Here are some details about Captain Jose Cabalfin Calugas.
WORLD WAR 2 HEROES – Meet Captain Jose Cabalfin Calugas, who served with honor and bravery during the war.
Filipinos fought bravely and tirelessly for our country during World War 2. They persevered amid the torture and abuse they suffered under the colonial Japanese occupation. Many have sacrificed their lives, and as a way to honor them, here are some of the heroes during this dark period whose contributions have shaped the history of the country.
Captain Jose Cabalfin Calugas
He was from a farming family in Barangay Tagsing, Iloilo, and dropped out of school at a young age to help his family. At 23, he joined the Philippine Scouts and went to Oklahoma for training. Later on, he was stationed in Pampanga, and this was where he also started his own family. During the war, he and his unit were called to go to Bataan to put up a resistance while the troops were waiting for supplies and reinforcements from the US.
However, in January 1942, he noticed that one of the unit’s field guns was silenced. The crew was killed, and it prompted him to take immediate action. He ran 900 meters to the gun position, created a group of volunteers, and returned Japanese artillery fire for the whole afternoon. This allowed the other soldiers to dig in and defend the line. They were successful, but it did not last long.
Months later, he and the other soldiers surrendered to the Japanese forces. They joined the Bataan Death March. He was a prisoner until January 1943. After his imprisonment, he worked at a Japanese rice mill, and while he was a laborer, he joined a guerrilla unit.
He was among those who attacked a Japanese garrison.
In 1945, when the war had finally ended, his works and bravery were honored and recognized. He became the first Filipino to receive the Medal of Honor. This is the most distinguished award and the United States Armed Forces’ highest military decoration.