Saving Private Ryan -- and others

Normandy invasion survivor Henry Sanchez honored by veterans' society

Legendary movie director Stephen Spielberg didn't know whose house he was knocking in April 2004 when he had come to Bayonne looking for a set to film his latest movie, War of the Worlds.

Spielberg just wanted to use a house where he could use the Bayonne Bridge as a backdrop.

Spielberg got more than he bargained for. Spielberg found himself face to face with Henry Sanchez, one of the many heroes from the June 6, 1944 Allied Invasion of Normandy.

Spielberg has a particular fascination for that invasion, depicting one of the most realistic accounts in his 1998 film, "Saving Private Ryan," which is a story about U.S. Soldiers trying to save their comrade who is stranded behind enemy lines.

As if a living example of Spielberg's characters in the film Saving Private Ryan, Sanchez served in the U.S. Navy in the European and Pacific theater of operations during World War II from 1944 to 1946 as part of the amphibious force. He participated in D-Day storming of the Normandy Beaches - for which he was awarded a Bronze Star. Of numerous honors, Sanchez was honored by the America, France and Taiwan as well as New Jersey and New York states.

Sanchez served as a signalman in the Navy, using lights and flags to communicate messages between ships and in other circumstances. In battle communication is often a problem.

During D-Day, the German soldiers had dug holes in the beach which threatened to swallow Allied troops as they landed. Someone was needed to signal their location. Sanchez volunteered to land with the troops, then stood on the front of the landing craft amid enemy fire to relay signals to warn troops of the holes.

"I volunteered to go to the beaches," Sanchez said during an interview this week, after being presented with the Legion of Honor Award from the Chapel of Four Chaplains at the Nutley Post 30 on April 21

When his signaling duties ended, Sanchez helped pickup the wounded out of the water, bringing back to the hospital ships for treatment.

"I was only 17-years old," he said. " I entered service on Jan. 31, 1944 and I was on the beaches on June 6. I went to boot camp, but the only training I had for this was the training I got prior to and during the invasion."

Had Sanchez seen Spielberg's film, "Saving Private Ryan."

"Yes," he said, "and the first 20 minutes of the film are what I saw on the beach."

While touring Sanchez' house for use in his new movie, War of the Worlds, Spielberg came to a room near the rear he intended to use as the kitchen in the film. Sanchez used it as a den, and kept many of the mementoes from his military career.

"He saw all my medals and flags," he said. "He noticed some were from Normandy." This apparently stopped Spielberg in his tracks, distracting him for a moment from thoughts of why he had come.

"You were in Normandy?" Spielberg asked Sanchez.

"I told him I was," Sanchez recalled. "Then I told him about my experiences."

Spielberg didn't comment. He seemed amazed, nodding his head through the tale as if he could see his own film running over and over again in his head.

Sanchez then thanked Spielberg.

"I had been to the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans," Sanchez said. "I saw his and his family's name everywhere. They must have given millions in donations. I told him I was grateful for the donations. He looked at me, nodded, but he didn't say a word."

One of the great honors

Sanchez described the April 21 ceremony in Nutley as "beautiful" and said Post 30 was packed with people.

Established in 1951, the Chapel of Four Chaplains recognizes and encourages selfless service rendered by individuals from all walks of life through the Legion of Honor Award Program. The service must be above and beyond that required by professional or organizational position, and given to the community, nation, and humanity without regard to race, religion or creed.

Sanchez was nominated by William F. Hagen, commander of the AMVETS Post #32 in Bayonne.

"I have received many honors in my life time," Sanchez said. "But this is the top of the heap."

He has served in various veterans groups since his leaving service in 1946.

Locally, he has been active in the March Dimes, Concerned Citizens of Bayonne, United Cerebral Palsy of Hudson County , the National Conference for Community and Justice, the Bayonne Historic Society, The United Way of Hudson County, The Bayonne American Red Cross and other organizations - and has been honored by each of these and other organizations for his community service, and has served in prominent positions in most of the organizations in which he has been involved.

He is also a trustee on the Bayonne Community Museum Inc, and a the Bayonne Local Redevelopment agency

The Chapel of Four Chaplains is a non-profit organization established to encourage cooperation and selfless service among all people The inspiration for the Chapel and its mission comes from the courageous acts of the four Army Chaplains who were serving aboard the Dorchester when it was hit by an enemy torpedo and sank in the North Atlantic on February 3, 1943. The four chaplains spread out among the soldiers. There they tried to calm the frightened, tend the wounded and guide the disoriented toward safety, issuing life jackets to those on board. When there were no more lifejackets in the storage room, the chaplains removed theirs and gave them to four frightened young men. As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains--arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could also be heard offering prayers.