In Loving Memory: Jorge M. Aguilar

On April 10th, 2009, Good Friday, my husband and I lost a dear friend, and our nation lost an amazing patriot. Jorge M. Aguilar was a soldier and a visionary, a man who had a deeper purpose for our country and her people than even her founding fathers could have envisioned. Jorge saw an America that was prosperous, healthy, moral, cohesive and prepared to lead. He devoted the final years of his life to lightening America's greatest burdens, and died just a breath away from seeing the completion of his project.

When Jorge passed during the early morning hours on Good Friday, he left his soldier's mission to us.

When we met Jorge, he was nearing the end of his life. He was quiet, dignified and resigned. He barely spoke unless spoken to, and kept all of his immense intelligence behind his lips, which would occasionally pucker to drag on his cigarette or kiss his wife and granddaughter.

It was only by chance, during a conversation over morning coffee, that we lucky enough to learn Jorge's story.

Jorge was born and raised in the Philippians during American occupation. This young and courageous man heard his call to duty during World War II, and enlisted in the American army at age sixteen. Jorge fought valiantly for the principles on which our nation was built with the 1st Cavalry Division, 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army, and he felt responsible for the protection of his fellow soldiers before he sought to protect himself. When his men found themselves under attack, Jorge watched a friend fall on the battlefield.
Though he could have escaped to safety, Jorge returned to retrieve his friend. In doing so, an explosion took Jorge's left arm above the elbow, leaving him forever disabled.

But his was a spirit of perseverance. Despite the loss of his arm, and with the aid of the GI Bill for Education, Jorge decided to continue his education to earn his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and passed his Board Exam for Chemical Engineering in 1951. After his board exam, Jorge decided to pursue a post graduate degree in Management from RPI -Troy, NY. (Class 1956).

Following his graduation, Jorge worked for over 35 years, making remarkable improvements to any industry he touched. Of his vast and successful work experience, his most notable positions are:

Industrial Engineer with the Program Implementation Agency (PIA) under the Office of the President of the Philippines - creating the first industrial estate in the country and identifying rural areas with potentials for economic progress.

Economic Development Foundation (EDF), funded by the US federal government, as Head of the Project Development and Business Clinic for distressed industries.

Deputy Director of the ASPAC based in Australia, promoting cooperation between the Academe and Industries - noting the obsolete equipment of the universities and providing technical personnel to the industry.

Consultant to a desiccated coconut factory in the Philippines. Jorge was called in to solve the salmonella contamination of the their product. He redesigned the factory material handling facilities, and doubled the plant processing from 200,000 to 400,000 nuts-per-day. Thereafter, Jorge designed and supervised the construction of a desiccated coconut plant in Indonesia.

Most notably, Jorge served as the Field Superintendent for the Philippine Geothermal Inc. which developed two geothermal resources in the Philippines for power generation.

We knew Jorge best as a teacher. He had worked as an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Feati University and De La Salle University in Manila, as well as the Seminar Director for Professional Business Manager at Ateneo University.

In 1991, Jorge had a heart attack and decided to become an American citizen. Jorge migrated to Texas in 1993 where he receive medical treatment for his heart ailment. The treatment he received in Texas extended his life another 18 years; the US government provided his needs to live a good and enjoyable life.

But Jorge's story does not end there; this is where it begins. Before the rest of us did, Jorge foresaw his beloved America suffering - her world was growing hotter and more toxic, her economy was being strangled by high energy prices, and her national security was threatened by foreign petrodictatorships.

Jorge devoted the last ten years of his life to the development of WES Technology, a waste-to energy process that could take our nation's waste and convert it into renewable, 100% pollution-free biofuel with greater capacity and speed than the Green world has ever seen.

During his last year, Jorge enlisted my husband to help him with this project. He became John's personal tutor 24/7, educating him on the chemistry, business, and theology behind advanced biofuels and the Green movement. Jorge worked his last five fingers to the bone, advancing this project for the betterment of the nation he loved so dearly. Jorge expressed to us time and time again that America is deserving of this technology - she supported him through his illness, and educated a mind that was more beautiful than any I'd ever known. He never asked anything of his adopted country - and he knew what he could do for her. And he did it, with every last moment of his life.

In January of 2009, Jorge was supposed to attend a meeting with John to introduce our technology to a Missouri landfill and quarry owner. That day, his heart malfunctioned and he was hospitalized. After a few hours of silence, Jorge reached John by phone from his hospital bed. For the first time, he acknowledged his mortality, and expressed the importance of accelerating our process.

Though Jorge felt comfortable with John's ability to independently attract the nation's awareness to our project, he had another, much more personal stake in its success. Jorge's children had gotten caught up in the United States immigration system, and were not allowed to join him in the country he served so loyally. Rather than circumventing the process (or thumbing his nose at it), Jorge established his project to prove to his country that his children would be as productive and as altruistic for the US as he had been. Among those children are:

George, Jr. a Professor of Political Science at La Salle College in Bacolod
David - a Commerce Graduate, doing business development for a telephone company
in Manila
Alan - a semester away from achieving his bachelor's degree in Business Management
Carmela - a college graduate, married with three children, who is currently representing our activities in the Philippines.
Michael, who is working for ALCATEL as Director for Engineering, and with projects in Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand, with residence in Australia.

To quote an email that Jorge sent to us in the last month of his life, "They are the reasons for my pushing this projects; I want them and their families to come to the US. With our WTE projects, help me bring them over here."

Jorge collapsed in a CVS on the evening of Good Friday, the day we shook hands with Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri for the first time. Jorge's passing was a devastating loss for his family and his country. But before he died, an American soldier left his mission in our hands. We must complete his project to revitalize our economy, save our environment, and support our national security. Furthermore, we must bring home five children to the country for which their father lost a limb, and in which their father lost his life.

Jorge M. Aguilar was a soldier and a visionary. He did all that he could do for his country, and he died knowing that his contribution would secure our country to its very core. My husband is his messenger and his protégé, selected to realize his dream. What we do for that dream on Earth, Jorge is directing from Heaven.

In loving memory of Jorge M. Aguilar. "Still Serving America With Pride"