Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day when our nation honors the men and women of the armed forces. The late Manuel Rodriguez of Santa Fe was one of those brave soldiers. In 1943 he was part of the First Infantry Division that took part in the European Theater. On June 5th his platoon participated in the Battle at Normandy. That historic battle was the largest seaborne insurgency during World War II . There were approximately 12,000 casualties from that battle.
Stacked Up Like Firewood
Rodriguez also fought in the Battle of the Bulge toward the end of WWII and helped to liberate Nazi concentration camps. When his brigade arrived at a concentration camp in northern Germany the dead were stacked up like firewood. Rodriguez received both the Bronze and Silver medal for valor and bravery. He also received numerous combat medals and wartime citations.