World War II Honoree

Octaviano Gomez

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Laredo, Texas

Honored By

Douglas Alford, USN

He was drafted into the military at the age of 18 and was sworn into the Army at the Military Induction Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas in November 1943 and reported for basic training on 21 December 1943. Due to the needs of the service he was fast tracked to the combat zone. After basic training he received the minimum to prepare him for duty. He was assigned to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey where he received additional infantry, small arms, rifle and hand to hand training. Then he was transferred to New York City to board one of the converted luxury ocean liners for England. After landing in Liverpool, England on 25 August 1944 he received additional infantry training before being assigned to the Company A, 724th Railway Operating Battalion. He saw duty in Northern France, Battle of the Bulge, Rhineland, Belgium and Berlin. With the surrender of Germany he was transferred back to New York City on a troop transport. After a few days leave in New York he was placed on a troop train bound for Camp Chaffee, Arkansas where he received his Honorable Discharge. He was then placed on a Greyhound bus for his hometown of Laredo, Texas. He received the Good Conduct Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, The European-African-Middle Eastern theater of operations ribbon with one bronze star.