Elena, what have you done in your 43 years as a DODDS teacher? I taught third and fourth grade, but most of my teaching career I taught first grade.

Where? The Philippines, Azores, Turkey, Spain, Germany, Greece. Every country had something to offer … its culture, history, art, music, food, the land and its people.

Why did you retire? Don’t you think 43 years is more than enough? Seriously, it’s time to be reacquainted with my family in the States. I’ve missed a lot of birthdays, weddings, births, christenings, picnics and family outings.

We understand your father was a survivor of the Bataan Death March of 1942. Did you learn anything about his ordeal? When I first started teaching with DoDDS, I requested to be assigned to Clark AFB, Philippines, so I can meet my relatives and revisit the country of my birth. It was during this time that I decided to trace the route of the Bataan Death March riding in my 1964 Ford Mustang. My dad was in Corregidor when the war broke out. He was then with the Philippine Scouts working under the United States military. He witnessed the fall of Bataan and was taken prisoner of war. He survived the long march with the help of his friends. He contacted beriberi, dysentery and malaria.

He became a hero to many Filipinos, right? Since he was a POW, he had to report to the Japanese commander of the town. My dad was made mayor of the town by the Japanese and he was in charge of rationing food. Meanwhile, he was in contact with the guerrillas fighting the Japanese. According to the townspeople, my dad saved many Filipinos from being beheaded. From time to time, when I visit Panay, I meet Filipinos who introduce themselves and tell stories of how my dad was instrumental in saving their father or their relatives.

Sounds like your father was your hero, too. Yes, he certainly was. Because both of his parents had passed on before he graduated from high school, he was not able to pursue the dream of becoming a lawyer. He had a rich relative whom he approached to send him to school. She didn’t honor his request even though my dad graduated salutatorian of his graduating class. Thus, he made the decision to join the Philippines Scouts. He was 24 years old and Mom was 18 years old when they married. Her father was a lawyer and the mayor of the town. There was no dating allowed. He had to go to her house to court her for several months. He was enlisted when he started in the military and was a Philippine Scout from 1933 to 1946. When he transferred to the U.S. Army in 1946, his rank also transferred and he made it to E-9. After 30 years of service, he retired with the rank of captain. He was not considered for major because he lacked a college education. He would always remind us the importance of having one. Today, there is a street named after him in our town of Pittsburg, Calif.

What has been your favorite part of teaching? I never dreamed I would touch so many lives or that so many lives would touch my life. I learned the most about teaching from my students. Teaching is a way of finding out what I don’t know. When I teach, I learn.

What will you do in retirement? Exercise, relax, rest, sleep late, read books and enjoy my grandnephews and grandnieces.

What popular song most appropriately defines your life? The song, “(I Did It) My Way”

Elena ValenzuelaAge: After 43 years of teaching … you figure it out!Title: DODDS educatorDuty Station: Bob Hope Primary School, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa

Pacific readers: Know someone whose accomplishments, talents, job, hobby, volunteer work, awards or good deeds qualify them for 15 minutes of fame? How about someone whose claim to glory is a bit out of the ordinary — even, dare we say, oddball? Call Paul Newell at Stars and Stripes with the person’s name and contact information at DSN 229-3158 or e-mail him at: newellp@pstripes.osd.mil.