Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

It was a cold, freezing night – January 21, 1944. The treacherous Rapido River in southern Italy awaited them. They were the Boys of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, U.S. 5th Army. They were boys mostly from Bowie High School, but their Commander Gabriel L. Navarrete, had graduated from Cathedral High School. Company E was known as an experienced intelligence gatherer and knowledgeable about evaluating the enemy’s strength.

The Boys from Company E were known as a rough and tough unit, one of the best in the U.S. Army. When Navarrete was ordered to lead a patrol across the Rapido River to reconnoiter, to determine the position of the enemy and to find a suitable crossing point to get vital information on the strength of the Germans, he received his seventh wound in action. However, he did return to report that in his opinion, crossing the Rapido River would be suicide.

He wasn’t alone. General Fred Walker, Commander of the 36th Infantry Division, was quoted as saying: “I do not know of a single case in military history where an attempt to cross a river that is incorporated in the main line of resistance has succeeded. So, I am prepared for defeat.”

Well, he may have been prepared for defeat, but, the Boys of Company E had no choice. They too knew that to attempt the crossing was suicidal, but they were brave, they were Chicanos and, yes, they loved their United States of America enough to sacrifice their lives. These brave boys turned men did not hesitate. They attempted the crossing under cover of night.

Roque Segura was the strongest swimmer in the unit. He volunteered to swim across the Rapido to set up a rope system that included small boats, which the men could then use to get to the other side. The freezing water made it very difficult, but Segura swam across the river time and time again to get as many troops across as possible. Other men followed, other men died. Segura was killed by enemy fire. Others died by that same violent upheaval created by the German Army. Many men died.

Before the crossing, however, when then-Captain Navarrete had reported his findings to Walker, the General only told him that he admired what he had accomplished and, word has it, would recommend Navarrete for the Medal of Honor. Navarrete, however, wasn’t having it. He knew that his men were going to be murdered, decimated by the eagerly awaiting Germans. Navarrete told Walker that if his men were sacrificed, despite the report, he would go gunning for justice. Walker did not heed Navarrete’s report, however, and ordered the crossing to proceed. The disastrous crossing claimed the lives of more than 1,700 men – including the 300 all-Chicano company from El Paso.

When Navarrete heard that his men had been sacrificed after all, he went gunning for whoever had ordered the fatal crossing. The Army wasn’t about to allow that to happen, so Navarrete was transferred out of Italy and to a stateside hospital to recover from his wounds. For years, then, the Boys of Company E languished in obscurity, prevented by the Army from talking about the fiasco. It was a total blunder for which the U. S. Army has not accounted. For years, they were the forgotten heroes of World War II, a war in which more Hispanics received Medals of Honor than any other ethnic group.

But, no more. Thanks to efforts of such stalwarts as Silvestre Reyes, U.S. Rep., D-El Paso, City Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and his wonderful staff person Diana Ramirez, Peter Brock, who works with Reyes, Santos Super Sanchez, Javier Diaz, Esther Perez, Julieta Olvera, Robert Navarrete, David Navarrete, Ricardo Palacios Jr., yours truly, and many others without whose help this couldn’t be possible, the Boys of Company E are on the verge of getting their due rewards, their long-awaited recognition.

Even as I write this, three representatives are in Washington, D.C., where they will be honored, feted, wined and dined by Reyes and his staff and by members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. They will receive a Resolution honoring their military service. However, only one of the three is an original member of the Company. Those few who remain are too ill to travel. But, Ricardo Palacios Sr. was healthy enough to go. His son, Ricardo Palacios Jr., is accompanying his elderly father. Another important member of this little party is David Navarrete, the son of Company E Commander, Gabriel L. Navarrete. After all these years, finally, acknowledgement of their bravery, of their fearlessness, of their love of country, love of city – El Paso – and love for each other. They were the rough and tumble guys of Company E. Recognition and honors have finally arrived. Thanks to everyone who made this happen.

Sin Fin