Louis Gonzaga Mendez Jr.
Colonel Louis Gonzaga Mendez Jr. (July 14, 1915 – September 19, 2001) was a highly decorated United States Army officer of the 82nd Airborne Division who in June 1944, as commander of the 3rd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, parachuted behind enemy lines into Normandy and was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for leading an attack that captured the French town of Prétot-Sainte-Suzanne, in the Manche (Basse-Normandie) department. On June 6, 2002, the people of the village honored his memory by renaming Prétot's main square "La Place du Colonel Mendez".
Louis Gonzaga Mendez Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Colonel Louis Gonzaga Mendez Jr. | |
| Born | July 14, 1915 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | September 19, 2001 (aged 86) Falls Church, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1970 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Commands held | 3rd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Bronze Star (3X's) |
| Other work | Infantry instructor at Fort Benning, Georgia Military attaché in Spain (1950) |
Early years
Louis Gonzaga Mendez, a Mexican American, Spanish and Navajo Indian,[1] was born in Trinidad, Colorado, on July 14, 1915.[2] He graduated top of his class in high school. After serving in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CC). Governor Bob Carr appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He graduated from West Point in the Class of 1940,[1] and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. Mendez earned his Parachutist Badge after attending the Army's United States Army Airborne School.
World War II
The United States entered World War II in December 1941, after which Mendez was eventually assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. He rose to become commander of the 3rd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment.[3]
On June 5–6, 1944, the paratroopers of the 82nd's three parachute infantry regiments and reinforced glider infantry regiment, who were stationed in England, boarded hundreds of transport planes and gliders and began the largest airborne assault in history. They were among the first soldiers to fight in Normandy, France.[4]
According to an article by Richard Pearson in the Washington Post, Mendez and his men were dropped behind German lines with the mission to "disrupt enemy communications, seize vital crossroads, destroy enemy supplies and kill enemy troops to aid the seaborne D-Day assaults on the Normandy beaches". Mendez and his men proceeded to capture the town of "Prétot Ste Suzanne". Mendez was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor.[5][6]
After the fighting in Normandy, Mendez continued to lead his battalion, which took part in Operation Market Garden, in September 1944. A combined US-British operation, according to the Arlington Cemetery website, it "sought to secure strategic river crossings behind German lines in the Low Countries". Although, elements of the operation proved unsuccessful, the 82nd Airborne Division was able to capture its objectives.[1]
The Germans began a counter-offensive along the Western Front in December 1944, resulting in the Battle of the Bulge. Having been taken by surprise, Allied troops were initially pushed back from the front, before launching a counterattack two days later. This effort included Mendez and his battalion, "who advanced as infantrymen", halting General Gerd von Rundstedt's advance in the north.[1]
Post-World War II
Mendez continued his academic education and military career after the war. He graduated from the Command and General Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He went on to earn a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown University and was an instructor at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 1950 he took up a post as as a military attaché to Spain, and in the 1960s served in the 1st Cavalry Division in South Korea as a regimental commander. Later, he undertook postings in the War Histories Division on the Army General Staff and as Secretary of the Organization of American States' Inter-American Defense Board. Mendez retired from the military in 1970; his final post was at the Industrial College of Warfare in Washington, D.C.[1]
Later years
As a civilian, Mendez joined the Virginia Education Department. According to Pearson, Mendez "was national director of the Right to Read Program, an assistant education commissioner and chief of the department's Vocational and Adult Education Branch" before retiring in 1985.[5]
During a ceremony held on March 31, 2001 in which one of Mendez's men, Francis Lamoureux, was awarded the Bronze Star after 50 years, Lamoureux had this to say about his former commander:
"There are so many other men who deserve medals more than I do who haven't received medals. So, what makes it special is the fact that Colonel Mendez is going to make that presentation to me. I really am honored by that."[7]
Colonel Mendez, who was married and had six sons and six daughters,[5] died at home of a stroke on Wednesday, September 19, 2001, in Falls Church, Virginia. He was buried with full military honors one week later at Arlington National Cemetery.[1]
Mendez was honored on June 6, 2002, for his gallantry leading his men against the enemy and liberating Prétot-Vicquemare when the people of the village renamed its main square "La Place du Colonel Mendez".[8][6] In his book, A Bridge Too Far, historian Cornelius Ryan highlighted Colonel Mendez's leadership style,[1] recounting a speech he gave to the Allied pilots flying his battalion to the drop zone during Operation Market Garden.[9]
In October 2017, the Fairfax County School Board decided to rename J.E.B. Stuart High School as Justice High School, effective July 2018. The new name was intended to honor Colonel Mendez, along with Thurgood Marshall and Barbara Rose Johns, each of whom had worked towards advancing justice.[10]
Military decorations and awards
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See also
References
- Colonel Mendez, Arlington Cemetery. Retrieved August 19, 2007
- "Louis Gonzaga Mendez". Military Times. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, The 82nd Airborne: World War II. Retrieved August 19, 2007
- 82nd Airborne Division "All American" / "America's Guard of Honor", Global Security. Retrieved August 19, 2007
- Pearson, Richard (September 23, 2001). "Army Col. Louis Mendez Jr". Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- "A Little Town Says 'Merci'". Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- World War II Veteran Receives His Bronze Star, 50 Years Later, CNN. Retrieved August 19, 2007
- Rochín, Refugio I.; Lionel Fernandez, and Jose Alonso Oliveros. "U.S. Latino Patriots" (PDF). Michigan State University. Archived from the original on August 31, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2013.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- Ryan, Cornelius (2010) [1974]. A Bridge Too Far (ebook ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-21792-1.
- Woolsey, Angela (September 14, 2018). "Community leaders take pride in high school name change from J.E.B. Stuart to Justice". Fairfax Times. Retrieved February 5, 2021.