HISTORY ALONG THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL-TRAIL
“A lot of people
Sanchez readily volunteered to take his spot as a top turret gunner. That’s how Sanchez found himself on his 66th mission, this one with an ambitious and important target: an oil refinery some 700 miles away in Germany, one of the country’s last gas reserves. Sanchez’s crew would lead the way. But six minutes before “bombs away,” Sanchez’s B-17 was hit by antiaircraft fire. The pilot controlled the plane for as long as he could so that the men aboard could bail out. All of them did except for Sanchez. Spink theo - rized that Sanchez stayed at his guns until every crew - member had evacuated, “knowing full well the danger of enemy fighters seeing a stricken American bomber.” Every member of Sanchez’s crew survived, becoming prisoners of war. Six weeks later, WWII was over. In October 1945, the U.S. Army Air Corps added the Purple Heart to Sanchez’s long list of awards, which by then included the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and that Soldier’s Medal for the diverted disaster back in Merced. Remembering a Hero Sanchez’s body was never recovered. In 1993, fellow airmen and Sanchez’s family traveled to Germany to visit the crash site and see if they could uncover any clues as to Sanchez’s final resting place. All they found was the tail of the downed B-17 repurposed as a storage shed. “A lot of people don’t know about him—maybe because he’s Hispanic,” said Cervantes. “But he is an unsung hero.” In Joliet, that has changed. In 2003, Sator Sanchez Elementary School opened just a mile from the park that also bears his name. Cervantes said his mother, Sanchez’s sister, attended the dedication of that park in 1994, and asked the orga - nizers if her brother’s birthname, Sierra, could be added to the signage. According to Cervantes, it was important to her that the Sierras, who were such an important part of the Mexican community in Joliet, were also honored. The veterans group agreed, and the sign was amended. Today, there is a mural that celebrates immigrants like Sanchez’s family, laborers who built the railroads that crisscross the Midwest. Visitors can find it at the intersection of North Scott Street and the Santa Fe Railroad, near the Joliet Iron Works Park, where the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail heads north toward Romeoville. •
don't know about him ... he is an unsung hero.” Julio Cervantes, nephew of Sator Sanchez
stunned, as Sanchez described his desire to get back to the warfront. He didn’t have to wait long. In September 1944, San - chez was assigned to the 301st Bombardment Group, 353rd Squadron, stationed in Lucera, Italy. Instead of the permanent quarters he had grown accustomed to in England, Sanchez had to get used to living in an olive grove, crawling every night into a green canvas tent outfitted with a homemade heater. The men of the 353rd bathed using only the water they could carry in their helmets and visited the nearest town when they could go no longer without a bath or shave. Bad weather kept Sanchez grounded many of the fol - lowing months; between September and March, he was only able to add another 22 missions to his tally sheet. In May 1945, when a fellow airman was injured in flight, ALONG THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL-TRAIL IN ILLINOIS Joliet, Illinois, is located on the outskirts of Chicago in a 3.5-mile gap of the Great American Rail-Trail ® , between the western terminus of the 22-mile Old Plank Road Trail ( oprt.org ) and the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail ( iandmcanal.org ), which spans nearly 80 miles through the first designated National Heritage Area in the United States. The City of Joliet and the Forest Pre- serve District of Will County are collaborating on ways to fill this gap and have identified three potential routes. For the time being, visitors to landmarks that celebrate Sanchez’s legacy in Joliet will need to bike there via surface roads. •
Learn more about the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail: greatamerican railtrail.org .
Ashley Stimpson is a Maryland- based freelance journalist who writes about science,
conservation and outdoor adventure.
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FALL 2022 RAILS TO TRAILS
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