US Army Veteran Joe Herrera Honored with Military Banner

Joe S. Herrera of Colton was recently honored with a military banner installation ceremony in May. A myriad of his family and friends all came together on La Cadena Avenue in Colton with one goal in mind: to honor Herrera for his service to his country. "It was a proud day for our family," Herrera's daughter Rosalie DeGuzman said. Although he was born in Ventura, he moved to Colton with his family at a very young age. His mother Tomasita Wardlow was a long-time employee of Colton’s Larson’s Drugs pharmacy. Growing up in Colton, Herrera was a yellowjacket and after graduating Colton High, he joined the Army. He underwent military training at the United States Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey where he studied Cryptology. Herrera served in the Seventh Army, which was the first U.S. Field Army to see combat in World War II. He served his Army tour in Stuggart, Germany. While in Germany, Herrera was responsible for many different tasks. To list a few, he selected to carry the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) for his unit, and he also served as a driver for various dignitaries and high ranking officials in Germany. As he finished up his service and returned home, Herrera married his sweetheart, a fellow graduate from Colton High School, Luisa Martinez. They had four children: two daughters, Myra and Rosalie, and two sons, Daniel and Alex. Herrera's next step was getting a job for the Marine Corps Logistic Center in Yermo, Calif., and after 30 years of service to the Department of Defense as a civilian employee, he finally retired. Herrera's daughters Rosalie and Myra gave a speech at the installation ceremony, sharing a brief biography of their father and his service in the Army. They concluded, “We want to thank all who attended to honor him and want him to know that we love him and are very proud of him.” Rosalie added that it was her Uncle Steve Herrera that came up with the idea to get him a military banner. Once he brought it to everyone else's attention, they all made it happen. "My uncle wanted it to be a big surprise and it was," she said. Although his son Alex and his wife were unable to attend because they were taking care of his mother Luisa, who is sick, Herrera had many family and friends there to support him. Rosalie shared that one of their good family friends was there, as well. "I want to thank Lydia, and everyone who came. They made the day very special," Rosalie said. Herrera’s military banner can be seen on the east side of La Cadena Drive in Colton, north of the I-10 freeway.