In 1994 The El Paso Times asked World War II veterans to share their D-Day experiences. They shard some of their accounts on Omaha and Utah beaches in Normandy, as well as other places around the world at the time. Here are their stories.
Small battles, unnamed heroes
Guillermo Garcia
I was s squad sergeant with the anti-tank platoon of Headquarter Company, 2nd Battalion, 116th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division. Our mission was to land and fight the Germans. Nobody knew what was going to happen thereafter.
We spent four days on the landing craft before departing to Omaha Beach. All that time I studied the maps to see the possibilities of where we were going to land, either terrains, building, churches or any other place.
On June 6, 1944 we were on our way. The weather was bad. My squad of 12 men were on an amphibious vehicle called “Duck.” It was suppose to travel on water and land, but a lot of water was coming into the vehicle, and I immediately ordered my men to abandon it. I watched everybody jump, and when I was going to jump it sank and took me with it.
Somehow the undercurrent turned it over, and I was turned loose. When I got my head out of the water, all I could do was grab one of the bed rolls floating around. A boat picking up survivors pulled me up.
I was shaking all over. They put me back in a landing craft. They deserve a lot of credit because they must have saved many lives. I guess I was the last one that was saved.
Before they put us through the hot showers, they gave us a jigger of brandy or whiskey. I asked for a double, and I felt like a new man. We were put back in a landing craft and went to the beach again.
They had run out of infantry uniforms, so they gave me a complete blue outfit with a black helmet. I looked more like a German than an American soldier. I was afraid to be shot by my own soldiers.
We landed – but without any firearms. The Germans tried to hit the landing craft but missed. The impact of shells knocked a few of us down, though. The water was up to our necks. The beach was a long way away. I made it, lay down to catch my breath for about three minutes and ran up to where there was a 3-foot rock wall.
Dead soldiers were lined up all along the wall, and since I did not have a firearm I started turning the dead soldiers over. I tried to find a good rifle I could use. All of them were filled with sand. I finally found one rifle that could be opened by kicking it. I cleaned it the best I could and got it working.
I jumped over the rock wall and found some of the soldiers. They immediately recognized me. I told them, “Come on. Let’s get off the beach because the Germans are going to start shelling this place again.” Some of the men followed me all the way up to the bank. We looked down and saw the shells falling down on the men that stayed there.
The next day, I helped capture some of the first POWs.
A week later, I was called back to the Omaha Beach and was given the Bronze Star, I still do not know who recommended me for it.
Later, the 29th Division was given the presidential citation for participation all the way from Omaha Beach to St. Lo.
But the war was won by many small battles by many unmentioned heroes. Thank God some of us came back.
Guillermo Garcia, 77, is retired from 30 years with the Fort Bliss Fire Department. The El Paso native also was a professional boxer, played semi-professional baseball and once led a 11-piece orchestra.
Joe R. Vargas - Normandy to St. Lo
Rad Dedmon - A disturbing sight
Alfonso Mojica - Waiting in North Africa
Joseph W. McKinley - Combat medic recalls
Ray M. Laird - Wartime duty spent hopscotching in the tropics
Raul Natividad - D-Day news at sea
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