Jose Calugas
Jose Calugas | |
---|---|
38th Field Artillery Regiment[5] | |
Battles/wars | World War II
|
Awards | Medal of Honor |
Jose Cabalfin Calugas[6] (December 29, 1907 – January 18, 1998) was a member of the Philippine Scouts during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of Bataan.
At the age of 23, Calugas joined the
After World War II Calugas received a
Early life and military training
Calugas was born in Barrio Tagsing,
Action in World War II
Medal of Honor action at Bataan
On January 16, 1942, his unit was covering the withdrawal of a portion of the
Surrender of Bataan and the death march
Arguably, the
After the surrender, Calugas and the other prisoners marched from
Post POW release
His release placed him as a laborer in a Japanese rice mill, and while assigned there he secretly joined a
After the liberation of the Philippines in 1945, he finally received the Medal of Honor for which he had been approved at the beginning of the war. The medal was presented to him by
Citizenship
Although he had been born in a U.S. territory, and had fought in the United States Army, Calugas was not a citizen. Following the Spanish–American War in 1898, Philippine residents were classified as U.S. nationals rather than citizens. The 1934 Tydings–McDuffie Act, or Philippine Independence Act, reclassified Filipinos as aliens, and set a quota of 50 immigrants per year to the United States, with the exception of those who joined the U.S. Navy, but not the U.S. Army.[13] While serving in Okinawa, Calugas completed the process of becoming a naturalized United States citizen.[7][9]
Post-military life
Calugas eventually retired from the army with the rank of captain and in 1957 he moved to
Honors and awards
Calugas earned multiple military decorations before he died, including the Medal of Honor.[1][2][5][15]
Medal of Honor | |
Presidential Unit Citations with two oak leaf clusters[16] | |
Prisoner of War Medal | |
loops
| |
American Defense Service Medal | |
campaign stars
| |
World War II Victory Medal
| |
Army of Occupation Medal | |
National Defense Service Medal | |
Philippine Defense Medal | |
service stars
| |
Philippine Independence Medal | |
United Nations Korea Medal
|
Medal of Honor citation
The action for which the award was made took place near Culis, Bataan Province, Philippine Islands, on 16 January 1942. A battery gun position was bombed and shelled by the enemy until 1 gun was put out of commission and all the cannoneers were killed or wounded. Sgt. Calugas, a mess sergeant of another battery, voluntarily and without orders ran 1,000 yards across the shell-swept area to the gun position. There he organized a volunteer squad which placed the gun back in commission and fired effectively against the enemy, although the position remained under constant and heavy Japanese artillery fire.[17][18][19]
Legacy
On Mount Samat, there is a relief commemorating the event that lead to the awarding of the Medal of Honor.[20]
Calugas was portrayed by Filipino actor Ronnie Lazaro in a 2003 one-hour Philippine documentary A LEGACY OF HEROES: The Story of Bataan and Corregidor.[21]
His Medal of Honor was given to the Fort's museum for safekeeping and display by Calugas and his family before his death.[22]
In 2006, a 36-unit apartment building, designed for low-income and disabled residents was dedicated as the "Sgt. Jose Calugas, Sr. Apartments" in High Point, Seattle.[23]
On Memorial Day in 2009, his memory was honored at the Living War Memorial Park on a memorial that had previously been established there.[24]
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
- List of Asian American Medal of Honor recipients
- List of foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients
- List of Filipino Americans
- List of Asian Americans
- List of people from Iloilo
References
- ^ a b "Congressional Record – Extension of Remarks" (PDF). gpo.gov. resources.org. February 3, 1998. Retrieved May 22, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ a b "Congressional Record – Extension of Remarks". 1998 Congressional Record, Vol. 144. Government Publishing Office. February 3, 1998. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Mooney, Joe (January 22, 1998). "JOSE CALUGAS, A HERO OF BATAAN, DIES". Seattle Post Intellegencer. Retrieved May 22, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Rudi Williams (May 5, 1999). "Medals of Honor Bestowed on 10 Asian Pacific Americans". American Forces Press Service. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- ^ a b CWO4 Ricardo Vinas (December 16, 2011). "Capt(then Sergeant) Jose C. Calugas' old uniform donated to the Iloilo Museum". World War II Relics and Artifacts (Iloilo Museum, Philippines). Togetherweserved.com Inc. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Duane A. Vachon, PH.D. (February 28, 2011). "The First Filipino WW II Medal of Honor, Cpt. Jose Cabalfin Calugas, U.S. Army (1907–1998)". Hawaii Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jose Calugas, Jr. "My Father". Children speak about their POW fathers. US-Japan Dialogue on POWs. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Carole Beers (January 24, 1998). "Jose Calugas, Medal Of Honor Winner, 'Death March' Survivor". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Beers, Carole (January 24, 1998). "Jose Calugas, Medal of Honor Winner, Death March' Survivor". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9796896-1-1. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
- ^ "American Artillery and the Medal of Honor" (PDF). Field Artillery. December 1987. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
- ISBN 0-89950-757-3.
- ^ "THE EVOLUTION OF THE HUKBALAHAP MOVEMENT". United States Army Center of Military History. February 14, 2002. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
- ^ Ingrid Barrentine. "Asiean Pacific Heritage". Media. United States Army. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- CWO4 Ricardo Vinas (December 16, 2011). "Capt(then Sergeant) Jose C. Calugas' old uniform donated to the Iloilo Museum". World War II Relics and Artifacts (Iloilo Museum, Philippines). Togetherweserved.com Inc. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2012.)
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - MSgt. USA (Ret.) (May 11, 2007). "Bataan: Victory in Defeat". History. Philippine Scouts Heritage Society. Archived from the originalon February 14, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
The records also show that each of the Philippine Scout Units earned three Presidential Unit Citations.
- ^ "MOH Citation for Jose Calugas". HomeOfHeroes.com. 1999. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
- ^ "WWII Medal of Honor recipients". Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. Department of Defense. 2004. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
- ^ "Jose Calugas". Asian Pacific Americans in the United States Army. United States Army. Archived from the original on August 9, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
- ^ "Mount Samat Memorial". Memorials & Dedications. Philippine Scouts Heritage Society. May 12, 2007. Archived from the original on April 18, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ "A Legacy of Heroes: The Story of Bataan and Corregidor - 6/6". Youtube.
- ^ John A. Patterson (May 11, 2007). "Philippine Scout Heroes of WWII". History. Philippine Scouts Heritage Society. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
- ^ "Calugas Apartments at High Point dedicated". News releases. Seattle Housing Authority. April 12, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
- ^ Erkkinen, Meghan. "Memorial honors local Medal of Honor recipients". Tacoma Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2009.[permanent dead link]
Further reading
- Whitman, John W. (1990). Bataan: Our Last Ditch : The Bataan Campaign, 1942. Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-87052-877-7.