HISTORY ALONG THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL-TRAIL
In 1994, when a local veterans group in Joliet, Illinois, success- fully lobbied that a new park be dedicated to hometown hero Sator Sanchez, it was the first time a Hispanic name had graced anything in the city, despite more than a third of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino. It was a long overdue moment for the large Mexican-American community in Joliet—and for Sanchez himself. “He came from a poor family; he was an orphan essentially,” said Julio Cervantes, Sanchez’s nephew. “To go from that up- bringing to being an Air Force mechanic and gunner, and then a chief engineer, I think that’s pretty incredible.” Sanchez was born Satero Sierra in Joliet on March 22, 1921, to parents who had emigrated from Mexico, a part of the steady stream of traqueros —seasonal railroad workers—that arrived in the Midwest during the early 20th century. While many traqueros were transient, the Sierras were among the first families to settle permanently in Joliet, and soon the Mexican community in the city was large enough to host an annual Mexican Independence Day parade. Sadly, Sanchez’s young life was marred by loss; his mother died of tuberculosis when he was only 2, and his father was shot and killed just six years later. When Sanchez’s stepmother, with whom he had been living, died in 1934, he and his sister were adopted by their step-grandparents Fidencio and Belen, and the future military hero became Sator Sanchez for good.
This article was written as part of History Along the Great American Rail-Trail ® , a project of TrailLink.com ™
highlighting hundreds of stories and
historical points of interest along the 3,700-mile route.
“To go
from that upbringing to being an Air Force mechanic and gunner, and then a chief engi- neer, I think that's pretty incredible.”
Julio Cervantes, nephew of Sator Sanchez
PHOTOS: (Left) Undated portrait of Sator Sanchez; (middle) Sanchez on the B-17G bomber aircraft
named after him; (right)
card recording oak leaf cluster
decorations awarded to Sanchez in World War II
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