Tales from the Morgue

Co. “E” vets

Company E, 141st Infantry, 36th Division was a National Guard unit activated in 1940. 

This company has been documented as one of the toughest fighting units in the Army, consisting of mostly Hispanics from Bowie, Austin and El Paso high schools.

Chapin High School's namesake, Capt. John Chapin, was a member of this company and was killed in combat in Italy in 1944.

October 5, 1977

An unusual group of El Pasoans, childhood and high school chums who fought shoulder-to-shoulder throughout World War II still remain together almost as a family. Their hair is sprinkled with grey and the once slender figures have matured. But their experiences forged a strong bond, linking their past to the present.

Ray Torres is one of them. He organized the group 14 years ago as World War II Veterans, Co. “E”, 141st Infantry, 36th Division. He served as the first president and has continued in various offices. They meet every two months.

“We were just out of high school,” Torres recalled. “Most of us went to Bowie. It was 1940 and a Ft. Bliss sergeant, Hooper, started recruiting for the National Guard. We passed the word around. We knew we’d be drafted eventually, so we all decided to go with our friends and joined the National Guard together. We enjoyed the marching and the training and all that.

“The National Guard was under the state, but on Nov. 25, 1940 we were federalized and became part of the Army. Most of us were about 20 and we enlisted under a three-year plan with one year of active service. After Pearl Harbor we were in for the duration plus six years.”

The group trained at Camp Bowie, Tex., Ft. Blanding, Fla., and after maneuvers in the Carolinas, they went to Camp Edwards, Mass. for amphibious operation training. The best of the group was a ranger company to be used as a spearhead in Africa.

“We left April 1, 1942 from New York and arrived in Rabat, North Africa on April 13 at pier 13 – that was a coincidence,” Torres continued. “There was a large empty space. We pitched our camp and trained and rested and practiced loading and unloading boats. There were about 100 of us from El Paso and we all knew each other. We loaded the boats for good on Sept. 9 when we took off for the Salerno invasion. We were the first American troops to hit the continent before the Normandy invasion. We pushed in and didn’t know if we’d be tossed back in the sea or not. But the Navy bombarded the beach and was a big support. We pushed the Germans back in Italy and got our first town, Alta Villa. The infantry lost heavily. We cleaned up and took over the town than pushed in toward Mt. Cassino where we saw a lot of combat and lost a lot of our friends.

All in all, the group saw action in North Africa, Italy, Southern France and Central Europe. They received five campaign medals for the European, African and Middle East campaigns.

“We retained an all Spanish-American Company” Torres said. “We were 100 per cent except for the officers. When we got replacements from east Texas, they were mostly farmers who didn’t know how to read or write. We trained them and they became good soldiers and we lost a lot of them too. After Mt. Cassino, we got some Anglos because some of the other Mexican-Americans didn’t want to join us. They felt we were spearheading every battle, but that wasn’t true.

“Someone found out I could type and I was reclassified and became company clerk. Gabriel Navarette (now County Veterans Service Officer) became an NCO in field commission because of his action at Salerno. Later he became a first lieutenant and company commander. After he was wounded seven times, he was returned to the U.S. for bond rallies and promoted to captain. Others were given the opportunity to return too, including Sgt. Alex Carillo, although they weren’t wounded. We were lucky though because while a lot were wounded about 80 per cent came back,”

In addition to Torres and the others mentioned, members of Co. “E” are: Sixto Fruasto, Juan Flores, J.R Garcia, Carlos Garcia, J.R. Gonzales, La. Gonzalez, L.M. Luna, L.V. Luna, Armando Martinez, Roberto Montes, Ed Moreno, Alfonso Mojica, Jesse Mora, Mario Mora, Ernesto Payan, Jose Quiroz, Armando Ramirez, Manuel E. Reza, Alfred Ruiz, Alex Rivas, Oscar H. Rodriguez, Manuel Rivera, I. Roseman, A.G. Saldan, John D. Salido, Tony Salcido, Marcelino Valdez and Roberto Valencia. Roberto Moncada and Ed Romo were members until their deaths. Funds raised by dances and socials are used to buy flowers for those in the hospital and to donate to charities.

Western Playland set to open

This photo is from June 19, 1985. Willie Ortega and Nick Villegas take a ride on El Bandito.

Children’s Amusement Park To Open At Ascarate

May 28, 1960

An amusement park catering especially to the younger set and to their special days opens at 4 p.m. Saturday when County Judge Woodrow Bean and other commissioners cut the ribbons to Western Playland Amusement Park on the east side of Ascarate Lake.

“Our park will be operated on a clean, high level. No alcoholic beverages will be sold or allowed on the premises and we guarantee that the kids will want to come back,” says Leo Hines who is in partnership with Thomas Mayfield Jr. and Wally Thomson in the new endeavor.

Hines also reported that Rabbi Floyd Fierman, the Rev. Robert Gibson and the Rev. William Steffen will attend the opening.

The new playground includes eight rides and a concession stand featuring hot dogs, soft drinks and other refreshments.

The rides include an old-fashioned Merry-Go-Round, a master ride called the, “Mad Mouse” which is a roller caster-type device, the thrill ride of spinning cups known as “Crazy Daisy,” an 1885-style locomotive and train, pump car ride, tractor ride, miniature auto roadway ride and an occupant directed helicopter.

There will be an individual charge for each ride but no admission to the park and hours will be 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sunday and 4 to 10 p.m. on other days.

A special feature of the amusement park is the plans for children’s parties which will be scheduled at hours other than those during which the park is open to the public so that each party and each guest may receive the individual attention of operators.

According to Hines, a flat rate charge is available and each partying youngster will receive ice cream, cake, a soft drink, souvenir, favor and the fun rides.

Manuel Rubio will manage the park and high school students have been employed to operate the fun rides in order to maintain top quality operations of the park.

Cut-up mayor leaves some fit to be tied

12 June, 1985

By David Crowder
Times staff writer

The temperature has pushed over the 102-degree mark for four of the past five days, and some people are wondering if it’s getting to Mayor Jonathan Rogers who, ever-armed with his trusty scissors, is escalating his attack on ties.

“He’s gone on a binge,” West Central city Rep. Suzie Azar said Tuesday, referring to the mayor’s latest tie-chopping antics. “He used to ask permission, but lately he’s gone berserk.”

Rogers, who has gained nationwide notoriety for enforcing his ban on coats and ties at City Hall, insists he is fine and that the heat may be going to other people’s heads, but not his.

“Not me, he said, I’m cool and comfortable in my guayabera,” referring to the loose-hanging, Mexican-style sport shirts he wears.

Azar said people became noticeably nervous and started removing their ties when the guayabera-garbed mayor, scissors in hand, showed up Sunday at the victory party for El Pasoan Laura Martinez Herring, who recently was named Miss USA.

“There were people disrobing right and left,” Azar said. “I think he will settle down when the temperature drops.”

As a precaution, the dapper East Central city Rep. Orlando Fonseca, who rarely appears without a coat and tie, has issued a warning some might take as a dare.

“Cut my tie, get a black eye,” Fonseca said.

Rogers’ victims this week have included County Judge Pat O’Rourke, convention bureau Chairman John Folmer and Roy Zuloaga, an account executive with a Dallas advertising firm.

Zuloaga, who handles advertising for McDonalds, was fit to be French fried, Fonseca said, when Rogers snipped off the silk garment between the second and third button Monday.

“He said, ‘I don’t care what his policy is, that tie cost $30. It was my favorite yellow tie,’ ” Fonseca reported.

Rogers said he warned Zuloaga in advance.

“I told him what was going to happen if he wore one,” Rogers aid, adding that he had a good reason. “Ronald McDonald, the clown, told me to cut it off.”

Zuloaga, he said, accepted his tie’s fate and probably will show it as a business expense.

The question going now is, “Who will be next?”

Jonathan Rogers photo gallery.