AMVET Post 5s beloved WWII Naval Veteran Manny Aguirre has passed away. Manny Served on the landing ship USS Ozark and was a Coxswain and driver on landing craft. He participated in the landings on Luzon, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Manuel Manny Aguirre, a Mexican-American World War II veteran who observed the signing of the treaty that ended the war with Japan, died of a heart attack Friday, his son said. He was 88. The soft-spoken St. Paul man often drew others in, those who knew Aguirre said. He wasnt flamboyant with all his medals, said Ray Rengel, who founded a American Veterans post in St. Paul with Aguirre and 10 other vets in 1999. He was humble. Aguirre kept his status as a Navy veteran private for many years, Rengel said. But Aguirre began to wear his uniform again after membership in the veterans post swelled from a dozen men and women to about 100 in its initial year. The uniform still fit him decades after he first put it on. Seaman First Class Aguirre served at several community events. He was elected Grand Marshal of the 2010 Cinco de Mayo parade on St. Pauls West Side, and he and Rengel were chosen as veterans representatives at Sen. Paul Wellstones 2002 funeral. Aguirres admirers included former acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hansford Johnson, who met Aguirre at a Harriet Island fundraiser. Rengel said their brief meeting for a photo stretched into a 30-minute conversation. Everybody would just navigate to him because of (his) professionalism, Rengel said. Born June 3, 1925, in Mason City, Iowa, Manuel Joseph Aguirre entered the Navy at 17. It made him grow up so fast, said his son, Ed Aguirre. I cant imagine going in at 17. When Aguirre left for the service, he asked his mother not to see him off -- he didnt want her to make a scene, Rengel said. She persuaded a neighbor to bring her anyway, and Aguirre arrived at the train station to find his mother and sister in tears. It would be the last time Aguirre saw his mother. She died while he was in combat; Aguirre didnt learn of her death until about a month later. Cataracts and glaucoma didnt stop Aguirre from his work with the veterans post. He was very active in the organization, Rengel said. You could call on him and he would be a loyal helper. The two veterans presented awards to children at a private school last month. Aguirre, full of surprises, asked if he could lead the crowd in singing God Bless America after he answered a youngsters question. He surprised the hell out of me, Rengel said. Everyone stood up and it was just beautiful. Aguirre is survived by sister Carmen of Mason City, Iowa, and sons Ed and Adrian of St. Paul and Ted of Portland, Ore. He has six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. We will miss you amigo.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 18:57:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015