Colonel Louis Gonzaga Mendez, Jr. (July 14, 1915 – September 19, 2001) was a highly decorated United States Army officer of the 82nd Airborne Division who in June 1944, as commander of the 3rd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, parachuted behind enemy lines into Normandy and was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for leading an attack that captured the French town of Prétot-Vicquemare, in the Seine-Maritime depar...
More
Colonel Louis Gonzaga Mendez, Jr. (July 14, 1915 – September 19, 2001) was a highly decorated United States Army officer of the 82nd Airborne Division who in June 1944, as commander of the 3rd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, parachuted behind enemy lines into Normandy and was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for leading an attack that captured the French town of Prétot-Vicquemare, in the Seine-Maritime department. On June 6, 2002, the people of the village honored his memory by renaming Prétot's main square "La Place du Colonel Mendez".
Mendez, a Mexican American, was born in Denver, Colorado, where he received his primary and secondary education. He received an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He graduated in the Class of 1940 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. Mendez earned his Parachutist Badge after attending the Army's Airborne School.
When the United States entered World War II, Mendez...
Less
