Post by Toby Benoit on Jan 15, 2007 13:02:46 GMT 12.75
On January 14, 1945 in the Phillipines in an area known by military historians as the Zig-Zag Pass, two brothers, SSGT Eldon D. Dugan and PVT Charles D. Dugan were in a fight. They were part of the 152nd Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division and the Japanese had launched a bonsai attack against their position.
These two brothers had enlisted into the Indiana National guard together and experienced all of their training together and landed on the beaches of Manilla in the first wave of attack fulfilling General Macarthur's promise to return. They had spent months in the jungle together before enetering the pass to clear out the Japanese that had gathered to stop them.
After stopping wave after wave of screaming Japanese there was a calm that came over the pass and SSGT Dugan led a small party of three men, including his brother Charles to gather water and ammo to resupply the men on the front line.
As they made their way through the jungle, they came under fire from ten Japanese being led by an officer carrying a samurai sword. The foursome opened fire on the attacking Japanese and SSGT Dugan ordered his men to stand their ground. During their Bonsai charge however the Japanese officer killed SSGT Eldon Dugan with that sword. Pvt Charles Dugan in turn killed the Japanese officer with his .45 sidearm, having run out of ammo for his MI carbine.
Pvt Charles Dugan attended the field burial of his brother on Manila, but had been sent home on a hospital ship long before his brother's remains became ermanently interred in the Manila American Cemetary, Plot A, Row 2, Grave six alongside of 17,453 other American heroes who gave their lives during the fight for the Phillipine Islands.
Pvt Dugan kept the sword of the Japanese officer, a handsomely built sword with a jewel encrusted handle and a sharkskin scabbard. It was tagged and sent home as a war souvenier, but sometime during it's way back to the States, the jewels were removed from the handle.
Pvt Charles D. Dugan was my grandfather. I have held that sword many times and I think of those two brothers fighting side by side in that jungle.
SSGT Eldon D. Dugan was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his action when he fell at Zig-Zag Pass in Manila on this day 62 years ago.
These two brothers had enlisted into the Indiana National guard together and experienced all of their training together and landed on the beaches of Manilla in the first wave of attack fulfilling General Macarthur's promise to return. They had spent months in the jungle together before enetering the pass to clear out the Japanese that had gathered to stop them.
After stopping wave after wave of screaming Japanese there was a calm that came over the pass and SSGT Dugan led a small party of three men, including his brother Charles to gather water and ammo to resupply the men on the front line.
As they made their way through the jungle, they came under fire from ten Japanese being led by an officer carrying a samurai sword. The foursome opened fire on the attacking Japanese and SSGT Dugan ordered his men to stand their ground. During their Bonsai charge however the Japanese officer killed SSGT Eldon Dugan with that sword. Pvt Charles Dugan in turn killed the Japanese officer with his .45 sidearm, having run out of ammo for his MI carbine.
Pvt Charles Dugan attended the field burial of his brother on Manila, but had been sent home on a hospital ship long before his brother's remains became ermanently interred in the Manila American Cemetary, Plot A, Row 2, Grave six alongside of 17,453 other American heroes who gave their lives during the fight for the Phillipine Islands.
Pvt Dugan kept the sword of the Japanese officer, a handsomely built sword with a jewel encrusted handle and a sharkskin scabbard. It was tagged and sent home as a war souvenier, but sometime during it's way back to the States, the jewels were removed from the handle.
Pvt Charles D. Dugan was my grandfather. I have held that sword many times and I think of those two brothers fighting side by side in that jungle.
SSGT Eldon D. Dugan was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his action when he fell at Zig-Zag Pass in Manila on this day 62 years ago.