California veteran, playwright, and producer Alfredo Lugo ventured to El Paso in the early 1980s to do something that hadn’t been done before — acknowledge the all-Mexican American Army unit, many of whom were from El Paso’s Segundo Barrio. Lugo’s documentary details what it was like to be among the first U.S. troops to land in Italy during World War II. They suffered severe casualties, questionable leadership, and racism as they battled to establish a stronghold on Italian soil, which included the Battle of San Pietro and ill-fated efforts to cross the Rapido River. The men of the 36th Division, 141st Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Company E featured are Gabriel Navarette, Manny Rivera, Alex Carrillo, Jose F. Montoya, J. Rey Garcia, Juan D. Saucedo, Ricardo Palacios Jr., and Santiago V. Jaramillo. There is an inspirational monument to them at Cleveland Square Park and a memorial at Delta. — Doug Pullen
