Rafael Ileto Rafael M . Ileto ( October 24 , 1920 – June 19 , 2003 ) served as the 22nd Secretary of the Department of National Defense ( DND ) of the Philippines . He also became the Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP ) . He also served as Philippine Ambassador to Turkey , Iran , Cambodia , Thailand , and Laos . Early years . Rafael Ileto was born on October 24 , 1920 in San Isidro , Nueva Ecija . He took up his primary education in his hometown , and finished his secondary education in Nueva Ecija High School in Cabanatuan City . Ileto then entered the University of the Philippines pursuing an Engineering degree for the first two years , but later entered the Philippine Military Academy in 1940 . Topping his class in PMA , Ileto gained his appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point , through the Foreign Cadet Program . He finished with the accelerated Class of 1943 ( which actually graduated in 1942 ) , along with prominent members such as Brig . Gen . Robin Olds , Maj . Gen . Harold Parfitt , Brig . Gen . Robert F . McDermott , and Gen . Bernard W . Rogers . Military & Political career . Upon graduating from West Point , 2nd . Lt . Ileto entered the Infantry School for three months in Fort Benning , Georgia . From there he joined the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment in Camp San Luis Obispo , California , which departed on September 19 , 1943 , to join the Pacific Theater of Operations - beginning with the New Guinea Campaign . In New Guinea , Lt . Ileto transferred to the famed Alamo Scouts of the Sixth United States Army . With the Alamo Scouts , Ileto saw action in southern Samar during the Battle of Leyte , and thereafter in the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf on January 9 , 1945 . On January 30 , 1945 , Lt . Ileto with the Alamo Scouts under the command of Lt . Col . Henry Mucci , successfully rescued 516 Prisoners of War held by the Imperial Japanese Army ' s POW Camp in Cabanatuan , Nueva Ecija . This has become to date the most successful rescue mission of the United States Army , and is known as the Raid at Cabanatuan . After the Liberation of Manila , Lt . Ileto married Ms . Olga Clemena at the Command and General Staff School in Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , while taking a short course for lower staff officers . Her returned to the Philippines thereafter , and helped in rebuilding the post - war Philippine Military Academy . In 1947 , he was deployed to Okinawa , and took on early retirement from the service in 1949 . In 1950 , he enlisted once more , with the Philippine Army this time , and was first assigned in the General Headquarters ( GHQ ) . It was here that he met once more Gen . Alfonso Arellano , whom Ileto acquainted during World War II . Both officers came with the idea to constitute a special forces unit in the same fashion as that of the Alamo Scouts . Gen . Arellano gave the task to Ileto to organize the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment , which was established on November 25 , 1950 at the Scout Ranger Training Unit ( SRTU ) in Fort Bonifacio . Capt . Ileto commanded the unit until 1955 . From commanding the Scout Ranger Regimen , Capt . Ileto was designated foreign affairs attaché to Saigon and Vientiane . After this diplomatic stint , he was assigned with once more to the GHQ J - 2 Intelligence , as a staff officer . From there he was appointed as Operations Chief of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency from 1959 to 1964 . He again went back for further studies in 1965 in the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth , and later joined the Command General Staff College at Fort Bonifacio . Thereafter , he became Commanding General of the 1st PC Zone , covering all provinces north of Manila before being promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence ( J - 2 ) in 1969 . Col . Ileto once more returned to the United States to study under the Defense Resources Management Course at the University of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania in 1969 . From there Brig . Gen . Ileto was appointed Commanding General of the Philippine Army , a post which he held until 1971 . When Pres . Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law on September 21 , 1972 , Ileto was one of the few generals who opposed the President , losing favor for the next series of promotions in the patronage politics that has already begun in the promotion system in the AFP . In 1973 , Ileto became Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFP was then promoted to Major General , then Vice Chief of Staff as a Lieutenant General from 1975 until his retirement in 1978 . Concurrent to this position , Gen . Ileto also served as the Philippine Ambassador to Iran and Turkey from 1975 to 1980 , and to Thailand , Cambodia , and Laos from 1980 to 1986 . During the People Power Revolution , Amb . Ileto played as mediator between the camp of Pres . Ferdinand Marcos and the opposition . Amb . Ileto was then appointed as Undersecretary of Defense by Pres . Corazon Aquino . Upon the resignation of Juan Ponce Enrile after an alleged coup attempt against Pres . Corazon Aquino , Ileto was appointed as the Secretary National Defense on November 23 , 1986 . He resigned from this government position after a falling out with the President on January 21 , 1988 . Later life . On June 19 , 2003 he died at the Philippine Heart Center after a heart attack at the age of 82 . He was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio on June 23 with full military honors .