Part 3: Tribute to Ret. Maj. Antonino H. Ganiron Sr. PAF (September 22, 1924 - February 22, 2021) by Tomas U. Ganiron, Jr., Ph.D
Grand-uncle Ret Maj. Antonino (Tony) H. Ganiron, Sr., (PAF) is one of the most influential patriots and veterans in my life. Although I knew him for a long period of my life, his actions have ascendancy to my life for the better. Lolo Tony's stories taught me patience, honor, courage, respect, ethics, and commitment. inadvertently, he helped my father to raise him to become a part of another generation of PAF soldiers, ready, willing, and able. In his eyes and face, I saw many thoughts and expressions as he told his stories: pride, humility, love, camaraderie, and passion,, each teaching me a separate lesson.
I met Lolo Tony when my father introduced us in May 1973 at Manila International Airport upon taking his vacation in the Philippines since my parents: residence was very near to Villamor Air Base. My parents had an exchange of letters every year considering Lolo Tony treated my father as one of his sons.
In consonance with my father's statement, he got his first job as a Student Assistant (1962-66) at Ateneo De Manila under the supervision of Father Wells through the recommendation of Lolo Tony (somewhere in May 1962). According to the former Dean of Engineering (1985-91) at UE, Miguelito B. Benedicto ), Lolo Tony was his instructor of ROTC (1966) at FEATI University (where Lolo Tony took up Associate in Aircraft Maintenance Technology). This was validated in 1990 after I was accepted for my second job as a Civil Designer at DMCI Construction where Dr. David Consunji (the owner of DMCI) told me that Lolo Tony was also his instructor of ROTC (1958) at Ateneo De Manila.
In 1959, my father lived at the house of Lolo Tony and Lola Loleng located at the Industrial Valley-Marikina (where my college classmates and I, were invited to sing at his old friend's house in 1988). This happened when he took again his vacation in the Philippines. My father met also his cousins, Big Boy and Richard in 1959-64 when Uncle Richard accidentally cut his finger and brought it to the Quezon City General Hospital (TGSR Diary, 1966).
In 1991, Lolo Tony sent me a congratulation letter and 300US dollars (my first money in AMWSLAI) upon passing the CE Licensure Examination. This is the first time that I saw a dollar currency and earned money without working since I had been a newspaper boy when I was in elementary and a student laboratory assistant in college just to save money. I also went to Industrial Valley to meet his old friends because their children like to play guitar and chess. He was also the one who introduced me to some relatives like the Bitanga Family (Bgy. San Joaquin), the Ganal Family (Bgy. San Agustin), the Malvecino Family (Bgy. San Vicente), and among others.
During the early years of conversation with Lolo Tony in ’70s-’90s, I learned of the humility, justice, pride, love, and camaraderie that made him so special and true of a man. Family ties were one of his biggest priorities in life. He loved his life at home and he loved his time visiting old friends, relatives especially his nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was truly an honorable and proud man, and his honor and pride live on in my father, siblings, and me. -TUGJR #AntoninoHganiron #memories
Reference:
Tomas M. Ganiron Sr, The Diary of Tomas M. Ganiron Sr, 1960-1964, ed. 167-220.
