Ramon Simpas Subejano | |
|---|---|
 Subejano in 1971 | |
| Born | 1905 Philippine Islands,New Lucena, Iloilo[1] |
| Died | September 16, 1988 New York City, United States |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942-1948 |
| Rank | Private First Class |
| Unit | 358th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Normandy *Northern France *Rhineland *Ardennes-Alsace |
| Awards |  Silver Star     World War II Victory Medal |
Ramon Simpas Subejano (1905-1988) was a highly-decorated Filipino-American soldier who served in the European theatre of World War II.
Biography
Leaving the Philippines as a stowaway in 1927, he eventually became a merchant marine. Later purchasing a pool hall with casino winnings, he lost it during the Great Depression, then worked as a busboy until he was drafted in 1942.[3][4]
World War II
Pvt. Ramon S. Subejano served with Company A, 358th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division and saw combat at Normandy Beach, Ardennes, Northern France, the Netherlands, and the Rhineland.[4] He was a scout sniper and was wounded several times. During the course of the war he earned 17 medals, credited for killing more than 400 Germans in battle.[5][1] During one battle he was the sole survivor of his unit.[4]
One of the medals was the Silver Star which cited him for "Gallantry in action on December 7, 1944 in the vicinity of Dillengen, Germany." The citation continued, "At the risk of his life, Pvt. Subejano made his way along through devastating 20 mm and machine gun fire and hand grenade explosions to the building. He then entered the strong point and going from room to room, killed five enemy, wounded six and forced the remaining 37 to surrender.[4] At the end of the war he was flown to London for the victory parade, where he was presented to King George and Sir Winston Churchill.[4]
Post-World War II
Pvt. Ramon S. Subejano was featured in the front page of The New York Times on May 31, 1952 during the city's observance of Memorial Day. His picture appeared in the "A Salute To War Dead From A Decorated Hero" wearing his full dress army uniform complete with medals and ribbons he earned in the European and Pacific theaters rendering a salute in front of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (New York). According to The New York Times, he was an unscheduled addition to the Memorial Day program when he came as a spectator in uniform with his chest full of medals and ribbons, "hobbled up the monument steps using a cane and was introduced at the speaker's stand to the crowd" [6] He would later meet Marilyn Monroe, Senator Kennedy, and President Kennedy.[4]
At one point his medals were stolen from his apartment; with the assistance of Senator Kennedy's office, the Department of Defense presented replacements of all his medals.[4] In 1987, while living in the neighborhood of Brighton in the city of Boston, he was charged threatening to harm his apartment manager.[7] Less than a year later he would die in a Veteran Affairs Hospital in New York City. Subejano is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His story is in the Library of Congress, "One Man Army" (1978).[2]
References
- 1 2 Atty. Rex S. Salvilla (March 15, 2006). "Ilonggo soldiers on other war fronts (2)". The News Today Online :: Iloilo News and Panay News. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
- 1 2 Livingston, Al. "Ramon S. Subejano".
- ↑ "Ramon Subejano, 83; Hero of World War II". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 18, 1988. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Al Livingston (December 2008). "Remembering Ramon Subejano, a one man army" (PDF). Carriage News. taxi-usa.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ↑ Pancho Canlas, Luzano (2000). Philippines' 2 Millennium History. Buy Books. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7414-0323-0. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
- ↑ The New York Times May 31, 1952 http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F70C1EFE3F5E177B93C3AA178ED85F468585F9 written by Amboytex Feb. 25, 2010
- ↑ Murphy, Sean (December 7, 1987). "Elderly Man Charged With Threat Is Still A Hero In His Neighborhood". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
External links
- "1987 Press Photo Ramon Subejano,WW II hero in Mass". Historic Images. 2009.