He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Bataan; survived the Bataan Death March, imprisonment, and torture; and at the age of 40, became a US citizen . . .
Born in the Philippines on December 29, 1907, Jose Calugas, whose mother had died when he was ten, dropped out of school, got a job to support his family, and at the age of 23, enlisted in the US Army.
After completing basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he was assigned to the 24th Artillery Regiment and returned to his country. By January 1942, with the Japanese launching an all-out offensive against the Philippines, he was fighting for his life on Bataan.
On January 16, 1942, with US and Filipino forces being hit by a massive Japanese attack and men being being blown apart and dying all around him, Sgt. Calugas stood up, and "without orders, ran 1,000 yards across a shell-swept area,” to man a 75 mm field gun (cannon) whose crew had been killed moments before.
Over the next few hours, the determined sergeant destroyed numerous enemy vehicles and killed countless Japanese soldiers. But despite his heroic actions that day, Calugas and thousands of other US and Filipino troops were later forced to surrender in what would become the largest capitulation of US forces in WWII.
By April of 1942, 66,000 Filipino and 10,000 American POWs were being force-marched by the Japanese into the interior of the island, in what is now known as the Bataan Death March, a horrific 65-mile journey in which thousands would die from starvation, disease, and brutality.
Calugas survived the march, Japanese imprisonment and torture, and by the end of the war, was one of the few men in his original unit still alive. On April 30, 1945, with the vast majority of the Philippines now liberated, Jose Calugas was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Postscript:
Calugas became a US citizen and retired from the Army in 1957 as a Captain, with 27 years of service to his adopted country. After moving to Tacoma, Washington, with his family, he went back to school, and at the age of 55, earned a college degree.
“My father always felt education was important,” said his son, Jose Calugas Jr., who served in the US Army and retired as a Sergeant First Class. "He showed us that it wasn't too late to seek personal advancement and that the only way to achieve this was through education and hard work."
Captain Calugas died on January 18, 1998, at the age of 90. He was survived by three children, eleven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. His wife of 52 years had passed away seven years earlier.
In 2006, the "Sgt. Jose Calugas, Sr. Apartments,” a 36-unit complex for low-income and disabled residents in Seattle, was dedicated in honor of the WWII hero and community volunteer.
Today we pay tribute to Jose Calugas, his family, and all those who served, sacrificed, and died in WWII. We will never forget you!
Sgt. Jose Calugas after receiving his Medal of Honor in 1945. (PC:
cmohs.org)
A 75 mm M1917 field gun, identical to the one used by Calugas on January 16, 1942. (PC: PBS/KTCS9)
American survivors of the Battle of Bataan under Japanese guard before beginning the Bataan Death March. (PC USMC)
Jose Calugas’ final resting place at Mount View Memorial Park Cemetery, Tacoma, Washington. (PC: findagrave)
