Roughly 100 community members descended on the Gavilan Hills Cemetery the morning of May 26, not to set up tents or chairs for the parade later that day, but to remember Gilroy’s honored dead and countless other who perished fighting in foreign wars.
Since the city was founded in 1870, two Gilroyans have received the Medal of Honor—the highest award a service member can receive for valor in battle. Both of the medal’s recipients fought during the Korean War and died—just two days apart from each other—in 1950.
“Our city knows all too well the high cost of war,” Mayor Pro Tem Perry Woodward said during a speech at the solemn Remembrance Day ceremony put on by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6309. “(We know) what it’s like to lose service members in battle.”
During World War I, Gilroy was a budding community of roughly 2,800 residents, yet four Gilroyans perished in the brutal war. By the numbers alone, World War II was the hardest war on Gilroy, as more than one of every 100 residents perished in battle, whether in Europe or the Pacific. A town of approximately 4,000 during the war, Gilroy lost 55 men.
To date, 80 Gilroyans have died fighting on foreign soil.
“It must be remembered that their sacrifices were shared heavily by family and friends here at home,” Woodward said. “But the heroism of Gilroy’s soldiers, sailors and marines can’t be told though just by the numbers.”
Joe Baldonado
For the first time in Gilroy’s history, Joe Baldonado’s final acts of courage—actions that were formally and finally recognized posthumously by President Barack Obama in March—were detailed during the annual Remembrance Day ceremony.
In the early 1940s, Baldonado and his brother picked garlic in Gilroy’s fields and cherries in Morgan Hill. Baldonado had hopes of earning enough money to buy his mother a house, and in 1948, enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17.
Two years after his enlistment, on Nov. 25, 1950, Cpl. Baldonado and the 2nd Platoon, Company B, of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment were holding Hill 171 near Kangdong when North Korean regulars launched a counter-attack to claim the hill, according to military records.
The platoon successfully fought off the first waves and the platoon’s leader ordered Baldonado’s squad to take a defensive position. Records show that Baldonado—a machine gunner—placed his weapon in an exposed position 25-feet ahead of his men and pushed the attacking forces back with a stream of gunfire.
“Several times, grenades exploded extremely close to Baldonado, but (that) failed to interrupt his continuous firing,” the award’s citation reads. “The hostile troops made repeated attempts to storm his position but were driven back each time—with appalling casualties.”
After manning his gun for roughly three hours, the enemy made a final assault on Baldonado’s position. A grenade landed nearby and he was killed instantly.
Though Baldonado’s remains have not been found, his brother Charles said he has dreams of bringing him back home.
“The next one on the bucket list is to bring him back and have him buried here on American soil,” Charles said, adding he’s submitted DNA to the military. “Hopefully one day they will find him. The fact that we don’t have closure still hurts. It’s been 64 years, and we’re still looking for him.”
Reginald Desederio
Two days after Baldonado’s death, then 32-year-old Reginald Desederio, of Gilroy, was battling North Korean regulars on a peninsula named Ipsok. In 1941, Desederio enlisted in the U.S. Army and rose through the ranks, Woodward said.
On Nov. 27, 1950, Cpt. Desederio’s company was tasked with defending a command post during an enemy offensive. He personally scouted out the enemy’s positions during darkness under intense enemy fire, according to military records, and he placed his men in positions to repel an attack by the North Koreans.
Early on during the attack, Desederio was wounded—but he refused to leave his men, Woodward said. Despite enemy fire, he continued to move among his men, checking their positions to ensure that each element of their defense was ready to stand against enemy attack.
Desederio was wounded again, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to direct his men. When the North Korean regulars finally broke through, Desederio charged at the enemy with all he had-a rifle and grenades-and killed many enemy soldiers until he was mortally wounded, according to military records. Spurred on by his final act of courage, Desederio’s men successfully repelled the attack.
Woodward urged those in attendance to pause to remember Baldonado and Desederio, the other 78 Gilroyans and hundreds of thousands of others—each who have “their own epic tale of courage and ultimate sacrifice.”
“We thank those who lost their lives by remembering and reflecting on their extraordinary legacy,” Woodward said, closing out his speech.
Saluting fallen warriors
After the names of those 80 Gilroyans were read aloud, the honor guard of VFW Post 6309 and American Legion Post 217 fired three shots in unison from white M1 rifles—a salute to all fallen warriors.
Commander of the VFW Post and Master of Ceremonies, John Ceballos, then read aloud a poem written by a Vietnam War veteran.
“Take some time to honor those who fought and died; Memorial Day is meant for them,” Ceballos said. “We’ve all been touched by wars—that’s why we have this day.”
“As we search to find those certain ones we love, we often feel a gentle peace that comes from up above,” he continued, holding back tears. “And when our journey stops, we bow and say a prayer and stare down at the cross or some—and read the name with care. We spend some time in silence and our eyes cloud with a tear as we hold onto the moment—like we do each passing year. And as we say ‘goodbye,’ before we walk away, we promise to remember them beyond this special day.”
