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Manuel Mendoza ---- WW2
May 10, 2017, 8:51 PM
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Manuel Mendoza was the youngest member of our company. He had just finished high school when he volunteered for the Army. Following his basic training and his specialty school, he joined our company just before we left for Europe. He was probably no more than 18 years old. Manuel was a likeable chap and always wore a big smile. He had not yet acquired a nickname but it didn't take long for that to change. One of the guys said Manuel had a constant "grin type" smile that reminded him of the old "Felix, The Cat" cartoon character. Manuel was now dubbed "Felix" and the name stuck.
Felix, being the youngest member of our company inherited another special honor. We older men, mostly in the 22 to 25 age bracket, considered Felix our little brother and he relished the attention we showered on him. Felix, unlike most members of our company, had never tasted a drop of an alcoholic beverage and no one ever offered or encouraged him to take a drink.
The end of the war in Europe was cause for a huge celebration, but the celebration was not to last long. The war was still raging in the Pacific and we were informed we would be transferred on half the world away to face another enemy. Now, moving 1,000,000 men and their equipment half way around the globe was a huge undertaking. We began to wonder where we would be sent. How could those islands in the Pacific hold all of the men and equipment and how many ships would it take to get us there? The only thing we could think of was our being sent to bases in China or Australia, creating an entirely different situation than what we had experienced in Europe.
Fortunately, the war ended in the Pacific and we didn't have to make the long trip. Our company, like many of the other military units was in limbo status, awaiting our next move. Eventually, our company was disbanded, about half going to Bremen, Germany and the rest of us going down to the Marseille, France area. Before going down to the Marseille area, we were camped in a French grape growing area.
It was grape harvesting season and there were several wineries in our area, the closest one, about one mile away. Over a period of several days, wagons loaded down with grapes passed our camp area going to one of the wineries. There was a sweet smell of grape juice in the air as they passed by.
One day Felix came to me and said he would like to visit the winery down the road and asked if I would go with him Of course. this met with my approval so off we went. It was a rather warm day and we worked up a sweat marching down the country road. As we neared the winery, an old French gentleman was standing near one of the doors. As we approached, he invited us to come in. The sweet smell of grape juice was an inviting aroma. The Frenchman could speak a little English and we could speak a little French so we were able to communicate. He showed us around the winery and explained the operation. After the "official" tour, he asked us if we would like a glass of grape juice. We both said "yes". He went to a cabinet and withdrew three huge glasses, went to a tap on one of the huge vats and filled them to the brim. He offered us a seat on an old bench and we began sipping the juice. I asked him what was the alcohol content at this stage nd said about 3 - 4 percent. The taste was comparable to that of regular grape juice. I looked at Felix and he was drinking the juice as it was water. I told him the alcohol level was about 3 - 4 percent. His response, "it tastes just like the Welch's Grape Juice my Mother gave me".
The Frenchman and I had hardly made a dent in our glass when Felix asked if he could have another glass. I again warned Felix about the alcohol content but it fell on deaf ears and he guzzled it down as if it was water. A short time later Felix looked and me and said he was getting a funny feeling. I told him he was getting drunk and we better leave immediately. It took awhile for me and Felix to walk that one mile back to camp but we made it. I took Felix to his tent. He flopped down on his cot and was out in no time. I was bunked in another tent and didn't see Felix until the next morning. He looked like something the cats had drug in. The only thing he said was, "when I get home I'm never ever going to drink anymore Welch's Grape Juice". My name was mud with the other guys for leading our little brother astray.
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