As decades, years, months, days and hours come and go, we often fail to notice the importance of what just a few seconds in time can mean.
I will tell of a few of those unexpected seconds that helped link a brother and sister to a time and a place and a GI's cemetery marker not known to the family for 63 years.
Army Pfc. Alfredo Garansuay of Brackettville, Tex., served under Gen. George Patton's Third Army, 28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment. The 28th was named the Keystone Division for the red keystone insignia worn on the jacket sleeves.
During the war, the German Army nicknamed them the “Bloody Bucket” because of the ferocious and brutal firefights they encountered each time they opposed the 28th Division, but mainly for the large numbers of Americans killed. Battles were fought in the worst weather imaginable — cold winds, rain, snow, sludge and fog. The opposition tried to avoid the 28th Division because of its relentless attacks.
Alfredo Garansuay was killed in action Nov. 6, 1944, at the age of 25. I was five days old.
At home, the U.S. Army informed his father that Alfredo was missing in action, but his remains could not be positively identified. His grief-stricken father refused to accept his son's Purple Heart and war decorations. He just wanted his son's body home. Since his death in 1944, Alfredo's whereabouts remained unknown.
On Friday, May 25, 2007, my wife and I were driving from Galveston to Corpus Christi for the Memorial Day weekend when my wife felt like listening to the radio.
At approximately 1:20 p.m. and just seconds after tuning in to Houston Public Radio, we heard a short announcement that Ancestry.com was allowing free access to its Web site for the public to search for war veterans during the Memorial Day observance until the anniversary of the D-Day invasion, June 6.
When we arrived at my daughter's house, I headed straight for the computer and in minutes logged in and typed in the last name “Garansuay.” Instantly I read “Buried at Ardennes American Cemetery in Neupre (Neuville-en-Condroz), Belgium, Plot: D, Row: 34, Grave: 2.”
I was overcome with emotion. My eyes filled with tears and I choked up as I called my wife to come and see her uncle's information. At long last, 63 years later, the family learned where Alfredo was buried, and his only living family member, his sister Adelfa, was able to see photos of the cemetery.
Having researched further, we learned that he marched in the victory parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Aug. 29, 1944, and that every Memorial Day he is honored for his sacrifice by members of the American Armed Forces and the citizens of Belgium.
Months later, I obtained his military awards from the National Personnel Records Center and prepared a slide presentation and an awards shadow box that included the Purple Heart. On Thanksgiving Day, 2007, I presented the shadow box to his sister, Adelfa Garansuay Morin of San Antonio.
My wife and I will forever be grateful for just those few extraordinary seconds she chose to listen to the radio. They came as a godsend to help bond a brother and sister to a time and a place 63 years ago. Thanks to those extraordinary seconds, my mother-in-law was able to see the gravesite, the cemetery and the place where her brother is interred.
Adelfa Garansuay Morin passed away Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at age 88.
We extend our appreciation and special thanks to Ancestry.com. and to Hans Hooker and the staff of Ardennes American Cemetery for their assistance, the portrait and photographs.
To Pfc. Alfredo Garansuay and to all our troops who have given their lives in battle, thank you for your sacrifice, may you rest in peace. You are not forgotten.
Gilberto D. Gallardo, a Vietnam Veteran, lives on Galveston Island.
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