Alfred Estoche Lim

Alfred Estoche Lim was born on July 17, 1911 in the town of Jaro, Province of Iloilo, in the Philippine Islands. His mother was Margarita Estoche and his father was Lim Jap Ton. At the age of 12 years, after his mother passed away, Lim moved to Manila to be with his father. As a teenager, his father sent him to Hong Kong and Southern China, where he learned the Cantonese dialect. He already spoke his native dialects of the Philippines, Visayan and Tagalog. When Lim was 18 he came to California. Prior to World War II, he worked as a houseboy, chauffeur, farm worker, professional boxer for a single bout and as a U.S. Navy civilian storekeeper. He earned his GED at Berkeley High School.

In 1942 and at 31 years of age, Lim was inducted into the U.S. Army and eventually became part of the 1st Filipino (American) Infantry Regiment. This was at a time when the armed forces were segregated by race. He was sent to the Monterey Language School to learn Japanese and then sent to Australia for additional training. Lim volunteered to assist the native Filipinos in their resistance to the Japanese Occupation Forces. He and his unit, consisting of 6 men, specialized in demolition. In 1944 he was dispatched by submarine, the USS Seawolf (SS 197), to the then Japanese-occupied Philippine Islands, bringing medical supplies, weapons, explosives and a message of hope to the Filipino people. Upon arriving in the Philippines, he joined the Filipino Guerillas and set up his base of operations in the mountains. The native resistance movement included Lt. Ricardo Toribio, an aide to General Alejo Santos. The Toribio family hid American soldiers and their munitions in their home. U.S. Army Sgt. Lim prepared the explosives and timers used to blow up strategic targets, including bridges, Japanese truck convoys, Japanese military headquarters and Japanese troops. He also obtained information on troop movements/ Lim was one of 500 fellow Filipino Americans dispatched throughout the Philippines to prepare the Islands for liberation. Approximately 82 of the 500 died in carrying out their mission. After the Philippines was liberated, Lim married Socorro Toribio, Lt. Ricardo Toribio’s sister. Sgt. Lim discharged from the U.S. Army in the Philippines becoming a civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force. The much-decorated soldier includes among his medals the Liberation Medal, the Bronze Star with V for Valor with Oak Leaf Clusters (nominated for the Silver Star) and a Presidential Unit Citation. He more recently received the General MacArthur Liberation Medal for his contributions to the liberation of the Philippines. This past year his Regiment was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. His two oldest sons, Alfred and Jaime, were born in the Philippines. In 1948, Lim with his wife and sons, returned to California. Two more children, Lillian and Chris, were born in California.

Lim spent the next three decades as a civilian employee at the Alameda Naval Air Station, working as an aircraft instrument technician. In order to support his family, he also worked second jobs as a TV repairman (back when TV screens were 4 inches square and TV shows were in black and white) and as a security guard. He and his wife Socorro, who also had little formal education, stressed the value of education and persistence, raising four children who attended military academies and Ivy League colleges and were able to pursue careers in business and law because of the sacrifices Lim and Socorro made. In particular Lim, although a Filipino American, inspired his children to help establish Days of Significance in California and Hawaii in honor of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American, who resisted the wrongful relocation and imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Alfred's Survivors include his wife of 73 years, Socorro, .

his four adult children and their spouses: Alfred, Jr. (Judy Lyn) , Jaime Sr. (Emilia Soriano), Lillian (E. Mac), Chris Joseph (Lorraine Marie) and adopted son Peter Quon (Denise); eight adult grandchildren and their spouses/partners: Jaime James Lim, Jr., Jason Lim (Brigit Moore), Peter Lim Quon (Helen), Jeffrey Toribio Quon (Michelle), Jonathan Alfred (Stacey Sue) Lim, Hillary Victoria Lim (Joseph Lawrence Pelizza), Melanie S. Ivanov (Vadem Eugene), Sara Elizabeth (Daniel Joseph) O’Connor; and seven great grandchildren: Madison Sue Lim, Gabriela Marie Lim, Socorro Zhi Min Quon, Aiden Lim, Quincy Zhi An Quon, Meilani Bella Ivanov, Isaiah James Lim

Alfred Lim passed away in his sleep on October 12, 2018. He stayed as long as he could for his wife Socorro but he needed to finally rest after a life of service to his family and country.