Special Agent Alajajian Earns Bronze Star in Philippines (January 9, 1945)

On Jan. 9, 1945, Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) Special Agent Jerry Alajajian landed on Luzon, Philippines, and immediately began establishing communications with scores of Filipino guerrillas attached to the U.S. Army Forces in the Philippines–Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL). Alajajian’s work with these guerrillas ultimately earned him the Bronze Star Medal.

Jerry A. Alajajian was born in Mersin, Turkey, in 1914, to Armenian parents. In 1919, to escape the Turkish genocide of Armenians, his family emigrated to the United States and settled in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1942, Alajajian enlisted in the U.S. Army and eventually joined the CIC as an Armenian linguist with the hope of being assigned in the Middle East. However, after attending training at the CIC school in Chicago and at Fort Holabird, Maryland, he was sent to Australia where he completed jungle warfare school. He was then assigned to the 41st CIC Detachment, attached to the 41st Infantry Division in Hollandia, New Guinea (present-day Indonesia). Alajajian and the 41st CIC Detachment, under the command of Lt. Jack Y. Canon, landed on the island of Biak in May 1944 and worked tirelessly to uncover a cache of documents from the Japanese 36th Division, including detailed diaries, order of battle records, maps of enemy locations, codebooks, and casualty reports.

After leaving New Guinea, Alajajian transferred to the 43d CIC Detachment, commanded by 1st Lt. Ray W. Hodgson, supporting the Sixth Army landing at Luzon. The unit quickly encountered large numbers of Filipino resistance fighters. Immediately after the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in December 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, hundreds of thousands of resistance fighters took to the jungles across the Philippines to wage a guerrilla war against Japanese occupation. Beginning on Jan. 9, 1945, Alajajian established regular liaison activities with the guerrillas of 2d Battalion, 121st Infantry, USAFIP-NL, commanded by Capt. (later Maj.) Diego Sipin. When Captain Sipin became ill with malaria, he selected Alajajian to lead the group in his absence. Alajajian served in this capacity until Feb. 26, 1945. For his role in liaising with and leading these guerrillas, Alajajian received a Bronze Star. His award citation stated:

“Alajajian established and maintained liaison with a group of guerrilla intelligence agents to obtain tactical and counter-intelligence. He continued this work under artillery and small arms fire, subject to nightly infiltration, and on three separate occasions narrowly missed death as a result of the shelling. His influence with, and direction of, the guerrillas resulted in the location and subsequent neutralization of enemy artillery as well as furnishing valuable sketch-maps of the enemy dispositions.”

Alajajian was also cited for capturing two “notorious enemy collaborators.” This was not his only experience with Filipino guerrillas. Alajajian later became a liaison with Col. Marcos V. “Marking” Agustin and Valeria “Yay” Panlilio, co-leaders of the famous Marking Guerrillas. In May 1945, this group, known as the “Yay Regiment” or “Marking’s Regiment,” supported the 43d Division’s mission to secure the Ipo Dam. Located on the Angat River, the dam served as the main water source for the Philippine capital of Manila. During this operation, Alajajian earned the Soldier’s Medal when he swam to the rescue of an officer whose vehicle overturned while crossing the river.

After the war, Alajajian returned to the U.S. and became a director for a Boston life insurance company. He also served as president of the Military Intelligence Association of New England (MIANE) and of the National CIC Association (NCICA) in the early 1960s. Alajajian passed away in 1985.