Jose Calugas | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Calugas in 1945 | |
| Born | December 29, 1907 Barrio Tagsing, Leon, Iloilo, Philippine Islands |
| Died | January 18, 1998 (aged 90) Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Allegiance | Philippines United States |
| Service/ | Recognized Guerrilla Unit Philippine Scouts (United States Army) |
| Years of service | 1930[1][2]-1957[3] |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 88th Field Artillery Regiment (Philippine Scouts)[4] 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 Philippine Scouts of the United States Army and completed training as an artilleryman and served with different artillery batteries of the Philippine Scouts until his unit was mobilized to fight in World War II. After noticing one of his unit's gun batteries had been put out of commission and its crew killed, he gathered several members of his unit together, dug in and attempted to defend the line. He was captured along with other members of his unit and forced to march to a distant enemy prison camp, where he was held as a prisoner of war. When he was released in 1943, he was secretly assigned to a guerrilla unit in the Philippines where he fought for the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese.
After World War II Calugas received a direct commission and became a United States citizen. Retiring from the Army, he settled in Tacoma, Washington.
- ^ "Congressional Record – Extension of Remarks" (PDF). gpo.gov. resources.org. February 3, 1998. Retrieved May 22, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "Congressional Record – Extension of Remarks". 1998 Congressional Record, Vol. 144. Government Publishing Office. February 3, 1998. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
- ^ Mooney, Joe (January 22, 1998). "JOSE CALUGAS, A HERO OF BATAAN, DIES". Seattle Post Intellegencer. Retrieved May 22, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Rudi Williams (May 5, 1999). "Medals of Honor Bestowed on 10 Asian Pacific Americans". American Forces Press Service. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- ^ 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.