In the midst of the Great World War in the year of 1943,
A young man from South Texas joined the United States Army.
Rambunctious and Carefree was this handsome young man,
An accurate lethal shooter when a rifle was in his hand.
He used to hunt for game in the woods of his native land,
He knew the backwoods like the back of his youthful hand.
The eldest son of his parents, the Garcia Family,
From the little town of Mercedes near the Rio Grande.
A native of this land, this young man was of ancient Texas Breed,
One half American Indian and the other half of Spanish Conquistador seed.
Both his parents had passed away before he was barely fourteen,
Which forced him to become a man, growing up strong and lean.
Belinda was one of his sisters, a woman pretty and tall,
Her daughter, Tonia, a historian who just loves to repeat it all.
Hilario was his brother, who sang and played a mean guitar,
He loved to play no matter where, even in the local town bar.
Their cousin was my dear father, Vicente was his name,
He sang and played the accordion but being a hard worker was his claim to fame.
Well, in 1943, Marcelo answered the call and off he went to war,
With a short stop at Camp Carson, Colorado, before he hit the Italian Shore.
American proud, you bet he was, you could see it in his grin,
A handsome figure of a man unashamed of his beautiful dark skin.
Marcelo and his brother soldiers were bound to go wherever they were sent,
He was a rifleman in Lima Company, of the 363rd Infantry Regiment.
He was under fire along with his brothers as they moved up that Italian boot,
It was just like hunting deer and javelin, move cautiously till you can shoot.
He wrote a letter to his little sister, Belinda, on the 28th of July.
He'd been shot twice but I guess he was Texas Tough, because he didn't die.
In a letter written half in English and the other half in Spanish,
Reflects the style we've learned to use so our culture will not vanish.
He asks about his little niece, Belinda's infant daughter,
Take care of Tonia and give her a kiss and tell her how much I love her.
He tells his sister, not to worry, he is going to be all right,
"The good news is that I shot 19 German's that's 19 less to fight."
Because of his wounds he is offered a free ticket home, but he replies angrily,
"Hell no, I ain't gonna go, I'm staying here with my newfound Army Family".
He returns to action, once his wounds heal in the army hospital tent,
He's a Texas boy, tough as nails, he's needed for the Apennine ascent.
Off they go into the mountains where one day they're covered in ice and snow,
A few weeks later its raining and the rivers are swollen to the point of overflow.
It's cold and miserable and it rains so much that the roads become rivers of mud,
Our boys are tired but still they fight on covered in dirt and their own blood.
It's a miserable fight in this ancient land where the Romans fought so long ago,
But the American GI, he's a determined sort, he's gonna get that nazis foe.
Those nasty Germans are a feisty lot, even in their controlled retreat,
They're calm and cool under fire that's why they were so hard to beat.
The end was near, you could feel it in the air, in April of 1945,
Just a few more days and the war would be over for those who would survive.
On that fateful day, Marcelo's company was set to take Pianoro,
A small town on the way to the Po Valley and the beginning of a bright tomorrow.
But alas fate determined that it wasn't meant to be,
For a Texas native from a small town in the Rio Grande Valley,
That day Marcelo could not escape a fatal wound that took his livelihood,
24 years old, a handsome young man from the land of the Cottonwood.
Marcelo came home draped in an American Flag in November of 1948,
Laid to rest near his mom and dad, five years from his enlistment date.
Marcelo Garcia was an American hero, who came up from poverty,
He answered the call and without hesitation he fought for his beloved country.
I'm honored to say that he was related to me and he's brought honor to his family,
His branch hangs high where his Purple Heart sways on our wonderful family tree.
Written By Hector Enrique Jalomo 11-13-2009 (Veterans Day)
Marcelo Garcia
An American Hero
Memorial to Veterans of Willacy county who gave the ultimate for their Nation.
Marcelo's name is engraved on the right column
Members of Marcelo's company
Italy