Guy Gabaldon-American Hero

Posted Wednesday, November 23, 2005; 11:20 a.m. The 'Pied Piper of Saipan' A forgotten hero of World War II almost washed out. He was too short. By Cecilia Rasmussen,, L.A. Times "The Pied Piper of Saipan" almost didn't get into World War II. Guy Louis "Gabby" Gabaldon was just 5 feet 3 and had a perforated eardrum; the Navy rejected him. But when the Marines learned he could speak Japanese — gritty slang picked up on the streets of Boyle Heights — that was a different story. That's how Gabaldon came to capture more than 1,100 Japanese single-handedly, leading soldier and civilian alike to safety. "Japanese prisoners were a bit of an oddity at that time," said Steve Rubin, who produced the documentary "East L.A. Marine: The Untold True Story of Guy Gabaldon," which is to have its premiere this weekend at a Veterans Day celebration at Cal State Fullerton. "The credo of most soldiers of the Japanese army was kill or be killed. Capturing one Japanese was considered a feat. Bringing in 1,100 was unthinkable." Read More! http://www-scf.usc.edu/~rmhender/features.html "Undaunted Courage — Mexican American Patriots of World War II" can be purchased at http://www.latinoadvocates.org .