By Alfredo Torres Jr. | For the Express-News – MySanAntonio.com – Photo: File Photo.
Photo: Veteran Edward Albert Peniche, seen in 2001, wasn’t a citizen when he went to fight in Europe, but he returned a hero.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, in which more than 175,000 troops (57,500 U.S.) stormed the shoreline, ultimately liberating Western Europe from the tyrannical grasp of Nazi Germany. Many of the soldiers who spilled blood on the French coastline were Mexican Americans. According to Rudolfo Acuna’s classic “Occupied America” (fifth Edition), an estimated 750,000 Mexican Americans served during World War II in Europe and the Pacific, and proportionately received more Medals of Honor than any other ethnic group.
