Joliet will proclaim Sator Sanchez Day for WWII hero

Joliet will have Sator Sanchez Day to mark the memory of a hero from World War II.

Sator “Sandy” Sanchez went beyond the call of duty to fly 66 combat missions, signing up for extra duty twice before a B-17 in which he was the aerial gunner was shot down over Germany just six weeks before the war in Europe ended.

The Joliet City Council on Tuesday will issue the proclamation of Sator Sanchez Day with Veterans Day approaching Saturday.

The proclamation was prompted by Joe Belman, a WWII aerial gunner himself who now is 99 and wants to make sure the life of Sanchez does not fade from memory in Joliet.

The proclamation to be read at the council meeting will declare March 22 as Sator Sierra “Sandy” Sanchez Day.

Sanchez was born March 22, 1921 in Joliet. He enlisted in the Army in 1939. His last mission as an aerial gunner was on March 15, 1945. Sanchez’s remains were never recovered after the B-17 exploded.

The proclamation at City Hall will not be the first honor given to Sanchez.

A statue of Sanchez with a plaque about his life and war deeds is located at Collins and Ohio streets not far from his home. The Joliet Grade School District has a Sator Sanchez Elementary School located at 1101 Harrison Ave.

Even so, Belman is concerned that the city may be losing sight of Sanchez’s heroism as World War II becomes more distant in the past and the living local veterans who fought the battles become fewer.

“I don’t think that the people of Joliet ever understood or knew who Sator Sanchez was,” Belman said. “It’s something that should be remembered.”

Mayor Terry D’Arcy, whose name will go on the proclamation on behalf of the city, said he did not understand the extent of Sanchez’s contribution to the war effort until Belman persuaded him of the merit of having a Sator Sierra “Sandy” Sanchez Day.

Sanchez’s service to his country also is commemorated at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, which puts on display a part of the tail section of the B-17 in which Sanchez served on his last flight.

A tribute to Sanchez on the museum website notes that he volunteered to stay on past the required 25 combat missions. His 66th mission was on Sanchez’s third tour of duty.

Among the medals Sanchez received was the Silver Star, the Soldier’s Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross and a Purple Heart.

He received the Soldier’s Medal for climbing into a runaway plane that was reported to be headed toward a crowd of people on an airfield in 1943.

“Sergeant Sanchez was a beacon of valor, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication, who left an indelible mark on our history and our community,” reads the city proclamation.

He also will be remembered on Veterans Day with a ceremony at 3 p.m. Saturday at the statue at Collins and Ohio streets.

Sanchez still has family in Joliet. His great-niece Amy Sanchez is one of the organizers of the ceremony on Veterans Day. Students from Sator Sanchez Elementary School will attend the ceremony, which should give them a better idea of why their school is named as it is.

“I remember my father when I was a young girl said, ‘Your uncle was a war hero,” Amy Sanchez said. “But we didn’t even know the depths of his heroism.”