78 years after it was first established, the St. Catherine World War II Memorial in Emporia served as host to a small gathering of individuals connected to the monument, which honors Mexican Americans in the Emporia area who served in the military during World War II.

Of the 75 names inscribed on the stone under the crucifix, two men gave their lives serving their country. Jesse Garcia, born in 1920 in Osage City, was killed in the final months of the war in 1945 in the Philippines when a charge of dynamite was thrown into the company perimeter.

Just before his death, Garcia had a chance to visit Emporia. During that visit, he would experience racism while attempting to dine at a cafe, being told that Mexicans were not served at the establishment.

Garcia would receive a Purple Heart for

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