Fallen Fil-Am soldier honored 74 years after death

A Filipino-American soldier killed during World War II was recently awarded service medals 74 years after his death, a report on NBC San Diego said.
The eight service medals for US Army Pvt. Juan Sablan, who died during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines on April 15, 1942, were received by his brothers Mamerto and Simon Sablan, the report said.
The medals awarded to Sablan were:
- The Gold Star Lapel Pin
- Bronze Star Medal
- The Purple Heart
- The American Defense Service Medal with a Foreign Service Clasp
- The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star
- The World War II Victory Medal
- The Presidential Unit Citation with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
- The Philippine Defense Ribbon with one Bronze Service Star
A separate report on Fox 5 San Diego said the staff of California Cong. Scott Peters, the National Personnel Records Center, and the Department of the Army worked to determine the medals Sablan was entitled to.
The Sablans wrote to Peters after reading about the family of another World War II soldier whom Peters helped claim a long-overdue medal in December last year.
Peters said the Sablan brothers' "dedication to getting their brother the recognition he deserves is a testament to San Diego’s strong Filipino-American community and the indispensable role that Filipino-Americans play in San Diego’s veterans’ community.”
“We are forever indebted to heroes like Private Sablan and his family for the sacrifices they made to protect our country and ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy the freedoms that make America so great,” Peters told Fox. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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