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95-year-old Joe Reyes of Fresno, CA appears on episode #596 of Hometown Heroes, October 3-7, 2019. Born in Monterey, CA, he spent five years of his childhood in Mexico before going to high school in Los Angeles. Joe served in World War II as a half-track gunner with Battery D of the 473rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion.

Listen to Hometown Heroes for Joe’s recollections of his journey to Mexico as a young boy, including how his father reacted “wisely” when stopped by a group of Apaches in traditional Native American dress. Settling in Ciudad Obregon in the Mexican state of Sonora, Joe learned Spanish in school there, and his parents forbade him from speaking English in public for fear of attracting undue attention or derision.

“They called us ‘repatriados,’ you know what that means, we’re deported,” Joe recalls of the misconceptions that followed his family. “They could tell that we were not original Mexicans.”

The same boy who dealt with discrimination in Mexico for being “too American” would encounter racial bias in the U.S. as well, returning to California after five years south of the border. At the age of 15, he left home to work at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, sending money home to help his mother with family expenses. At Camp Tuolumne, he planted trees and also fought fires. Listen to Hometown Heroes for the unique scene he witnessed during a wildfire. After returning to southern California and graduating from high school, Joe worked in a defense plant, welding large tanks that could be filled with air for buoyancy. It was his mother who encouraged him to enlist in the Army as opposed to waiting to be drafted, and you’ll hear why he decided to follow her advice.

Reyes came ashore at Normandy’s beach about a week after the initial landings. You’ll hear him describe the scene he witnessed, with slain soldiers in the surf reflecting the heavy cost of D-Day.

“You can’t say it’s horrible because it’s worse than that,” you’ll hear Reyes remember. “You can’t explain what your eyes saw. It’s to hell and back.”

Serving as a gunner in a seven-man M15 half-track crew with Battery D of the 473rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, Joe’s job was to shoot down enemy planes before they could inflict damage on Allied troops and vehicles.

“When you’re operating that gun, you don’t think about dying,” he says of his gun tub equipped with two .50-caliber machine guns and a 37mm cannon. “Make sure you knock down the planes.”

There were hair-rising moments that caused his best friend Andrew Scoppetti to unleash cracks about Joe’s Mexican-American skin tone whitening from fear, as the battery fired upon German planes that were trying to attack Allied supply lines. They encountered Messerschmidt Bf 109s, Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, and Junkers Ju 87s – nicknamed “Stukas” – all taking aim at American positions. Among the memories and anecdotes you’ll hear Reyes share was the time one enemy plane was about to crash into their half-track, only to miss them by “five feet” and slam into a building forty yards away.

“We could feel the concussion of the bomb,” Joe recalls of that close call that had other sections of the battery calling to see if his crew had survived. “They actually thought we got hit, it came so close.”

You’ll hear him describe another incident in which he was saved by the barrel of his 37mm cannon, which deflected a sniper’s bullet destined for his chest, and later on, his showdown with a German Tiger Tank that took an unexpected and welcome turn. From Normandy, through the Battle of the Bulge, Reyes persevered through enemy fire, historically brutal weather conditions, and the exhaustion and fatigue that comes with extended time in combat.

While Joe and his two brothers were all serving in the military, his mother had moved to Fresno, but his return from overseas produced a reunion complete with a case of mistaken identity. Listen to Joe’s interview for his memory of that mixup. You’ll also hear the 95-year-old’s secrets to longevity, and his respect and admiration for the 16 million Americans who served in World War II.

“I’m proud of the people that are grateful,” Reyes says of those who express their gratitude for veterans like him who survived, and also those killed in action, together providing “the sacrifice that was made to keep America free.”

Finally, you’ll hear Joe perform a song written by another member of his half-track crew. He’s been singing it for 75 years, and you can watch him perform it in the video below: