Edmund Ernest García
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral Edmund Ernest Garcia (1905–1971) was a United States Navy
officer who commanded the destroyer escort USS Sloat (DE-245)
during World War II
and participated in the invasions of North Africa
, Sicily
, and France
.
, the capital city of the island. There he received both his primary and secondary education. Garcia was born into a family with a long tradition of military servitude. His father, Enrique Garcia, was a Captain in the United States Army
. In 1922, Garcia graduated from high school and received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy
from Emmet Montgomery Reily
, who served as appointed Governor of Puerto Rico
from (1921–1923).
until June 17, 1927, because of his academic deficiency in mathematics
.
Garcia's first assignment was aboard the USS Wyoming
where he served as an artillery officer from 1927 to 1928. He was later assigned to the USS Galveston
and in 1928 was trained as a naval aviator at Pensacola, Florida
. Garcia received addition training in various military institutions which included the Torpedo School of San Diego, California.
From 1932 to 1939, of Garcia served in various ship's, among them the USS New México
, USS Heron
, USS Asheville
and the USS Tulsa. This was with the exception of the years 1935 to 1917, when he served as flight instructor at Naval Aviation School in Pensacola. In 1939, he was reassigned to Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania where he helped prepare and equip the USS Hornet
. He worked on various aircraft carriers until 1941, when the United States entered World War II.
In February 1942, Garcia assumed command of the USS Cormoran
at the Navy Yard, in Washington DC.. In June 1943 he reported to the Brown Shipbuilding Co. in Houston, Texas
where the USS Sloat was being built. The USS Sloat (DE-245) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort
which was launched on January 21, 1943 and commissioned on August 16, 1943, under the command of then Lieutenant Commander
Garcia.
On November 11, the Sloat, was assigned to the Escort Division (CortDiv) 7, and sailed out of New York
Harbor with convoy UGS-24 bound for Norfolk and North Africa
. The convoy arrived at Casablanca
on December 2, and returned to New York on December 25, 1943. On January 10, 1944, the Sloat sailed to Casablanca and returned to New York on March. That same month the Sloat joined a convoy, consisting of 72 merchant ships and 18 LST
's, which was guarded by Task Force (TF) 64. En route to Bizerte, Tunisia, the convoy was attacked by the Luftwaffe
on April 1, approximately 56 miles west of Algiers
. Two planes were shot down and two damaged while only one ship in the convoy was damaged. The convoy arrived at Bizerte on April 3. Eight days later, Sloat joined another convoy and returned to New York on May 1. García was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with a "V" device for his actions. Part of the citation reads as follows:
and Atlantic Ocean
in search of German
U-boat
s. Garcia, as commander of the destroyer escort USS Sloat saw action in the invasions of Africa, Sicily, and France.
. Upon his return to the United States after the war, Garcia served as commanding officer of the Naval Recruitment Station in New Orleans, Louisiana. After serving a short stint as commander of the USS Whitley
, Garcia was assigned as commanding officer of the Naval Base at Orange, Texas and in May 20, 1954, he was given his last assignment before his retirement, that of Commandant of the Sub Group 2, Charleston Group, in the Atlantic Fleet. Garcia died in 1971.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
officer who commanded the destroyer escort USS Sloat (DE-245)
USS Sloat (DE-245)
USS Sloat was an built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and participated in the invasions of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Early years
Garcia was born to Enrique García and Antonia Rumirez in San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, the capital city of the island. There he received both his primary and secondary education. Garcia was born into a family with a long tradition of military servitude. His father, Enrique Garcia, was a Captain in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. In 1922, Garcia graduated from high school and received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
from Emmet Montgomery Reily
Emmet Montgomery Reily
Emmet Montgomery Reily , sometimes E. Mont Reily, was a Texas and, later, Missouri politician who served a number of local offices, especially in Fort Worth and Kansas City. He was active in the Republican Party. He was later appointed as Governor of Puerto Rico by President Warren G...
, who served as appointed Governor of Puerto Rico
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
from (1921–1923).
Naval career
Garcia, was supposed to graduate from the academy in 1926, however he did not graduate and receive his commission of EnsignEnsign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
until June 17, 1927, because of his academic deficiency in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
.
Garcia's first assignment was aboard the USS Wyoming
USS Wyoming (BB-32)
USS Wyoming , the lead ship of her class of battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy named Wyoming, although it was only the second named in honor of the 44th state....
where he served as an artillery officer from 1927 to 1928. He was later assigned to the USS Galveston
USS Galveston (CL-19)
USS Galveston was a Denver-class protected cruiser in the United States Navy during World War I. She was the first Navy ship named for the city of Galveston, Texas.Galveston was laid down 19 January 1901 by William R...
and in 1928 was trained as a naval aviator at Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. Garcia received addition training in various military institutions which included the Torpedo School of San Diego, California.
From 1932 to 1939, of Garcia served in various ship's, among them the USS New México
USS New Mexico (BB-40)
USS New Mexico was a battleship in service with the United States Navy from 1918 to 1946. She was the lead ship of a class of three battleships. New Mexico was extensively modernized between 1931 and 1933 and saw service during World War II both in the Atlantic and Pacific theatres. After her...
, USS Heron
USS Heron (AMS-18)
USS Heron was a built for the United States Navy during World War II.Heron was laid down as YMS-369 on 13 January 1943 by Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, New York, and launched 24 July 1943. The sponsor was Miss Frances J. McCarthy, an employee of the firm. The YMS was commissioned 11...
, USS Asheville
USS Asheville (PF-1)
USS Asheville was an Asheville class patrol frigate of the United States Navy that served during World War II. She was laid down on 10 March 1942 as HMS Adur by Canadian Vickers Ltd. in Montreal, Canada. She was launched on 22 August 1942 and transferred to the United States Navy prior to...
and the USS Tulsa. This was with the exception of the years 1935 to 1917, when he served as flight instructor at Naval Aviation School in Pensacola. In 1939, he was reassigned to Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania where he helped prepare and equip the USS Hornet
USS Hornet (CV-8)
USS Hornet CV-8, the seventh ship to carry the name Hornet, was a of the United States Navy. During World War II in the Pacific Theater, she launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and participated in the Battle of Midway and the Buin-Faisi-Tonolai Raid...
. He worked on various aircraft carriers until 1941, when the United States entered World War II.
World War II
USS Cormorant (AM-40)
USS Cormorant was an acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing....
at the Navy Yard, in Washington DC.. In June 1943 he reported to the Brown Shipbuilding Co. in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
where the USS Sloat was being built. The USS Sloat (DE-245) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort
Destroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
which was launched on January 21, 1943 and commissioned on August 16, 1943, under the command of then Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Garcia.
On November 11, the Sloat, was assigned to the Escort Division (CortDiv) 7, and sailed out of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Harbor with convoy UGS-24 bound for Norfolk and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. The convoy arrived at Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
on December 2, and returned to New York on December 25, 1943. On January 10, 1944, the Sloat sailed to Casablanca and returned to New York on March. That same month the Sloat joined a convoy, consisting of 72 merchant ships and 18 LST
LST
LST is a three-character initialism that may refer to:* Landing Ship, Tank, a U.S. Navy ship class, of type Amphibious Warfare* Laplace-Stieltjes transform, a transform similar to the Laplace transform* Launceston Airport* Least slack time scheduling...
's, which was guarded by Task Force (TF) 64. En route to Bizerte, Tunisia, the convoy was attacked by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
on April 1, approximately 56 miles west of Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. Two planes were shot down and two damaged while only one ship in the convoy was damaged. The convoy arrived at Bizerte on April 3. Eight days later, Sloat joined another convoy and returned to New York on May 1. García was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with a "V" device for his actions. Part of the citation reads as follows:
"Meritorious achievement during operations against enemy forces while serving as Commander of a unit of ships of an escort group protecting trans-Atlantic Convoys during World War II...'From June 15 to July 15, the Sloat operated in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
and Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in search of German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s. Garcia, as commander of the destroyer escort USS Sloat saw action in the invasions of Africa, Sicily, and France.
Later years
From 1944 to 1945, Garcia served as commandant of the 58th Escort Division of the USS PriceUSS Price (DE-332)
USS Price was an built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys...
. Upon his return to the United States after the war, Garcia served as commanding officer of the Naval Recruitment Station in New Orleans, Louisiana. After serving a short stint as commander of the USS Whitley
USS Whitley (AKA-91)
USS Whitley was an named after counties in Indiana and Kentucky. She served as a commissioned ship for 10 years and 10 months.Whitley was laid down on 2 May 1944 at Oakland, California, by the Moore Dry Dock Co. under a Maritime Commission contract , launched on 22 June 1944, sponsored by Mrs....
, Garcia was assigned as commanding officer of the Naval Base at Orange, Texas and in May 20, 1954, he was given his last assignment before his retirement, that of Commandant of the Sub Group 2, Charleston Group, in the Atlantic Fleet. Garcia died in 1971.
Awards and recognitions
Among Rear Admiral Garcia's decorations and medals were the following:
Bronze StarBronze Star MedalThe Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
witja "V device" which identifies the award as resulting from an act of combat heroism
2nd Nicaraguan Campaign MedalNicaraguan Campaign MedalThe Nicaraguan Campaign Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy which was authorized by Presidential Order of Woodrow Wilson on September 22, 1913. The medal was again authorized by an act of the United States Congress on November 8, 1929...
China Service MedalChina Service MedalThe China Service Medal was a military medal awarded to U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel. The medal was instituted on August 23, 1940 and featured a yellow ribbon with narrow red edge stripes...
American Defense Service MedalAmerican Defense Service MedalThe American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:...
American Campaign MedalAmerican Campaign MedalThe American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign MedalEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign MedalThe European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
with a star device
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalThe Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
World War II Victory MedalWorld War II Victory MedalThe World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of...
Navy Occupation Service MedalNavy Occupation Service MedalThe Navy Occupation Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Navy which was issued to Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel who participated in the European and Asian occupation forces following the close of the World War II. The decoration was also bestowed to personnel who...
(with Asia clasp)
National Defense Service MedalNational Defense Service MedalThe National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
See also
- Hispanic Admirals in the United States NavyHispanic Admirals in the United States NavyHispanic Admirals in the United States Navy can trace their tradition of naval military service to the Hispanic sailors, who have served in the Navy during every war and conflict since the American Revolution. Prior to the Civil War, the highest rank reached by a Hispanic-American in the U.S. Navy...
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Ricans in World War IIPuerto Ricans in World War IIPuerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. In World War II, Puerto Rican members of the U.S. armed forces guarded U.S...
- List of Puerto Rican military personnel
- Hispanics in the United States Naval AcademyHispanics in the United States Naval AcademyHispanics in the United States Naval Academy account for the largest minority group in the institution. According to the Academy, the Class of 2009 includes 271 minority midshipmen. Out of these 271 midshipmen, 115 are of Hispanic heritage...
- Hispanics in the United States NavyHispanics in the United States NavyHispanics in the United States Navy can trace their tradition of naval military service to men such as Lieutenant Jorge Farragut Mesquida, who served in the American Revolution. Hispanics, such as Seaman Philip Bazaar and Seaman John Ortega, have distinguished themselves in combat and have been...