Jose Cabalfin Calugas - Life Of The First Filipino WWII Medal Of Honor

Jose Cabalfin Calugas – Life Of The First Filipino WWII Medal Of Honor

JOSE CABALFIN CALUGAS – We will now know the life of the first Filipino to receive the WWII Medal of Honor, Captain Jose Cabalfin Calugas.

Calugas is the first ever Filipino hero to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II.

Calugas was born on December 29, 1907 in Iloilo. He is the eldest of the three siblings.

The place where he was born, Barangay Tagsing, is filled with farmers, it is also one of the main areas where a resistance movement was established during the Japanese colonization period.

Calugas enlisted in the Philippine Scouts on March 12, 1930 and was assigned to company C of the 24th Artillert in Fort Stotnsburg, Pampanga. He was trained vigorously at that time

He was then assigned to the 88th Field Artillery Battalion, which was constituted into the Regular Army on 1 October 1933 and was activated on the 19th of April 1941 in the Philippines.

In 1942, the unit was covering the withdrawal of part of the USAFFE. Calugas was a mess sergeant in charge of the soldiers assigned to prepare the day’s meals. He found ot that one of the unit’s field guns was silenced, prompting him to run a thousand yards to the inactive gun position.

He formed a squad to return Japanese artilery fire. At the same time, he gave time for troops to dig in and defend the line. This earned him the Medal of Honor.

However, before he received it, he, along with other troops and American forces, surrendered to the Japanese. He was forced to march from Mariveles to Camp O’Donnel, which is infamously known as the Bataan Death March.

He survived the march and was made a prisoneer at the camped until he was released in 1943 to work at a Japanese rice mill. Calugas eventually joined in fighting against the Japanese until they were liberated.

Calugas then retired from the army as Captain and moved in Tacoma, Washington, where he died in January 1999 at age 90.