Juan Pablo Zurita

Juan Pablo Zurita was born on March 29 1923 in Mexico City, Mexico to Jaime Zurita and Ivonne Garcia. 
At the age of 18 In 1938, he joined the Mexican Air Force where he served until 1978 when he became a tour guide in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines where he served during World War 2. 
He always anted to become a pilot so in 1938, he joined the Mexican Air Force. On July 25 2018 he Was stationed in Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas, USA where he did his training in the 201st Fighter Squadron. On March 27 1945, the squadron boarded S.S. Fairisle in California and left for Manila where they arrived on 30 April 1945. His squadron was stationed In Porac, Pampanga with the 58th Fighter Group of the US Air Force.
On June 4 1945, he and 2 other men were conducting a mission off the coast of Santa Ana, Cagayan when thy were attacked by 4 Imperial Japanese Army Air Service fighters which showed no mercy. He got shot down 2.2 kilometers off the coast of Ballesteros. He was rescued and taken back to Aparri by a fisherman named Jose Concepcion. In Aparri, he got captured by soldiers of the Impereal Japanese Army. He was taken to a small camp down the Cagayan River in Camalaniugan where the soldiers hesitated to kill him because he wasnt American. 
on the 20th of June 1945 he was rescued because the US military had invaded Cagayan. He was taken back to Pampanga and remained there until 18 November 1945 when his squadron returned home. 
In total, he killed 5 Japanese soldiers. In 1957, his wife Martha Toledo gave birth to Fernando Zurita in 1946, Paloma Zurita and Jose Zurita in 1951 who he named after the man who saved his life.