Jauregui, Ralph F.

RALPH FAUSTINO JAUREGUI

PRIVATE
U.S. ARMY

Ralph Jauregui was born in Pittsburgh, Oklahoma on February 15, 1920 to Mexican immigrants Teofill and Felicitas (Castellanas) Jauregui. Later that year his family moved to Decatur, Indiana later that year. Their family had moved to Decatur in hopes of finding a better job. A few years later his older brother, Manuel Jauregui, got a home in Monroe as a beet worker. Here Ralph had attended school up until high school, having finished 8th grade when he started to work as well. His family moved in with his brother and lived there until 1940 when Ralph, his father, brother Lupe, and fiancé Mildred Knittle moved into a house on 3rd street in Decatur and worked at the General Electric plant in Fort Wayne. After marrying Mildred in 1941, they gave birth to their first daughter Patricia Marie.

In the year 1943, Ralph was inducted into the Army on June 11. He entered service later that month on June 25. His training took place at Camp Wheeler in Georgia. Later that year in November he was sent overseas as part of the 34th Infantry Division, 135th Infantry Regiment under Col. John Breit. Ralph attained the rank of Private and his service number was 35556938. 

The 34th Infantry Division was part of Operation Avalanche, the campaign to liberate Italy. Before arriving in Italy, German forces had been pushed back from the Volturno Line and Barbara Line. The next line was the Gustav Line, which had a strategic highway that ran through it. The British and Canadian Armed Forces had secured Ortona in mid-December, which in turn made it easy for the U.S. to push forward. Then in January they made the movement forward towards Cassino. Monte Cassino was topped by an old monastery that would play a pivotal part in the battle. At the bottom of the mountain was Route 6, and this road was a straight shot to Rome. On January 24, the 34th Division passed the through the flowing Rapido River. They found themselves behind the town and moved into the hills fighting for eight days to gain some ground in the battle. The division then felt they weren't getting anywhere, so they changed their plans and fought their way through the mountains towards the abbey in early February. 

The Division fought for multiple days before finally withdrawing on February 11. During the Battle of Monte Cassino sometime on February 8 Ralph Jauregui and few others in his company were declared missing in the effort to take the mountain on which the abbey was on top of. Later that month, the Division bombed the abbey, which is considered one of the most controversial parts of the war, because they believed they saw German troops inside the abbey. Both sides had agreed not to attack the abbey because they wanted to reserve it for its history, but the U.S. claimed the Germans were inside which violated their agreement. 

Private Jauregui's confirmed death was reported in the Decatur Daily Democrat on Monday July 31, 1944. The same day, TSgt. Lester Mazelin was reported as Killed in Action in Italy. It was the first time two Adams County deaths were reported on the same day. 

At the conclusion of the battle, Private Jauregui's remains were recovered and temporarily buried in Italy before being brought back to Decatur, where he was interred in the Saint Joseph Cemetery. Ralph was survived by his many brothers and sisters who all moved away from the area, wife Mildred and daughter Patricia. 

For his service and sacrifice, Private Jauregui earned the Purple Heart, American Theatre Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal. Private Jauregui also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Information researched and collected by Sam Ainsworth, 2015. 

SOURCES

"Two Adams County Men Killed, Former Resident Wounded." The Decatur Daily Democrat [Decatur] 10 June 1944: n. pag. Print.

Indiana Historical Bureau, comp. Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington: Indiana War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.

Pearce, Margie, and Jim Cox. "Adams County Indiana Deaths in World War II." Adams County Indiana Deaths in World War II. INGENWebProject, 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. Website

Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.

Military Regiment Reports. "135th Infantry Regiment WW II History." 135th Infantry Regiment

WW II History. Gold Star Military Museum, Iowa National Guard, n.d. Web. 10 Dec.2015.

Hickman, Kennedy. "World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino." About Education. About.com, n.d.Web. 10 Dec. 2015.

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