Ramon S. Subejano

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Simpas and the surname or paternal family name is Subejano.
Ramon Simpas Subejano
Subejano in 1971
Born1905
Philippine Islands,New Lucena, Iloilo[1]
DiedSeptember 16, 1988
New York City, United States
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery[2]
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1942-1948
RankPrivate First Class
Unit358th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division
Battles/warsWorld War II
*Normandy
*Northern France
*Rhineland
*Ardennes-Alsace
AwardsSilver Star
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Purple Heart (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with 4 service stars)
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. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ a b Livingston, Al. "Ramon S. Subejano".
  3. ^ "Ramon Subejano, 83; Hero of World War II". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 18, 1988. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g 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.
  5. ^ Pancho Canlas, Luzano (2000). Philippines' 2 Millennium History. Buy Books. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7414-0323-0. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  6. ^ The New York Times May 31, 1952 http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F70C1EFE3F5E177B93C3AA178ED85F468585F9 written by Amboytex Feb. 25, 2010
  7. ^ 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