CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Emil Giusti, now 100 years young, a U.S. Army combat veteran of the liberation of the Philippines in 1945, proudly came to attention in his wheelchair on Tuesday, Oct. 13 in the front yard of his family home, flags unfurling behind him.

The afternoon ceremony began with an introduction from a member of Congressman Ami Bera’s staff who introduced Emil recounting his remarkable life and love for his family and his local community.

In attendance, Congressman Ami Bera waited as members of a California Army National honor guard in dress uniform soon called “Attention to Orders” and read to Emil the official orders from the Department of the Army which would formally present him with the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals for “wounds in action and meritorious achievement in active ground combat against an enemy of the United States.”

Congressman Ami Bera pinned each medal Emil’s chest as his family, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and invited guests looked on

Congressman Bera then stepped forward to pin the Purple Heart and Bronze Star on Emil’s chest as his family, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and invited guests, including Citrus Heights Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff and City Manager Ash Feeney, looked on.

Emil was just beginning his senior year at San Juan High School in the fall of 1944 during World War II when he was called up by the local Draft Board at age 18 to start Army basic training.

During his overseas wartime service, Giusti served with the U.S. 37th “Buckeye” Infantry Division, in Company C of the 145th Infantry Regiment during the liberation of the Philippines and the Battle of Manila in February 1945.

Giusti was wounded in action on June 17, 1945, during the battle for Luzon and was combat eligible to be awarded both the Purple Heart medal and the Bronze Star at the time of his discharge in 1945.

Bera described Giusti as a member of the “Greatest Generation,” young men and women who stepped forward in a time of war to answer a call to service to their country during World War II and who when they returned, stayed true to their values of personal responsibility, duty, honor, and faith which forged them.

 Family members across generations of the Giusti family honored Emil as member of the “Greatest Generation.”

When Giusti was interviewed in early September for a Citrus Heights Messenger feature marking his upcoming 100th birthday, neither he nor his family realized that his original Army discharge record showed he was eligible for both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Representatives of the Giusti family soon reached out to Congressman Bera’s Office on their father’s behalf, and within a month promptly received a reply from his office that both medals would be formally presented by the Department of the Army and that he would pin them personally.

His three brothers, Mario, Emil and Joseph are also inscribed on a commemorative plaque in a World War II remembrance garden in Rusch Community Park in Citrus Heights for their wartime service.   

The Purple Heart, the oldest military award presented to American service members, was established by General George Washington on Aug. 7, 1782, during the Revolutionary War and is awarded in the name of the President of the United States, recognizing the courage and service of military personnel who have been wounded or killed in action.

According to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, more than 1.8 million Purple Heart medals have been presented to service members since the award was created in 1782.

During his wartime overseas service Giusti earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB), Giusti received the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Philippine Independence Ribbon.

During the ceremony, Giusti was awarded the Bronze Star medal for “meritorious achievement in active ground combat against an enemy of the United States” while serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 145th Infantry Regiment, in the Philippine Islands on July 14, 1945.

“Private First Class Giusti’s exemplary performance of duty in active ground combat was keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon him, the (U.S.) 37th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.” The award was given under the hand of the Secretary of the Army on Sept. 1, 2026, by the Adjutant General, U.S. Army Resources Command, Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

During the ceremony, Congressman Ami Bera named Giusti Veteran of the Month and presented him with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition on behalf of the constituents of California’s 6th Congressional District, honoring his community contributions and service to the nation. Giusti also received a folded U.S. flag flown over the U.S. Capitol at the congressman’s request.

Citrus Heights Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff and City Manager Ash Feeney thanked Emil for his service to his nation and his local community.

The U.S. 37th Infantry Division in which Giusti served was part of the U.S. forces in the Pacific Theater, fighting through the Northern Solomons and the Luzon campaign under the command of Gen. Douglas McArthur. Giusti’s 145th Infantry Regiment, as part of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, advanced into Manila in early 1945 after the Japanese surrender.

Giusti concluded his enlisted Army service as a corporal in a military police unit and recalls escorting a Japanese general to Clark Field in the Philippines for a post-war criminal war trial.

Veterans who may need to correct their service record or establish eligibility to receive certain military medals or awards can contact the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri at: https://www.archives.gov/veterans/replace-medals.html