Juan Ramon Alires
By Xochitl Salazar
Juan Ramon Alires was already the father of two children, with another baby on the way, when he went to war as part of the 11th Armored Division.
Alires was drafted into the Army and assigned to the 11th Armored Division, known as the Thunderbolt Division, in 1944 at the age of 25. He was the second in his family to serve in WWII; Maximinio, his older brother, served four years.