A Filipino American pioneer who left his mark in both the military and the martial arts community will be honored with his own street, Leo Giron Drive, reports the Stockton Record.
Giron is World War II veteran and the founder of Bahala Na Martial Arts International studio in Stockton.
“When we talk about Filipino-American history, Stockton is at the center of it all, but we don’t have a lot to symbolize that,” said Dillon Delvo, executive director of the Little Manila Foundation.
According to Delvo, Gen. Douglas MacArthur handpicked Giron for an intelligence mission that lead to the defeat of the Japanese military.
Delvo headed a submarine unit that went behind Japanese enemy lines in the Philippines and relayed intelligence back to US Commanders. The information gathered is credited with being instrumental in defeating the Japanese with few American casualties.
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Leo Giron Drive is appropriately near Stockton’s new VA Hospital.
You can read more about Giron’s contributions to martial arts and his connection to actor Matt Damon in the Stockton Record.
Plus you can find out more about the man himself on his website.
