Southern Colorado soldier's WWII sacrifice remembered in Italy 80 years after his death

Memories of a southern Colorado soldier killed during World War II live on eight decades later in Montebuono — a Central Italian comune of about 1,000 residents.

Cpl. Paul Horatio Valdez, 26, of Trinidad, was one of eight American soldiers killed by Nazis in a Montebuono monastery on April 13, 1944. His family, who relocated to Pueblo a few years after Paul's death, traveled to Montebuono the weekend of April 13 to join residents in the annual remembrance of the fallen Americans.

"The town had been celebrating them every year," Paul's grandniece Amber Valdez told the Chieftain. "We did not know about this until 2019, when they had the 75th anniversary and decided to make a plaque and have a bigger celebration than they normally do."

The late Ruben Valdez Sr., Amber's grandfather and the last of Paul's surviving siblings, had received a call from reporter and historian Raffaella Cortese di Bosis in early 2019. Through the conversation with Cortese, Ruben learned about his brother Paul's final days and the impact he left on Montebuono.

Ruben, who had made history as Colorado's first Hispanic speaker of the House of Representatives in 1975, was just 7 years old at the time of Paul's death. Ruben spent much of his life seeking closure about what had happened to his older brother in the war and remembered Paul by keeping prayer cards that he had obtained while serving in Italy.

Several years before receiving a call from Cortese, Ruben had visited the Italian parishes from which Paul had obtained the prayer cards. Ruben died on October 1, 2019, at the age of 82. He never got the chance to visit Montebuono, but he did video chat with a few of the town's residents who remembered his brother.

"It really gave him closure to know that this town had taken care of his brother and to know what had happened," Amber said. "It gave him a little spark in those final months and it was really special to watch him see and have that knowledge."

Montebuono residents showed 'humanity' amid an 'ugly and difficult time'

Paul came to Montebuono in search of refuge — the 26-year-old corporal had escaped a German train transporting him and other prisoners of war to a concentration camp.

He escaped with seven other American soldiers in early 1944 after allies — likely not knowing who was on board — bombed the train. American soldiers who escaped with Paul included Pvt. Robert Carnathan, Pfc. Charles Dyda, Pfc. Ben Espinosa, Pfc. George Kerr, Pvt. Clarence Moody, Pvt. Robert Rankl and Pvt. Woodrow Thomas.

Paul was not the only one of the eight to have Colorado ties. Espinosa was born in the Saguache County community of La Garita, and Kerr was born in the northern Colorado town of Weldona. Both Espinosa and Kerr enlisted while in Pueblo.

In Montebuono, the eight Americans found their refuge in a monastery atop a hill. They stayed in the monastery for several weeks. The escaped prisoners of war were met with kindness while in Montebuono, as the Italian town's residents supplied them with food and clothing.

"To find out that (Paul) was cared for by the people in this town up until the day he died... It's been such a source of peace," said Peggy Valdez, Amber's mother. "It's a wonderful example of humanity in a very ugly and difficult time in our history."

"Right in the midst of all this evil that's happening with the war, there are these people who are reaching out and caring for these American soldiers and it's just unbelievable to me," Peggy said. "I'm not even sure I can put it into words."

Months before the allied D-Day invasion of Normandy liberated Western Europe, German forces were searching for the many allied prisoners of war scattered throughout northern and central Italy. On April 13, 1944, the town of Montebuono mourned the loss of the eight American soldiers.

The Valdez family continues to remember their beloved uncle and his fellow soldiers with annual visits to Montebuono. This year, nine Valdez family members and three family friends traveled to the Italian town.

"We always knew of his service and the sacrifices that he made during World War II, but to know that is still being honored... (Montebuono) is so thankful and they talk about how they would not have their way of life if these Americans did not make these sacrifices," Amber said. "It just meant so much."

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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why a Colorado soldier is remembered in Italy 80 years after WWII death