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Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company F, 127th Infantry,
32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine
Islands, 20 March 1945. Entered service at: Casa Blanca, Calif. Birth:
Casa Blanca, Calif. G.O. No.: 89, 19 October 1945. Citation: He was a squad
leader when his unit, in a forward position, clashed with an enemy strongly
entrenched in connected caves and foxholes on commanding ground. He moved
boldly from man to man, in the face of bursting grenades and demolition
charges, through heavy machinegun and rifle fire, to bolster the spirit
of his comrades. Inspired by his gallantry, his men pressed forward to
the crest of the hill. Numerous enemy riflemen, refusing to flee, continued
firing from their foxholes. S/Sgt. Villegas, with complete disregard for
his own safety and the bullets which kicked up the dirt at his feet, charged
an enemy position, and, firing at point-blank range killed the Japanese
in a foxhole. He rushed a second foxhole while bullets missed him by inches,
and killed 1 more of the enemy. In rapid succession he charged a third,
a fourth, a fifth foxhole, each time destroying the enemy within. The fire
against him increased in intensity, but he pressed onward to attack a sixth
position. As he neared his goal, he was hit and killed by enemy fire. Through
his heroism and indomitable fighting spirit, S/Sgt. Villegas, at the cost
of his life, inspired his men to a determined attack in which they swept
the enemy from the field.
Buried in Riverside National Cemetery Riverside, California
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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