Private Joe Garcia
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| Insignia of the 124th Army Cavalry Motto - I Strike Quickly |
Pvt. Joe Garcia has been an enigma for the Defiance
County Veterans Office for a long time. Back in 2011,
Jack Palmer wrote an article for the Defiance Crescent-News asking for help finding information
about this soldier who was killed in action. No
one answered the pleas coming from the Veterans
Office. Nothing could be found.
So our research started with his Army serial number, the name of his wife and mother, and an area where he died...and it took awhile, but his biography
was completed.
Born on March 13, 1917, in Luling, Caldwell County,
Texas, his mother was Anastacia Machado and
his father not named, but Joe was given the last name
Garcia.
In October, 1940, he filled out his draft card as required in Austin, Texas, where he worked for a farmer.
At some point, he married his wife, Therena (Trine) Esquivel, and they had two children, Jesse and Josephine. On August 10, 1942, their son, Jessie (Jesse) was born and the parents, Joe and Trine, were living at rural route, Jewell, Ohio, Defiance County. Jesse's sister, Josephine, was born in 1941 in Texas. Joe was working as a laborer and Trine as a housekeeper. It is a possibility that they were migrant workers.
Joe joined the Army on December 5, 1942, in Texas and was assigned to Troop F, 124th Cavalry. On 10 July 1944, the company turned in their horses and embarked from Los Angeles for Bombay, India They were the last horse cavalry regiment in the Army. Arriving in India on July 25, they immediately went to a training camp for infantry, jungle and patrol training. They became part of the 533rd Brigade, which was to be known as the Mars Task Force.
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| Part of the Mars Task Force |
The men were moved into the mountains of northern Burma on December 15, 1944, in the area of the Burma Road, an important supply line. The 124th worked behind the Japanese lines, building roadblocks and other devices to stop the Japanese. The Mars Task Force covered over 300 miles in Japanese-held territory, working with the Chinese troops there.
On January 15, 1945, the regiment began to meet up with the Japanese forces. On February 2, near Loi Kang, Burma, a tremendous fight occurred where the Troof F commander was killed ...along with Pvt. Joe Garcia. They did recapture the Burma Road a few days later.
In May 1949, his mother, Anastacia Garcia, applied for a flat marble marker for her son. He was buried at Lamesa Memorial Park Field of Honor, Dawson County, Texas, when his body returned home.
Dianne Kline, Researcher
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