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Macario García was born on January 2, 1920, in Villa de Castaño, Mexico, to Luciano and Josefa García. The family moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1923 to pick crops in Sugar Land. In 1942, Macario García was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. He was wounded in action at Normandy in June 1944 but recovered and rejoined his unit, Company B, 1st Batallion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. In November 1944 at Grosshau, Germany, García destroyed two German machine-gun emplacements; although wounded, he secured his company's position. For his actions, García received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman in a White House ceremony on August 23, 1945. He also received other commendations, including the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart and the Medal Mérito Militar, the Mexican equivalent of the U.S. Medal of Honor. In Texas in September 1945, García was denied service at a local restaurant because he was Hispanic. He was ultimately arrested. Indicative of the treatment many minority veterans received following military service, García's case became highly visible in the early years of the American Civil Rights movement, and several groups including LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) came to his aid. On June 25, 1947, García became a U.S. citizen. He worked for the Veterans Administration for 25 years and served in the U.S. Army Reserves, attaining the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He died in a car accident in 1972 and is buried in the Houston National Cemetery. A Houston Army Reserve Center and a school is Sugar Land are also named in his honor. (2006) |
