Monday, July 16, 2007

Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

Horacio Montoya, 89, folds his hands in prayer as he sits down to brunch. Montoya survived the Bataan Death March and spent three years as a POW. With the number of World War II veterans dwindling quickly, he fears that memories about the war are being lost and recently had a book about his experiences accepted by a publisher. "Can you imagine all those that are dying off, what they're taking with them, the information. It's quite phenomenal," he said.

Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

Otilia Martinez, 8, wraps her arms around her grandfather Patricio Cruz, 80, before sitting on the couch to have her picture taken with her grandmother. Cruz, a World War II veteran and his wife have watched Otilia nearly every day of her life and have helped their eight children raise the next generation over the past 35 years.

Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

Ambrose Chavez, 86, looks through one of three scrapbooks of clippings from the Tribune that his wife, Mary, kept while he was serving in World War II. Not knowing where he was or when he would return, she clipped pictures, articles and cartoons about the troops so he could see them when he returned. "I went because I felt proud to be an American. I wanted to defend my country," Chavez said.

"That's me," he said, pointing to a 20-year-old next to 200 other National Guardsmen. "There's a lot more hair on the old dome."

Two years after that photo was taken, Chavez's company was shipped out to Sicily to help infantrymen in 1943 during World War II.

He took one more look at the picture. "Most of these guys are dead now," he said.

Chavez is one of 21,086 New Mexico vets remaining from World War II, said Sonja Brown, spokeswoman for the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

He has a couple of old newspaper clippings, cartoons and a Purple Heart medal as mementos. Pictures, journals, books and different versions of what really happened will always live on, Chavez said.

But with the "Greatest Generation" dwindling quickly, the truly priceless artifacts - their memories - will soon be gone, veterans officials say.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports losing about 1,000 World War II veterans a day nationwide.

About 16.1 million people served during World War II, according to the VA. A VA report in November 2006 put the number left alive at 3.2 million.

About twice a year, Chavez and his Army buddies Eulogio Sanchez, 87, and Alvaro Moraga, 87, meet to remember the past and argue over some of the facts. Initially, 20 veterans would gather, but throughout the years they have either died or lost touch with the trio.

John Garcia, state secretary of Veterans Services, said it's important to remember this generation.

"The world's greatest generation has impacted this country since the end of World War II," he said. "This country had just came out of the Depression. These sons and daughters stepped up to the plate and rebuilt the nation."

Horacio Montoya, 89, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, said his generation's experiences and knowledge are quite valuable.

"Can you imagine all those that are dying off, what they're taking with them, the information. It's quite phenomenal," he said.

Montoya, a prisoner of war for 3 years, said the Bataan Death March should also be remembered as part of World War II.

"Our experiences are not well documented to the population in New Mexico and the rest of the country. This is what's going to hurt, there's no one to talk about this," he said.

Montoya spent two years writing a book, "Rising Sun Over Bataan," which was picked up by a publisher this year.

Some local veterans say World War II was one of the only wars worth fighting.

"In our lifetime, we've seen many wars, and only one of them should have been fought," said Marvin Miller, 83, a veteran and POW in the Army infantry. "The most foolish thing I can think of is people going to war and nothing is solved."

Patricio Cruz, 80, says troops now don't know what they're fighting for, especially in the war in Iraq.

"The people who are fighting wars now don't know who their enemies are," he said. "When he went to war, we fought the Japanese and their allies and the Germans and their allies."

Cruz, a veteran from the Navy, said it's important to remember the values of the generation he and other vets came from.

"The people in World War II had it very rough," he said. "They were unselfish. They didn't do it for glory; they did it for the defense of the country. Our generation is the one that stopped the Germans and Japanese."

Larry Blair, New Mexico commander for the military order of the Purple Heart, said the biggest loss is the historical value the vets take with them.

"It would be wonderful if students could get exposed to these guys before they're gone and learn a history lesson from someone who's made it," he said. "It's a shame our schools don't take advantage of them before they leave us."