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Brownsville World War II veteran recalls time in Germany
As the nation honors the sacrifice of its military men and women on Memorial Day, a Brownsville World War II veteran looks back at his proud life of military service and the legacy he started.
Looking at his Bronze Star earned in Germany, 68-year-old Ramón Saldaña smiles as he remembers the war stories he has shared with his family throughout the years.
Saldaña's stories were vivid enough to inspire two of his sons and two grandchildren to follow his footsteps and serve in the U.S. Army.
"I'm proud and happy to be here, to have my family here," he said. "There are a lot of men who didn't come back."
Fighting German storm troopers all over Germany as a member of the 9th battalion 37th Artillery Company, Saldaña, experienced much pain and sorrow in brutal battles to push back the opposing army.
Saldaña joined the military in 1942. After receiving artillery training in the U.S., he was shipped to the German Theater, documents show.
"When I arrived in Europe, they gave me my M-1 rifle, but they didn't give me any ammunition," the veteran recalled. "They said we would get our ammunition when we arrived at the front."
He remembers boarding a cattle train en route to the front when enemy planes attacked the train. Without ammunition, Saldaña was forced to run for cover until the attack ended.
Once on the front, Saldaña saw his share of war and recalls taking down various enemy planes and facing the enemy head on.
"There were guys with family who prayed to get the chance to go home," he said. "I was single at the time. I didn't care if I died fighting."
Saldaña remembers spending one morning digging a foxhole when a fellow soldier approached him.
"One of the guys asked me if I was trying to get to China," he chuckled. "Then a few moments later when an enemy plane flew by firing on us, I jumped in the hole and he jumped right on top of me."
Even though Saldaña lost many friends in the war, he prefers to remember the good times he was able to have in between battles.
When not fighting storm troopers, Saldaña liked to hunt deer or practice a different kind of fishing.
"One day one of the guys opened a box of grenades and we went to the river," he said. "We would pull the pin (on the grenades) and throw them in and the dead fish would all float up. Also, there was so much deer over there. They were so used to the noise that if you missed they wouldn't run, they would just stay there waiting for you to shoot again."
The deer and fish caught were not wasted but given to hungry German civilians who lived in the nearby villages, Saldaña said.
When the war ended, the troops celebrated with partying and heavy drinking, Saldaña recalled.
"We were on the Russian border and we went with some Pollack (friends) to celebrate," he said. "They all drank so much that seven guys died of alcohol poisoning."
Not all was fun and games for Saldaña. After returning home, he spent many sleepless nights recalling the horrors of war.
"Years later at the V.A. hospital they told me I had (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)," he said. "That's why I couldn't sleep.
Saldaña's sons, Raymond and Hector, followed in their father's footsteps and joined the U.S. Army. Raymond, the older of the two, served a year during the Vietnam War.
Saldaña's grandsons George and Raymond also joined the military and served in Iraq.
Even though Ramón Saldaña is proud of having served, he hopes for the day when young men and women will not have to give their lives defending their country.
"It's just so sad, we are always fighting," he said. "When will it stop."
