World War II Honoree

Jose S. Garcia

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

El Paso, Texas

Honored By

W. S. Stegall, VFW Audie Murphy Post 1837, Dallas

SERVED WITH COMPANY C, 362ND INFANTRY, 91ST INFANTRY DIVISION, U.S. 5TH ARMY. HE AND HIS UNIT JULY 12, 1944 WERE NEAR TERRICOLA, ITALY. HIS COMPANY CAME UNDER INTENSE TANK AND ARTILLERY COUNTERATTACK BY GERMAN PANZERFAST FORCES. AS A BAZOOKA MAN, SUPPORTED A POSITION NEAR A KNOLL 100 YARDS AWAY FROM ENEMY FORCES. UNDER ENEMY OBSERVATION AND WITH DARKNESS FALLEN, WAS ABLE TO LOCATE ENEMY UNITS AND TANKS. AS A GERMAN PANZER TANK STOPPED TO FIRE UPON ALLIED FORCES, HE FIRED ONE ROUND INTO THE GERMAN TANK’S TURRET AND FIRED TWO MORE ROUNDS FOR SPOTTING AND DISTANCE, BOTH ROUNDS MADE THEIR MARK AND HIS SUPPLY OF AMMUNITION WAS EXHAUSTED. HIS POSITION WAS REVEALED BY FORWARD PANZER FORCES. SERIOUSLY WOUNDED BY EXPLODING SHELL FRAGMENTS FROM MORTAR AND ARTILLERY ROUNDS, HE CRAWLED THE REMAINING DISTANCE TO HIS COMPANY FRONT LINES. AWARDS: THE PURPLE HEART (AWARDED 1944) AND THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL WITH V DEVICE (AWARDED NOVEMBER 14, 1992). COMMENDATION GIVEN (APO 19, HEADQUARTERS U.S. II CORPS, ITALY) DURING THE 18 DAYS OF BREACHING DEFENSES AGAINST WELL SEASONED GERMAN FORCES AT BOLOGNA AND THE PO VALLEY OF THE NORTHERN APENNINES OF ITALY. U.S. SERIAL NUMBER 39 705616.