Rodolfo Marquiz

War: World War II, 1939-1946; Korean War, 1950-1955 Branch: Army Unit: 1st Cavalry Division Service Location: Philippines; Japan; Korea; also: Korea Rank: Master Sergeant; Master Sergeant Place of Birth: La Mesto, NM

In 1942, a 16-year-old orphan named Rodolpho Marquiz lied about his age to enlist in the Army. The armed forces needed recruits, and Marquiz needed a home, and it would be a perfect fit for the next 16 years, until he had to take a medical discharge. He saw his first combat on Makin Island, in the Gilbert chain of the South Pacific and participated in the invasions of Eniwetok and Okinawa, as well as the liberation of the Philippines and Manila’s Santo Tomas prison. By the summer of 1945, Marquiz was preparing for one last invasion, of Japan, when the war came to an end. He did serve in the Occupation Force and was reassigned to Korea when that war broke out in 1950. Marquiz was awarded three Purple Hearts, symbols of his service in so many danger zones of two wars.