Longtime Santa Paula Little League umpire, Tony Vasquez, dies at 86

By Jannette Jauregui It has been said that “those who fought for freedom taste a sweetness of its liberty the protected will never know.” (Author unknown.)For those who knew Tony Vasquez, and of his service to this nation, it is a fitting statement for a man who fought through France and Germany during World War II, endured the hardships of becoming a prisoner of war - survived it all - and returned to the community he loved, serving as a volunteer for more than half a century.Tony’s life was an epic of heroism. He was a first generation Mexican-American, born the eldest of ten children to Max and Beatrice Vasquez in Santa Paula on June 13, 1922. His only childhood dream was to become a professional baseball player. He began playing at a young age, and proved to have a promising future. But his dream had to be put on hold when, at 16, he dropped out of Santa Paula High School to work with his father in the nearby citrus orchards, helping to earn extra money for his family. In September 1942, just two weeks after reenrolling in high school courses, Tony received a draft notice from the United States Army. On Oct. 14, he and other draftees from Santa Paula boarded a bus outside of City Hall and headed for Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, Calif. Soon after, he was assigned to the 119th Infantry, 30th Division.On June 11, 1944, just one week after the Allied invasion in Normandy, France, Tony and other members of the 30th Division landed on Omaha Beach as reinforcement troops assigned to the front lines. For four months, Tony served as a mortar squad leader, fighting through Northern France and into Germany. He had already been wounded once after being hit with shrapnel in his leg when he landed in Normandy. He recovered and pressed on, but on Oct. 6, 1944, one of his worst fears became a reality.While fighting to secure pill boxes near Aachen, Tony and 12 others were taken as prisoners by the German forces. He spent more than three months going from prison camp to prison camp on only one meal a day. On Jan. 31, 1945, a 100-pound Tony escaped from the prison and was shot in the arm as he fled. The wound nearly severed his nerves, and Tony was in immediate need of medical care. Another American soldier, who had also escaped, took Tony to a nearby home. There, a Polish family took him in and laid him on a sack of potatoes in their basement, risking their own lives. Tony survived the ordeal, and when he was well enough, he left the house and made his way further into Poland.After coming in contact with a series of people, including a group of Polish refugees, Russian soldiers, and fellow Americans who had somehow also escaped, Tony found his way to a freighter bound for Naples, Italy. By the spring of 1945, he was on his way back to the United States.When he returned, Tony was sent to an Army hospital in Modesto, Calif., to treat his arm and begin physical therapy. When his treatment was over, he took a bus to Los Angeles, and then to Ventura where he called his sister to come pick him up. He returned to Santa Paula and to his new bride, Estella Colmenero, whom he married during a visit to Santa Paula from Modesto.Tony’s arm had gotten better, but he was left with permanent nerve damage and little feeling in his index and middle fingers, ending any hope for a professional baseball career. Instead, he began working at the military base in Port Hueneme and focused on raising his two children, Anthony and Gloria. But his love for baseball continued.In 1956, when the Santa Paula Little League hosted their first season ever, Tony was quick to become one of the city’s first umpires - a position he held for more than 50 years. He also became an active member of the local Veterans of Foreign War chapter (VFW).