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<a href="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-25/jose-calugas.avif" rel="lightbox">
<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-25/jose-calugas.avif" alt="Jose Calugas" loading="lazy" />
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(Jose Calugas being awarded the Medal of Honor by Major Geneneral Richard Marshall, April 30, 1945. Source: <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/sergeant-jose-calugas-medal-of-honor" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://www.nationalww2museum.org</a> )
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<h3>
Early Life and Enlistment
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Born on December 29, 1907 in Barrio Tagsing, Leon, Iloilo, Philippines, Jose Calugas grew up in a modest farming community as the eldest of three children. His early life was shaped by hardship; his mother, Juliana Cabalfin, passed away when he was just ten years old, prompting him to leave high school to support his family. Despite the challenges, Calugas sought a path beyond the fields of his father's farm. In 1930, at the age of 23, he made a pivotal decision to enlist in the Philippine Scouts, a unit of the U.S. Army composed of Filipino soldiers serving under American command.
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Calugas underwent basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, followed by specialized artillery training. He was assigned to the 24th Artillery Regiment of the Philippine Scouts at Fort Stotsenburg, Pampanga, where he married his wife, Nora, and began raising a family. Later, he was reassigned to the 88th Field Artillery Regiment. By 1941, Calugas had risen to the rank of sergeant and was serving as a mess sergeant with Battery B, overseeing meal preparations for his unit.
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December 29, 1907: Jose Calugas was born in Leon, Iloilo