardon me?

[03:40] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Were you still in the Philippines or were you in a different country when that happened?

[03:49] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I don't care because it happened there in Philippines, you know.

[03:57] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So do you still have any siblings?

[04:00] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: No.

[04:02] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So they all passed away?

[04:04] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: No, absolutely. Are my parents.

[04:12] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Do you have any brothers or sisters?

[04:15] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Oh, yeah, we have. My oldest brother is an officer of the army and he went to Bataan and he put right there. And he'd survive in a death march from death march to the camp. He survived too. But all my. Some relatives don't make it. He died rather than. And that march had come. And my brother is he come home and when my. I heard that about the Jews, about their releasing all this filipino army will be released. So my. My parents are afraid to pick him up because the Japanese are watching them and lose the parents of that. So my uncle pick him up and there is a boat ready for take my brother to the no. Somewhere in Philippine close further a trip away from the Japanese. Sim long to stay there.

[06:08] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: What is one of the best. What was your brother's name?

[06:12] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: My brother's name is Francisco. That's the oldest one. And my second one is Joaquin. And the third one is to Dora, then Gerardo, then me, then and my sister Mia.

[06:37] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: What is one of your best memories of your childhood?

[06:42] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Oh, my house. Good, because I always go swimming and fishing with my dad.

[07:01] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So when were. When you were a child? Back when you were about my age. What did you want to be when you grew up?

[07:09] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: When I wanted to be an engineer.

[07:16] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So now what did you feel like when you were right in the middle of world War two in the Philippines?

[07:22] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I dont like it because we are moving somewhere, you know, go away. When the Japanese are. We are going far, far away. And sooner or later when the Americans are close coming, you know what happened to it? There is a lot of guns. And where I live to cross that aisle to my house and all these guns of Japanese. And when I heard a siren, I saw those Japanese running go to their guns. And me, I run into looking for the COVID and you know what happened? I saw the well in the well with the water in it. I go right there.

[08:35] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Were you always moving? When. So when World War Two was going on and you were in the middle of it, were you like always moving to different places because the Japanese were gonna overrun you?

[08:48] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah. So what I did. There's a lot of things that you cannot forget. I told you before that when we are in the mountain, my mother be sure don't forget about one goat. That one goat. You have to bring it over here. So what happened? There's a raid. A raid at all this army and we are running all over. And you know what happened? I jumped with a boat in a parcel. And there is filipino soldiers, you know, all soldiers with guns and missing. And so when they plane guns, I saw bombing and see the airfield is have a smoke. So we run and I saw the plane was hit by this machine gun fire. And then after that the railroad is gone. So he grabbed my goat and put in my cart and drove away.

[10:30] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So did you enjoy school?

[10:32] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Well, yes, because I like to be building construction.

[10:41] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So what kind of student were you? Were an a. Were you an a student? Were you a c student?

[10:49] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: What's that?

[10:50] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Were you a good student? Did you have good grades. Were you polite as a teacher?

[10:55] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Because I always want to be engineer. I'm doing some building construction so I can do it, you know.

[11:09] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: What would you do for fun when you were out of school?

[11:13] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Out of school?

[11:15] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Yeah, like a summer.

[11:16] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I said, I called, I write a letter. I write a letter to sang lipoint. That's a noble. Base Point, Philippines. And they sent me my letter that you are having the partaking exam. And then I go there and I made it. So the officer of the Navy told me that you will be the coast guard.

[11:59] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Okay, so when did you enlist to the coast guard?

[12:03] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: 1955.

[12:06] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And why did you decide to enlist?

[12:09] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Well, I like to. I like to see, because my cousin is a Navy and I like to be a Navy, too, but they put me in a coast guard.

[12:24] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So how old were you when you joined?

[12:27] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I was 23 years old.

[12:31] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And how did you choose your branch of service? How did you choose your branch of service?

[12:42] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: The Navy officer told me, you'll be the coast guard.

[12:48] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: What was basic training in the coast Guard?

[12:51] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: We have to go to Alameda, California, not in San Diego, because San Diego go to the Navy and Coast guard will be in Alameda, California. This where I graduate.

[13:10] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So where were you stationed?

[13:12] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: All the first service is when I graduate, I got a bulletin that I have to go to 13 Coast Guard district. That's Sierra and Sierra. Then they put me to the icebreaker. They said, this is my ship. So what I'm thinking is, this is icebreaker that we have. This destination is going to the North Pole and to the South Pole and Bering Sea. All over. Ah.

[14:00] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So what was your job in the military?

[14:03] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I was a storekeeper.

[14:06] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Were you a cook?

[14:08] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: No. Well, before I'm a cook, but then after a while, I like the chains, you know? And they proved right away.

[14:21] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Where else were you stationed? I know you were on the icebreaker. What were some of the other cities where you were stationed?

[14:30] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I was all over. We go to the North Pole, to the South Pole, to the South America from Abra, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia and Chile. All over.

[14:56] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So did. So when you were on the ship in the icebreaker, did any of your friends in the military that were on board with you play jokes on you?

[15:07] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Oh, everybody.

[15:10] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Can you describe, like, a funny one that they did?

[15:13] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I can, because everybody here playing cards.

[15:23] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So were you also stationed in. What were some other places where you were stationed?

[15:31] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Were you in New York, Gobert island?

[15:36] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And how about in Louisiana.

[15:43] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: New Orleans? I was in custom House.

[15:50] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And how about. Were you stationed in the Philippines, too?

[15:53] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I was stationed in Singapore.

[16:05] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And how often would you move?

[16:08] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Three years.

[16:10] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Every. Every three years.

[16:12] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Every three years, yeah.

[16:15] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So where are your parents families from?

[16:19] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: It's from Santa Clara, Batanga. They're grown up. They belong to Batangas, the southern Philippines.

[16:35] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And what did your dad do? What did your father do?

[16:39] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: To make money? My mother. My dad is cart. She got a cart with horse, and it's making this money earning, you know, taxi.

[16:57] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: What was the name of the cart? What's it called?

[17:00] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: A horse.

[17:01] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Yeah, with the cart.

[17:02] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Is it called a calica?

[17:06] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And who are your favorite relatives?

[17:10] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: All over. All of them.

[17:17] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So can you tell me about your religious beliefs and your spiritual beliefs? What is your religion?

[17:25] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I'm a Catholic because my dad and my mom teach me how God. How God made this world. And every Christmas I have to go to church. Midnight mass before, you know, start December 16 until Christmas.

[18:02] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So how did you meet Grammy and Ywca? How did you meet Grammy?

[18:12] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Oh, I met her. YWCA do what? WC. It's a young Christian.

[18:26] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So after you retired from the military, what did you decide to do?

[18:33] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: First on, I'm thinking, you know, I said, well, I got money from military, but I like to work something. So my friend, we worked in making bread, you know, all powder, you know, and then after a while, there is a ship building. The ship building is a lockheed, you know, making planes. There are those big planes right there making place also the ship. So I go there, and right away, when I show my card, you know, they called me right away, you want to work today? I said, huh? Today you work? No. I said, no, you have to wait next week because I have to release my other workers, you know. So when I work, they put me the assignment that everybody, that warehouse, it's a mess. So what? The foreman showed me that I have the idea that this guy, he knows better those people. So I go to the woman working over there, and he. And they show me that I'm typing. He knows that I'm helping this. After that I heard. So they call me, yeah, I want to go with you to the other warehouse. So there is a guy down here. It's a mess. I said, are you see this one? Yeah. Okay, everybody out. And they called me Skipper. And he told me that, could you order, Samantha? I said, give me five days. I spit them out. So they picked them out, all of them. I was there. So I made it in five days. I built that warehouse real nice. All in bibliotical. I put everything. So, you know, this guy, he told me that some. All my friends coming down there. He said, you, you buy stock that. Mac, you have to tell Bibi. Don't say anything. But be sure you follow what he said to you. Because I know, I know how to run that place. And they sent me our lieutenant colonel of the army. A majority of the army, they go and war me. So this lieutenant colonel, he personally don't say, Mac, we are home military. But now we are Sebayan. Tell me what's going on? I said, you go to the holding rodental. And then this guy, they sent me all five guys to work in at the warehouse. But anyway, all those supervisors told me that all those trucks are loaded with the material. And I know what to do. And tell them all gas, everything. Oxygen. I will. No problem. So he told me that. Go ahead, you take a rest. Thursday. You go home now. Take a rest. Yeah, take a say. I'm handle. Now. I will tell you the good story about this. I'm decorating all those, all the blank check thousand. So this woman is coming down here and asking for blank check. I said, well, I cannot issue her, but we need that check because I got 20 people. Just over time you have to pay them. So. Well, I can issue that. But anyway, they called their boss. I said, well, they talked to me, Matt, their boss is not here. So you. I'm the one. So I made a letter and I checked all the blank check after. And then this the guy in charge of that. They come down, see me and see my supervisor. And who's that guy? A lawyer. Why, he used to this. I said, well, that's the way it is. But anyway, you're okay because of the letter. So the 1000. So what happened? This girl, six, six car, police car and put them in jail. Jail.

[25:28] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: That was fraudulent.

[25:30] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: It was bad, bad. And they issued the timekeeper, the timekeeper is doing. She's the one making, you know. Timekeeper. Yeah. Overtime. Six car of policemen together. Jail. And they give supervisor and they call me that. You're all right, Mac. That's it.

[26:07] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: That's a good story. That's a good one. I like it. Were you the first in your family to move to the United states?

[26:17] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I was in United States. I was. I never told my parents yet, but I tell them, don't tell to anybody that I'm going to stay.

[26:39] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Were you the first in your family?

[26:43] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah. So my brother, after. After the war, the us government is telling that you can go to the other states anytime, Francisco.

[27:09] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And did he move to the United States then or did he still.

[27:12] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Wait, what's that?

[27:15] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Did he move to the United States then, or did he wait.

[27:20] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah.

[27:21] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Yeah.

[27:23] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: So my brother said, no, I'd like to have him stay here, but his ranking when he died is a major.

[27:37] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Oh, he was a major.

[27:39] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah.

[27:42] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So do you remember when I was born?

[27:45] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: I was born.

[27:47] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: No, Meredith, do you remember when I was born?

[27:50] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah. He was born in New York City in Gobsana, but in the middle. From there, we pick a ferry boat, go to Manhattan. From Manhattan, go to Brooklyn. And the driver lost. He didn't know where to go wrong. So we finally, we reached the hospital in Brooklyn. So he was born in 1917. October 17, 1972. Yeah. Yeah.

[28:37] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Did you like being a parenthood?

[28:40] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah.

[28:41] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Yeah. You were a good dad.

[28:43] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Mm hmm.

[28:43] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: I remember you used to take me every Saturday.

[28:47] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah.

[28:48] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And we would go to the Seattle center.

[28:50] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah, every Saturday. Yeah.

[28:55] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: So were you stationed when you were in the military? When you moved to Seattle, were you stationed there, or were you already retired?

[29:05] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: We are. I'm aboard the ship. Yeah. So the smile. We have to go everywhere. We go to Hawaii, stay there for 15 days in Hawaii.

[29:26] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Do you remember when Jackson was born?

[29:30] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah, I remember.

[29:33] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And what did you.

[29:33] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Florida. She was born in Florida. Yeah.

[29:37] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Born and raised.

[29:38] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah.

[29:40] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And what do you remember about being a grandfather when he was little?

[29:45] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah. Small. Yeah.

[29:51] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: I remember that. You were very excited.

[29:54] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah.

[29:54] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: And you used to take care of him.

[29:56] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah. When?

[29:58] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Every week.

[29:59] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah.

[29:59] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: Twice a week.

[30:00] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: Yeah.

[30:01] JACKSON PATRICK CREWS: I would go over to their house, and so I. We lived in two separate houses, so they. They lived across Cape Coral, and they would drive me every two days on the week. On the week, not on the weekends. And they would drive me two days, and I would end up there for the day. And then I would get picked up, then go back home, and then after a full day of not going there, and then I would go there again. And then on the weekends, I'd stay with my mother and father. And it was really enjoyable to be around my grandparents, because, one, I feel like it's really an accomplishment that Gaudencio is 96 years old and still functioning in his life and still taking care of. Still taking care of me. So let's thank Papa. Let's thank him for the interview. So thank you for the interview. It was enjoyable.

[31:15] GAUDENCIO MACARAIG MCRAE: You're welcome.