Private First Class. Joe O. Sanchez 38142032
Private First Class. Joe O. Sanchez 38142032 US Army. Born 5 August 1915 in Park View, New Mexico. He attended schools in Alamosa, Colorado, and was a rancher prior to entering service on 10 April 1942. He received his preliminary training at Fort Lewis, Washington, and was assigned to duty with Company A, 174th Infantry Regiment. Hospitalized for six months as a result of a training accident in California in 1943, he was later transferred to Company F, 391st Infantry Regiment, 98th Infantry Division. The 98th went to Hawaii in April of 1944 and remained there on guard duty until the end of the war with Japan. The division underwent intensive combat training uring its stay in Hawaii, and supplied men to a number of other units which carried on combat operations in the Pacific and was kept in reserve for duty anywhere in the Pacific. Its presence in Hawaii was a closely-guarded secret and was not made known until 25 August 1945. After V-J Day it was on occupation duty in Japan until inactivation. Private First Class Sanchez was honorably discharged on 14 January 1946 at Fort Logan, Colorado, and his decorations include the American Theater, Asiatic Pacific (PTO), Good Conduct, Victory Medal, and Japan Occupation. He is the son of Feliberto and Aurelita Q. Sanchez of Alamosa, Colorado.
Source:
1- THE FIGHTING MEN OF Colorado – Asiatic-Pacific Theater World War Two – 1948
2- https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf=F&q=Joe+O.+Sanchez&bc=sd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=7146124