Toughest Chicano Soldiers of WW II: Company E of El Paso, Texas (c) 2015

Gabriel Navarretes distinguished military record was ignored by the U.S. Army

There is little doubt that Gabriel Navarrete is a genuine American hero. Steadily promoted in the military
from a grunt recruit soldier, to buck private, to Private First-Class, to Corporal, to Sergeant, to Butter
Bars Second Lieutenant, and next to the rank of First Lieutenant, Navarrete earned each rank on solid
merit. His actions under fire earned the admiration of men with whom he served and of his superior officers.
Navarrete was awarded the Purple Heart four times, sustaining wounds in each of the four major battles of
the Italian Campaign; each time, he was leading fellow soldiers into battle. He twice was awarded the Silver
Star for bravery. His superiors recognized him as one of the officers best capable to carry out reconnaissance
missions and counted upon Navarrete often to pinpoint the location and strength of the enemy.
Traditionally and the usual practice within our military, the U.S. Army awards the official rank of Captain
when an officer is assigned the command of a company of men. This is especially true when an officer takes
charge of an infantry rifle company that is engaged in close combat with the enemy and he must ensure that
his men are not needlessly killed or wounded. Shortly after Captain John Chapin was killed in action during
the Rapido River crossing, Navarrete was designated Company Commander of Company E, but the
military command denied Navarrete the battlefield commission and commensurate rank of Captain.
Although Navarrete exercised full authority over his men, not having the rank of Captain placed him at a
disadvantage when conferring with other company commanders in battle situations. Navarrete would have
to wear just one bar as a First Lieutenant, while the other officer wore two bars, the rank of a Captain.
Based on his combat record and leadership during World War II, Gabriel L. Navarrete should have been
confirmed with an official battlefield promotion to Captain in the United States Army. Although he was not
given that recognition, his men and folks back home refer to him as Captain even in death.
As recounted in an earlier chapter, this was not the first instance of discrimination against this MexicanAmerican leader. This type discrimination surfaced while Navarrete was at Camp Bowie in Texas. There,
Navarrete applied, but was denied his first application to enroll in an Officer Candidate School class.
Navarrete believed he was denied selection because he was Mexican-American and spoke English with a
distinctive accent. Again, he applied and sought to be reconsidered on a fair and meritorious basis.
Regrettably, Navarretes formal application to attend the prestigious OCS would be denied three times.
At that time, Mexican-Americans still were heavily discriminated against, especially in Texas. It is suspected
that higher-level Anglo officers of the Texas National Guard then believed it would be improper for a
Mexican-American to join the ranks of the military officer class, with its attendant privileges of rank and
authority. Such an officer would have authority over all soldiers under his command, which. This would be
contrary to established social structure of the time in Texas, and in many parts of America. Nevertheless,
Navarrete maintained a positive and loyal attitude toward his country despite this suspected discrimination.
After intensive training in the United States, Navarrete and his unit were sent overseas to fight the highly
praised German Army. By then he had been promoted to the rank of First Sergeant of Company E. Both
enlisted men and commanders recognized him as a natural leader, reliable and intelligent, yet both latent and
overt discrimination still lay in the way of his upward rise within the United States military structure.
During Company Es first taste of battle on the beaches of Salerno, Navarrete demonstrated his outstanding
leadership in combat operations and was promptly promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. At Salerno
he earned his first Silver Star for leading his men in a fierce counterattack and repulsing eight German tanks.
Without his courage and the loyalty of his men the Germans would have continued decimating many more
Americans who were still on the landing beach exposed.

Toughest Chicano Soldiers of WW II: Company E of El Paso, Texas (c) 2015

The Salerno victory was not without a cost to Company E; two of his men were killed in that action, and
Navarrete himself received a first of several Purple Hearts. The shrapnel wounds to his face required
medical treatment and evacuation to Oran, North Africa to recuperate.
In the Battle for San Pietro in December 1943, Navarrete earned another Purple Heart while leading his men
in one of the most bitterly contested battles of World War II. The Americans sustained a high number of
casualties by attacking in plain daylight, against fortified Germans positions on the high ground; units like
Company E were exposed to greatest risk. The severity of Navarretes wounds again resulted in his being
evacuated to the rear for medical attention.
After the Battle for San Pietro, Gabriel Navarrete was awarded his second battlefield commission and
promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. By then, after two major battles in the Italian Campaign,
Navarrete and the men of Company E had gained a reputation for their bravery in conducting dangerous
reconnaissance missions to assess German military strength within enemy territory. Their courage in these
missions saved many lives of soldiers in other units, for which they and their families should be thankful.
Then came the suicide order to cross the Rapido River, where Navarretes leadership was again put to the
test. He led a small patrol on a dangerous reconnaissance mission to determine the strength of the Germans
on the enemy-side of the Rapido River. The waiting Germans ambushed First Lieutenant Navarretes patrol.
He was hit in the shoulder, but in spite of his wound, Navarrete assisted his men back to the American lines.
After completing this reconnaissance, Navarrete reported his valuable intelligence and confirmed that
Germans in superior numbers were lying- in- wait with heavy firepower. His report was rejected. Knowing
the rejection would cost many lives, he insisted that the attack order for an attack on the Germans should be
counter-mandated; he was threatened with a court-martial offense. Nevertheless, Navarrete continued to
state that his reconnaissance findings would cost many lives, including the lives of many of his own men.
Outspoken about the safety of the men under his command, Navarrete was warned that if he persisted, he
would be charged with interfering with a military order during wartime. Navarrete was then sent to a field
hospital to recuperate from his shoulder wound. The next day, in his absence, his superiors ordered the
doomed attack that Navarrete had tried to alter or abort with his detailed and timely reconnaissance report.
Those findings were discounted or ignored with terrible results, as history now records. As Navarrete had
warned his superiors, the predicted results were disastrous.
Unfortunately, this deadly assault included the death of Company E Commander, Captain John Chapin, and
many of the men of Company E. Company E was decimated. All told, the two infantry regiments that made
this attack lost 1,681 men who were killed, wounded or captured by the enemy. Many historians have stated
that the crossing of the Rapido River was one the worst military blunders of World War II.
After Navarrete recuperated from the shoulder wound he sustained at the Rapido River, he rejoined his
outfit and was designated Company Commander. In May 1944, Navarrete was ordered to attack Velletri
where he was wounded for the fourth time, shot in the leg by German bullets. Once again he had to be
evacuated to French North Africa for long-term medical care.
Velletri was the last battle before the Americans reached Rome. Navarrete had led his men from the initial
landing at Salerno, on to San Pietro, the Rapido River crossing, and all the way to the doorsteps of Rome.
Having been wounded in battle, he was denied the glory of entering Rome leading his men in total victory.
He was never there to receive the open arms and welcome of the Italian people proclaiming them American
Liberator Soldiers. It had been a hard fought campaign, but Navarrete had done his part for the U.S. Army
to get to Rome and achieve the main objective of the Italian Campaign.

Toughest Chicano Soldiers of WW II: Company E of El Paso, Texas (c) 2015

Navarrete should have been promoted to Captain in the U.S. Army. He had been engaged successfully in
four major battles and had earned two Silver Stars and four Purple Hearts. Moreover, when he took
command of Company E, he was not an inexperienced officer who had just arrived from the U.S. to see his
first battle. He was a brave soldier and a proven leader of men.
By contrast many soldiers without a distinguished combat record were promoted in rank. This often was
possible because they were in the right place or were sponsored by the right people; a good example of this
scenario is the case of Hollywood movie star Clark Gable. Gable had joined the U.S. Army Air Force in 1943
as an enlisted man; he qualified to serve as an aerial-gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress and flew bombing
missions into Germany. When the top brass found out he was flying combat missions, he was grounded asked
instead to prepare films for training aerial-gunners to destroy German fighter airplanes. To start this film
project, Gable was promoted to Lieutenant and then was given six months to complete the film. When the
project was completed, he was promoted, and Captain Clark Gable then returned to the U.S. Back home
where was promoted again to the rank of Major. Gables training film was never used to train any airmen
to be aerial-gunners.
After the war, Gable made several high profile World War II movies that paid him handsomely. Ironically,
the soldier that saw limited combat became a larger-than-life war hero to the American public. Conversely,
Navarrete, who saw extensive action and had his body ripped apart, returned to a community where
employment opportunities were limited for Mexican-American veterans.
In spite of his outstanding combat record, Navarrete left the U.S. Army without the promotion he had earned
several times over, repeatedly risking his life to fulfill the U.S. Army motto of - Follow Me..
In the early part of 1945, Navarrete was returned to the United States for further medical attention for his
series of battle wounds. Back home in El Paso, Navarrete never lost contact with those men with whom he
had gone into battle. After the war they would meet often to reminisce about their shared experiences. For
the rest of their lives, they would remain a Band of Brothers, just as they had been when they grew up in
El Segundo Barrio of El Paso, Texas.
Unfortunately, when Navarrete returned to his hometown, the city power structure still had not made much
progress to avoid exclusivity against Mexican-Americans. The system in place did not at that time create any
employment opportunities for him, his fellow soldiers or other minorities in the community. Gabriel
Navarrete was 6 2 tall and very handsome and would have been an asset for any public relations oriented
business or government agency. But Navarrete found he was limited to find menial jobs, just like the other
Mexican-American soldiers of Company E had been before the war. As he did while in the military service,
Navarrete again persevered. In civilian life back in Texas he would do his best, despite obstacles. He
continued to display leadership in his community; he was appointed a County Veterans Services Officer in El
Paso and continued to assist his fellow veterans with their VA claims and military records for many years.
Now is the time to set the record straight by having the Congress of the United States approve a private bill to
confer the rank of Captain upon Gabriel Navarrete. It is long over-due. By reading of his exploits,
perseverance, integrity and courage, it is hoped that others too will take- up the mantel of his legacy, so his
true honor will be known and remembered by future generations of Americans. It is the hope of many that a
renewed interest in this phase of World War II will muster support within the Congress of the United States
to correct this one soldiers record. Gabriel L. Navarretes distinguished war record should be officially
noted, and his rank as a Captain O-3 in the United States Army should be confirmed.
By: Sam Ortega and Arnulfo Hernndez, Jr., Attorney at Law, 4005 Manzanita Avenue, Suite 6,
Carmichael, CA 95608, arnulfoh@sbcglobal.net