Just an ordinary soldier

Title

Language

English

Year

1953

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

·Just 1 an Ordinary Soldier • E was just \m ordinary soldier .. . . " So spoke Col. Nicanor Jimenez of a young, unassuming lad in his PEF'fOK cc,mmar.d in ]:Corea. He had no flair for heroics, 2nd he went about his tasks doing things the "Avenger'' way. But wh'en he found himself in a tight situation in the hands of th.! enemy, he displayed a selfless devotion to duty and an inspiring gallantry that thrilled every fig~ting heart in the entire United Nations Cc,mmand. It was late in the night of May 28, 1953. Private First Class Aquilino B. Agustin quietly sat in his bunker. Before him in th!i! dark Korea'n night was No Man's Land and beyond that the territory occupied by the 'Chinese and North Koreans. He tightened his boots, pulled on his tunic and stood up. He peered towards the enemy lines as he took a few sip~ of warm, black coffee. Tonight, he saia to himself, we are to go c,ut there. How far into that inky darkness I do not know. We have a mission tonight. That missiC'n was to take S'ime cc,mmunist prisoners for intelligence purposes. He walked out of the bunker to rejoin the members of his patrol who would be with him on this night assignment. Together they slipped out into the darkness towards enemy-occupied territory. The patrol quickly lost itself in No Ma~s-' Land. Far several minutes it seemed nothing at all would happen. All was still around as the patrol moved stealthily through underbrush and ridges. Then, suddeny there was the enemy ·before them - a sizeable group of communuists also on a nocturnal probiltg mission. Theie was no retreating now, or of takPfc Aquilino Agustin, on his hospital bed, gets a warm handshake from Brig. Gen. P. D. Ginder of the 45th Division, US Army, after being awarded the Silver S tar 611 the US Government for gallantry in action in Korea. • I 36 PHILIPPINE ARMED FORCES JOURNAl, ing cover and waiting 'to pounce upon them. The firefight started and the stillness of the night was broken by the grim staccat o of roaring guns from both sides. Surprised and bewiWered, the enemy force went down with many killed and wotndcd. It looks as if it is happy hunting -for us tonight, mused Agustin as he l1eld the warm barrel of his rifle close to his breast. Together with others of his patrol, he moved .forward to take some of the less seriously wounded Reds. But as suddenly as the fighting had died down, there appeared on the scene a new, fresh and bigger 'enemy contingent. Without warning, the new enemy force attacked the patrol and Agustin was sepa:teted from his comrades in the ensuing confusion. He found himself surrounded by Reds. He never thought the Korean ridge could be so full of communists. The enemy soldiers lost no time in p011ncing upon him and attempted to drag him to their own · lines. Even in othe tightest situation in which a soldier could find himself in a war, Agustin's thoughts ran true and clear. He knew that to be taken by the enemy mea'ht certain death, perhaps long and shocking tarture before death. He resisted the enemy soldiers who grabbed him from all sides, kicked and boxed them, and when he was able to free one of his hands from their strangle holds he grasped a grenade under his tunic. Before the enemy wldiers could take the grenade from him he pulled its pin and the little bomb exploded with screaming force in the midst of his captors, killing and seriously wounding many of them. Himself grievously wounded, Agustin crawled painfully and slowly back to his patrol's position. The patrol disengaged with the enemy force and withdrew. And the Korea~ night was still and dark ae-ain .... Pfc Agustin is just an ordinary soldier. But his feat that night was not an ordinary one. The story of his heroism in the hands of the enemy rang across the vales and ridges of the frontlifles. In the hospital, a seriously wounded but still smiling Filipino soldier was awarded the Silver Star. · !1------Th'' ru·d, '''"'~;ng to hia "'mmandC) . IJlg officer, ~; Nicanor Jimenez,. was une of the fastest ever approved in the frontlines of Korea. Its accompanying citat ion recited the ~full story of Pfc Agustin's heroic feat, as follows: (J • AWARD OF THE SILVER STAR By direction of the President, under the provisions of the Act of Congress, <>approved 9 July 1918 (WD <lBul 43, 1918), and pursuant to authority in AR 600-45, and message, Department of the ArJlly, 902633, 5 March 1952, the Silver Star for gallantry fu action is awarded to: Private First Class AQUILINO B AGUSTIN, 511 764, Infantry, Philippine· Army. Private AGUSTIN, a member of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to• Korea, distinguished himself by gallantry in action against the enemy in the vicinity of Satae-ri, Korea". Late on .the night of 28 May 1953, a patrol moved quietly from the friendly < main line of resistance into enemy-occupied territory, intent upon capturing prisoners. Suddenly, the small band encountered a ' group of hostile troops. In the fierce firefight which ensued, many ·casualties were inflicted among the foe andcPrivate AGUSTIN and several of his comrades moved forward to take the Jess seriously wounded hostile soldiers prisoner. Without wa&ing, a fresh and numerically superior enemy force attacked. Separated from the rest of the patrol in the resultant confusion, Private AGUSTIN was seized by enemy troops who attempted to drag him back to their line. With the full realization tha,t his action meant his almost certain death, . Private AGUSTIN, without regard for ~1is safety, twisted his body, grasped a grenade from within his tunic with his free hand, and pulled the pin. The explosion which followed killed or seriously wounded those of the enemy who were holding him. Although grievously injured himself, Private AGUSTIN, dragged himself back to the position held by his comrades who then disengaged the enemy force and withdrew. The selfless devotion to duty and inspiring gallantry displayed by Private AGUSTIN on this occasion reflect ~reat credit on himself, the Philippine. Army, and the entire United Nations . Comman8. • .. ~~!\'! !II'!~ IIIII ~ 100n ill ~ I gniJr ~tH ~

Media