Ramon Simpas Subejano (1905–1988) was a highly-decorated Filipino-American soldier who served in the

European theatre of World War II The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main Theater (warfare), theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Nazi Germany, Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 Sept ...

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 The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, then worked as a busboy until he was drafted in 1942.

World War II

Pvt. Ramon S. Subejano served with Company A, 358th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division and saw combat at Normandy Beach,

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

, Northern France, the Netherlands, and the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

. He was a scout sniper and was wounded several times. During the course of the war he earned 17

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

s, credited for killing more than 400

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

in battle. During one battle he was the sole survivor of his unit. One of the medals was the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

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. A private is a soldier, usually with the lowest rank in many armies. Soldiers with the rank of Private may be conscripts or they may be professional (career) soldiers. The term derives from the medieval term "private soldiers" (a term still u ...

Subejano made his way along through devastating 20 mm and

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

fire and

hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

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. 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 Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

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" He would later meet

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

, Senator Kennedy, and President Kennedy. 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. In 1987, while living in the neighborhood of

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

in the city of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, he was charged threatening to harm his apartment manager. Less than a year later he would die in a Veteran Affairs Hospital in New York City. Subejano is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. His story is in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, "One Man Army" (1978).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Subejano, Ramon S. 1905 births 1988 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American military personnel of Filipino descent Filipino emigrants to the United States United States Merchant Mariners Recipients of the Silver Star Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army soldiers