Joe R. LEYVA

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

Robert Alvardo remembers his father, Joe Leyva and new friends

My father Joe Leyva was killed in the sinking of LST 523.

When I was very young, I would have uncles who would come and visit me and I would ask my mother who they were and she said, "They are your father's brothers. He went to war and he's missing in action." I would say, "Maybe he was injured and some day he would come back home."

I always thought he would be coming home, but he never came in those many years I waited.

I watched the war movies thinking maybe I would see him in the movies. To me the movies were real. But, later I moved on.

Much later, I found out that my father's mother was kind of ill and they didn't want to tell her my father was missing in action in the war.

They sent all of his belongings to San Antonio and the family hid them in a closet. My grandmother was one day looking through the closet and found out my father had got killed because all his belongings were sent home.

So, she gave up and a few months later passed away because of her sadness.

I am happy to be here because of Don (Richter) and the WWII Museum website. I put my father's serial number and name in the WWII museum when it opened and two months later I opened back up the website and there was Don Richter, my father's best friend. He called me about nine o'clock at night and he wanted to know if Joe Leyva had a son and I said yes and we couldn't hang up the phone. He said "I want to meet you" and he invited me to the reunion in 2004. I have been coming for four years now. I want to hear the war stories and they are so real.

I never would have found out the suffering they went through and my father went through except from these men.

But, I am a very happy man and I am close to the good Lord and I'll see my dad one of these days.

The 300^th Engineers Combat Battalion was activated on March 1, 1943.

On October 9, 1943, arrival at Camp White, Oregon.

The 300^th leaves the USA in the first days od December aboard the Queen Mary. Departure from New York harbor.

The 300^th arrives in Gourock, Scotland on December 9, 1943.

On June 4, 1944 the 300^th went aboard ships. Ready for D-Day.

On June 6, 1944 the 300^th Engineer Combat Battalion is assigned to the 1st Army.

On June 16, 1944 the 300^th's first echelon which sailed aboard LST 87 comes ashore on Utah Beach.

On June 19, 1944 the 300^th's second echelon which sailed aboard LST 523 comes ashore on Utah Beach.

On June 27, 1944 the 300^th's third echelon which sailed aboard LST 59 comes ashore on Utah Beach.