World War II Honoree

Pierre Julien 'Peter' Ortiz

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

La Jolla, California

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION UNTIL 1938 WHEN HIS ENLISTMENT ENDED. REJOINED THE LEGION WHEN FRANCE WENT TO WAR IN 1939. WAS COMMISSIONED A 2ND LIEUTENANT AND SERVED FROM OCTOBER 1939 TO OCTOBER 1941 WHEN HE WAS WOUNDED AND CAPTURED BY THE GERMANS. SPENT 16 MONTHS AS A PRISONER. ESCAPED SEVERAL TIMES BUT WAS RECAPTURED. ESCAPED AGAIN, MADE HIS WAY TO NEUTRAL PORTUGAL AND THEN TO NEW YORK, ARRIVING ON DECEMBER 9, 1941. JOINED THE U.S. MARINE CORPS IN JUNE 1942, ATTENDED BASIC TRAINING AT PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA AND WAS OFFERED A DIRECT COMMISSION TO 2ND LIEUTENANT BECAUSE OF HIS PRIOR COMBAT EXPERIENCE WITH THE LEGION. ASSIGNED AS AN ASSISTANT TRAINING OFFICER AT CAMP LE JEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA. UNDERWENT PARACHUTE TRAINING IN NOVEMBER 1942. PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN IN DECEMBER 1942 AND SENT TO TANGIER, MOROCCO. ONE OF A SMALL NUMBER OF MARINES TO SERVE IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER. LED AN INTELLIGENCE-GATHERING MISSION IN TUNISIA WHILE POSING AS A LOCAL TRIBESMAN. THEN JOINED A BRITISH RECONNAISSANCE UNIT OPERATING AGAINST THE GERMAN 21ST PANZER DIVISION AND WAS WOUNDED IN ACTION DURING A SOLO NIGHT RECONNAISSANCE MISSION. JOINED THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES (OSS) THE AMERICAN WARTIME INTELLIGENCE AGENCY IN MAY 1943. HIS COMBAT EXPERIENCE, PARACHUTE AND LANGUAGE SKILLS AND THE FACT THAT HE HAD PREVIOUSLY LIVED IN FRANCE MADE HIM IDEALLY SUITED FOR OSS MISSIONS. PARACHUTED INTO THE FRENCH TOWN OF ST. NAZAIRE-EN-ROYAIL ON JANUARY 6, 1944 TO HELP ORGANIZE AND LEAD FRENCH RESISTANCE FORCES (MAQUIS). COMMANDED A SMALL TEAM THAT ASSESSED AND REPORTED ON THE MILITARY CAPABILITIES OF THE MAQUIS, AND COORDINATED AIRDROPS OF GUNS, AMMUNITION AND OTHER SUPPLIES. FREQUENTLY WENT INTO GERMAN-OCCUPIED TOWNS IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES POSING AS A LOCAL TO GATHER INFORMATION. HIS TEAM WAS EXTRACTED IN LATE MAY 1944 AND HE WAS SENT TO THE OSS HEADQUARTERS IN LONDON, ENGLAND. THERE HE WAS AWARDED THE NAVY CROSS AND PROMOTED TO MAJOR. ON AUGUST 1, 1944, LED A JOINT OPERATION OF OSS AND THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE (SOE), THE BRITISH SECRET SERVICE, ON A SPECIAL MISSION INTO COL DES SAISES, NEAR ALBERTVILLE, FRANCE. THE MISSION WAS TO COINCIDE WITH THE INVASION OF SOUTHERN FRANCE. HE PARACHUTED WITH HIS 7-MAN TEAM FROM A B-17 BOMBER WHILE CARRYING 1 MILLION FRANCS FOR THE RESISTANCE. SIMULTANEOUSLY, OTHER BOMBERS DROPPED 864 CONTAINERS HOLDING ARMS, AMMUNITION, EXPLOSIVES, RATIONS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE MAQUIS. THE TEAM NARROWLY ESCAPED CAPTURE BY A GERMAN PATROL ON AUGUST 14, 1944 AND 2 DAYS LATER WERE SURPRISED BY GERMAN TROOPS AND HE AND 3 OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS TEAM WERE TAKEN PRISONER. HELD AS A PRISONER OF WAR FOR SOME 7 MONTHS IN VARIOUS CAMPS INCLUDING THE COMPOUND AT MARLAG/MILAG NORD, NEAR BREMEN, GERMANY. LIBERATED BY THE 1ST SCOTTISH ARMORED DIVISION ON APRIL 28, 1945. AWARDED A SECOND NAVY CROSS AND ORDERED BACK TO THE U.S. ONCE THERE, BEGAN TRAINING FOR A MISSION AND PARACHUTE DROP INTO INDOCHINA WHEN THE JAPANESE SURRENDERED. HONORABLY DISCHARGED WITH THE RANK OF COLONEL IN 1946.