Carmen, Cotabato
Carmen derived its name from a certain Surveyor del Carmen, chief of the Cadastral Survey Party, who in 1924 conducted a survey in the area. During the American period, Carmen and Kabacan belonged to one municipal district under Pikit. It was by virtue of Presidential Proclamation NO. 46 and, was reinforced by Executive Order No. 214 issued by the then President Ramon Magsaysay last November 15, 1956 when Carmen was created as a separate and distinct town of Kabacan.
G.I. Carmen
G. I. Carmen was an all-GI 1945 musical stage show produced by the 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Division of the U.S. Army as morale booster for allied troops occupying post-WWII Europe. Initially intended as a three-show run for the Regiment it was extended to reach the entire Division and then picked up by the 7th Army and sent on an eight-month tour of the ETO seen by over 250,000 military personnel and countless civilians.
Shortly after V-E Day Lt. Robert T. Bogan, 253rd Special Services officer, directed his assistant, T/5 Frederick Wiener (aka Fredd Wayne), to organize an entertainment for the Regiment. Sgt. Joe Pollock, co-collaborator with Wayne on Special Services theatricals during the 253rd’s training stint in Mississippi, joined Wayne in planning a show based on Wayne’s idea of a burlesqued version of Bizet's opera "Carmen". Flyers were posted seeking volunteers for cast and crew in "Carmen – a Boilesk Voishin”. Of the 45 GIs in the cast about half would perform in drag but none wanted the title role, so Wayne in addition to co-producing and directing the show became the U.S. Army’s "Carmen".