Veteran of World War II
Major Dulcesimo Habal
United States Army
(Retired as a major in 1965)

Distinguished Service Cross Recipient
On 9 January 1942, Sergeant Dulcesimo Habal was serving with Headquarters Company, 57th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts.

On that day, SGT Habal's unit was in action against Japanese forces in the vicinity of Samal, Bataan, Philippine Islands, and he was in charge of transmitting information on enemy action to his Philippine Scouts headquarters. Suddenly, SGT Habal's position was jeopardized by a strong Japanese advance and his unit was ordered to withdraw. Despite the order, he remained behind to transmit critical information on enemy strength and location. After completing his mission, SGT Habal withdrew to rejoin his unit, carrying his radio equipment across 4 kilometers of open country and across 3 deep river fords, while under heavy enemy fire. SGT Habal's selfless, courageous actions and extraordinary heroism that day earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards and Badges
Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Bronze Star
World War II Victory Medal
Presidential Unit Citation with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation
(Synopsis)
Sergeant Dulcesimo Habal, United States Army, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Headquarters Company, 57th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts, in action against enemy forces on 9 January 1942, in the vicinity of Samal, Bataan, Philippine Islands. Sergeant Habal was in charge of transmitting information on enemy action to his Philippine Scouts headquarters, when his position was jeopardized by a strong enemy advance and his unit was ordered to withdraw. He remained behind to transmit critical information on enemy strength and location, and then withdrew to rejoin his unit, carrying his radio equipment across four kilometers of open country and through enemy fire and across three deep river fords. Sergeant Habal's intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, General Orders No. 39 (1942)
(http://www.militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=313437)

Birthplace
Casiguran, officially the Municipality of Casiguran, is a municipality in the province of Aurora in the Central Luzon of the Philippines.

Obituary Index
Name: Dulcesimo Habal
Age: 86
Birth: 1914 Casiguran PHL
Death: 2000 Carson CA
Published: 24 Aug 2000 Los Angeles Times

Dulcesimo Habal, a Filipino American hero of World War II who earned the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. Army's second-highest medal for heroism, for alerting half a million sleeping members of the resistance to invading Japanese, has died at age 86.

Habal, who retired from the Army as a major in 1965, died Aug. 6 in his son's Carson home. He had suffered from diabetes and had become increasingly frail the last few years.

Born in Casiguran in the Philippines long before the archipelago was granted independence, Habal in 1935 joined the Philippine Scouts, an elite corps fighting under U.S. Army command. By the time war broke out, he was a sergeant working as a radio operator.

Although his company had retreated from the invading Japanese, Habal and his radio remained behind enemy lines. On his heroic day in January 1942, he forded three rivers where bridges had been blown up and frequently heard gunfire. But he was able to radio his warning to his comrades.