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<p><em>Danilo Delapuz “Danny” Lim</em> may have been short in stature, but he was a giant in terms of courage, commitment, and integrity. He was born on June 2, 1955 in the Nueva Vizcaya Province of the Philippines. He was the youngest of five brothers, and his father, He Yia Lim, was a Chinese rice trader whose roots can be traced back to Xiamen, China. Danny’s mother, Catalina Delapuz, was from the province of Bohol in the Philippines. Danny’s father passed away when Danny was only two years old. He completed elementary and high school in Solano with excellent marks. Danny was in his first year at the University of the Philippines when he took the entrance exam to enter the Philippine Military Academy. He was accepted and started there but had his eyes on West Point. Danny took the entrance exam for USMA and succeeded in gaining an appointment as a foreign cadet. </p>
<p>By the time Danny reached West Point to join the Class of 1978, he had already spent an entire year as a “plebe” at the Philippine Military Academy. That preparation equipped him well to endure the rigors of USMA “Beast Barracks” and plebe year at West Point. Danny was always a bit self-conscious of his Tagalog accent. That accent frequently caught the attention of upperclassmen who would descend upon him to increase his grief. Danny would use one of the standard plebe answers, “Sir, I do not understand,” to frustrate those shark-like upperclassmen. Calling the minutes was a particularly challenging task for Danny, to the point that he would frequently trade classmates for any job to spare him the hazing that would accompany his rendition of “The Minutes.” It wasn’t until Recognition Day that he volunteered to call minutes, and by then the upperclassmen were relaxed enough not to unload on Danny. Danny was perceived as quiet and reserved until you got to know him. Once asked about his experiences at the Philippine Military Academy, Danny relayed horror stories of the hazing and about the abuse doled out to the new cadets. He showed his roommates his fingers, which were mangled and distorted after upperclassmen had the plebes place bullets between each finger and then squeezed their fingers together. </p>
<p>During his four years at West Point, Danny frequently met with visitor tour buses from the Philippines. On Saturday afternoons, he would don his uniform and meet tour buses near Trophy Point. This allowed him to maintain a strong connection with his home country and meet numerous Philippine dignitaries and diplomats, along with fellow countrymen. Danny played the guitar and would frequently lend his guitar to classmates so they could play as well. He was also generous with his time to tutor and assist classmates struggling in math classes. He didn’t realize it at the time, but this experience served as a precursor to him teaching mathematics at the Philippine Military Academy several years later. </p>
<p>Following graduation, Danny returned to Manila and the Philippine Army, where he volunteered for the Scout Ranger Course. In true fashion, Danny completed the rigorous training as the honor graduate. He was soon tasked as a lieutenant with leading combat operations in the Southern Philippine region of Mindanao. He volunteered for an assignment to Jolo Island, where he commanded a forward Recon Unit in Sulu. He was wounded twice in combat from grenade shrapnel during that period and medevaced back to Manila. His recon unit operated in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. At the USMA Class of ’78 40th Reunion, he related a story about a fellow West Pointer, his Beast Squad leader in fact, who died on one of those combat patrols. </p>
<p>Danny’s integrity and desire for justice led him to seek major reforms in the Philippine military and curb corruption in the government. His leadership in the “Reform the Armed Forces Movement” during the 1980s led to a trial where he was tried for insurrection and eventually served time in a military stockade. Again, driven by a desire for transparency in government, Danny made an unsuccessful run for the Philippine Senate. He served as deputy customs commissioner for several years and enacted some major reforms during his tenure. </p>
<p>Brigadier General Lim was known throughout the Philippines as a man of honor and integrity—a person that would get things done the right way. In May 2017, President Duterte asked Brigadier General Lim to serve as chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). As chairman for the MMDA, Danny had responsibility over 17 distinct districts surrounding the metropolitan area of Manila. He was faced with challenges of transportation decongestion, modernization, and disaster response. Danny’s embrace of technology led to numerous improvements in the region during the three and half years he served as chairman. </p>
<p>In late December 2020, Danny was diagnosed with COVID-19 and on January 6, 2021, he succumbed to the deadly virus. This giant of a man is much more than a statistic to the pandemic, and his legacy of honor and commitment continues in every organization he served. Danny was a man of few words, but action in thoughtful decisiveness. Danny is survived by his beloved wife, Aloysia Tiongson-Lim, and his daughter, Aika. Much of Danny’s life can be viewed as a real James Bond-type movie, but it was real. Thank you, Danny, for the positive impact you made and the lives you reached in your all-too-short 65 years with us. </p>
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