The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the September 2026 story of the month has been selected to honor Staff Sergeant Salvador Lara, 2nd Platoon, Company L, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. This year, the Story of the Month publication will honor and recognize the service memory of those lost by commemorating our Untold Stories of Service work with Richard Sherman, author of “Never Home: Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned.” The following was researched, written, and presented to the Story of the Month publication by Richard Sherman.

After requesting permission to destroy the enemy machine guns armed only with a Browning Automatic Rifle, Private First Class Lara crawled alone toward the nearest machine gun. Despite his painful wound and the extreme danger of the task, he rose and fearlessly charged the nest, killing the crew members. Another machine gun opened fire on him, but he quickly neutralized this weapon with accurate fire from his Browning, killing 3 more of the enemy.”

These words were read at the White House on March 18, 2014, as Alfonso Lara accepted his brother’s Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama 70 years after Salvador Lara’s heroic actions.

Salvador Lara was born July 11, 1920 to Juan and Isabel Herrera. He grew up in the Latino “Casa Blanca” section of Riverside, California with his older sister Esperanza, and two younger brothers Juan Jr. and Alfonso. 

His mother died in 1937. And before the war, Salvador worked at the Victoria Avenue Citrus Association. In 1942 he entered the Army and trained at several locations, including Camp Barkley named for the WWI Mexican American MoH recipient, David Barkley of Laredo, TX.

Salvador arrived in Europe in the spring of 1943 with the 45th Infantry Division, serving under GEN Patton’s 7th Army.  After landing in Sicily on July 10, 1943, Lara and his unit crossed to Anzio in mainland Italy in January 1944, where the allies would be stuck for 5 months trying to get off the beach.  

The allies finally broke through in May 1944 and the 45th Infantry Division attacked Aprilia, just 11 miles north of Anzio.  On the afternoon of May 27th, Private First Class Lara jumped into the fight, leading his rifle squad against multiple enemy strongpoints, killing at least 4 and capturing at least 15 enemy soldiers. The following morning, Lara sustained a severe leg wound, but continued to fight, and despite his injury, he single-handedly destroyed several enemy machineguns nests.

For his actions, he would receive the Distinguished Service Cross. After Italy, Lara and 45th continued to fight in France and Germany. During Operation Dragoon in southern France, Lara suffered a battle injury to the right hand while giving first aid to an injured GI, and killed another 6 enemy during the engagement. 

General George S. Patton described the 45th Infantry Regiment as “one of the best, if not the best division, in the history of American arms."  

By VE Day, Lara had been promoted to Staff Sargeant. He remained in Europe as part of the 602nd Ordnance Armament Maintenance Battalion, serving in eastern France. However, Lara died of unspecified causes on September 1, 1945.

After more than a decade of reviewing minority service records, 24 Medals of Honor were awarded by President Obama in March 2014, including four Latinos. Among them was Salvador Lara. He is one of 17 known Hispanics to be awarded our nation’s highest military award for their actions in WWII.

Staff Sgt. Salvador Lara is buried at Lorraine American Cemetery in eastern France.

The United States Navy Memorial honors Staff Sergeant Salvador Lara, 2nd Platoon, Company L, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, featured within this Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at https://www.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service

Richard Sherman is a award winning-author, professor, Navy Gulf War Veteran, and contributor to the Untold Stories of Service Program. Richard also joined the ranks of the Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program and actively interviews Veterans which has enriched our program by conducting extraordinary interviews which are now part of the Navy Memorial Interview Archive. To further explore the work of Richard Sherman, visit:  www.NeverHomeHeroes.com