Boni Serrano

Colonel Bonny Serrano suffered a stroke on January 2, 1970.

Col. Venancio S. Serrano, aka "Bonny" Serrano (but widely named "Boni Serrano"), was the most bemedalled Filipino soldier of the Korean War in the 1950s. He received a total of 48 medals, including the Medal of Valor for extraordinary bravery, the highest honor the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) can bestow. He was a member of the 10 BCT Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK): 1950–1955.

On November 5, 1950, the 10th BCT PEFTOK together with several battalions of the US forces found themselves stuck and unable to advance for several days across the Yalu River due to heavy artillery and sniper fires from the opposite side of the river by the North Korean and Chinese forces. Then 22 years old, Lt. Bonny Serrano led a five-man all-Filipino commando team on a winter night raid, swam across freezing water and captured 77 North Korean soldiers and sympathizers who thought they were surrounded by a much larger army. The "gung ho" attitude of Lt. Serrano earned him a reputation for fearlessness that made him one of the most colorful Filipino soldiers in the Korean War.

Bonny Serrano was born and raised in Armenia, Uson, Masbate on April 4, 1922, to Captain Conrado Serrano who originally hailed from Batangas and wife Juanita Merioles. When the Philippine-Japanese war broke out, his father was reassigned to Bataan to resist Japanese invaders and never returned.