Crispin Sanchez - Early Years, Sports, Education, Military

Early Years, Sports, Education, Military

Sanchez (first name pronounced CHRIS PEEN) was born to Pedro R. Sanchez (1893–1984) and Guadalupe V. Sanchez (1896–1977) in Gonzales, the seat of Gonzales County in southeast Texas. In the era of segregation, he attended a one-room school for Hispanic children. A halfback, running back, kicker, and punter, Sanchez was the first Mexican American to play football at Gonzales High School. His excellence at first base in baseball led to his drafting by the St. Louis Cardinals, but he declined the offer and instead followed his mother's advice and entered college. For a time he played with the former Gonzales Apaches. ("Apaches" is now the name of the Gonzales High School teams.)

During World War II, Sanchez joined the United States Army Air Corps, the forerunner of the Air Force. He was part of the Hell's Angels with the 303rd Bomb Group and was a tail gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. He flew 35 air combat missions. During the pivotal Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, he provided air relief to Allied ground troops in Belgium with two .50-caliber machine guns.

On returning from the war, Sanchez entered Texas State University in San Marcos, then known as Southwest Texas State Normal School. In college, Sanchez met his future wife, Dora A. Garcia (1929-2003). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, and the couple moved to her hometown of Laredo, the seat of Webb County in South Texas, where Sanchez began his long career in education.