On 15 March 1945, Private First Class Silvestre Santana Herrera, Company E, 142d Infantry, 36th Infantry Division, single-handedly captures a German strongpoint near Mertzwiller, France, then provides covering fire while his squad eliminates a second despite suffering grave injuries.
Herrera (born in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico, on 17 July 1917) was given to the care of his uncle in El Paso, Texas after his parents died of the Spanish flu. He lived much of his youth in El Paso with his uncle and then his wife Ramona and their three children before moving to Phoenix, Arizona.
He was drafted into the Texas National Guard, 36th Division after the U.S. entered the war, and it was only then that he learned the truth about his uncle and that he wasn't even a U.S. citizen. Despite his uncle's insistence that the U.S. Government couldn't even draft him and that he didn't have to serve, he still decided to do so, stating that he would rather go and fight than have someone else die in his place.
Today, as Perrera's unit advances near Mertzville, they encounter several German machine gun positions. For his actions, PFC Herrera will be awarded the Medal of Honor on 23 August 1945. His citation will read:
˝He advanced with a platoon along a wooded road until stopped by heavy enemy machine-gun fire. As the rest of the unit took cover, he made a 1-man frontal assault on a strong-point and captured 8 enemy soldiers. When the platoon resumed its advance and was subjected to fire from a second emplacement beyond an extensive minefield, Pvt. Herrera again moved forward, disregarding the danger of exploding mines, to attack the position. He stepped on a mine and had both feet severed but, despite intense pain and unchecked loss of blood, he pinned down the enemy with accurate rifle fire while a friendly squad captured the enemy gun by skirting the minefield and rushing in from the flank.˝
In 1946, Herrera will also be awarded Order of Military Merit (First Class) by the Mexican Government. He will be granted U.S. citizenship shortly afterwards.
Picture: Infantrymen of the 7th Inf. Regt. prepare to rush a house. Guiderkirch, France. 15 March, 1945.
Source: Signal Corps Archives
Which actor/actress nailed their role so well that no one else will be able to live up to their performance?
Thats easy.
Mel Brooks read a screenplay by Andrew Bergman poking fun at the old west, especially racism, and fell in love with it. He wanted to embrace the absurdity of racism, and get people to laugh at the least funny of the darker segments of America’s history. He gathered some great writers, including Bergman, and told them, “Don't be polite”.
Originally Brooks wanted Richard Pryor to star in the movie as Sheriff Bart, but Warner was, as usual, to chicken**** to make any waves, anywhere. Eventually they insisted because of past drug use Pryor wasnt insurable. So Brooks made Pryor a writer (as even when cast as Bart Pryor was heavily involved in the screenplay), at first unaccredited and unpaid. Later Warner relented and provided both.
So Brooks tapped Clevon Little, someone Pryor recommended from the cast call.
Little’s portrayal of Bart was genius, and he brought the character to a level Pryor wouldnt have been able to find. Not that Pryor wouldn't have killed the part, and delivered funny (he IS Richard Pryor, after all!) but it would have been a very, VERY different film, without a lot of the nuances you found with Little’s smooth,
suave character playing off of
Harvey Korman,
Gene Wilder (so glad John Wayne didn't say yes!),
Slim Pickens and, of course,
Madeline Kahn, who was absolute genius, and should have won best supporting actress (yes, she was nominated)… although there’s no shame in losing to Ingrid Bergman.
But Little “stole the show”, as even though he wasnt as well known as most of the cast he made the movie his against some really great actors. I honestly cant think of a single actor who could have made that movie better playing that role.