Esquipula was the son of Jose D. And Eva M. Roybal.
Esquipula served with Battery E of the 68th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) Regiment during World War II.
On 18 Nov 1942, the 68th CA (AA) arrived at Casablanca, Morocco, as part of a 14 troop transport ship convoy. The Regiment arrived in Sicily on August 9, 1943. On 31 Oct 1943, the regiment arrived at Naples, Italy. The 68th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA) made an amphibious assault at Anzio, Italy on January 22, 1944. Esquipula's date of passing indicates he lost his life as part of the Anzio assault.
A cenotaph for Esquipula was erected in his hometown of Peñasco, New Mexico.
-------------------------------------
Act of gratitude: Italian family returns lost dog tag, salutes Peñasco GI’s sacrifice at Anzio
By Charles D. Brunt / Journal Staff Writer
Published: Friday, November 13th, 2015
It was a warm, brilliant day in early August when Edoardo Sed, snorkeling with his family off the Italian west coast near Torre Astura, spied a shiny object in the clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Diving to the tantalizing glint, the 11-year-old retrieved a 2-inch-long stainless steel tag. Stamped into the tag was the name Esquipula A. Roybal, a series of numbers and letters, the soldier’s next of kin, and a mailing address in Peñasco, N.M.
Thus began a monthslong quest by Edoardo and his mother, Veronica Limoni, to return the soldier’s amazingly well-preserved dog tag to his family some 5,800 miles away.
The search started in Rome, detoured to Birmingham, Mich., bounced to Albuquerque, then to Taos and, finally, to the small town of Peñasco in north central New Mexico.
“This is a really (small) effort compared to what the American soldiers made for us during the Second World War,” Limoni said by email from her home in Rome earlier this month. “Esquipula gave his life trying to protect our country, in the name of freedom, and I just wanted to say ‘Thank you’ to Esquipula and to all those American soldiers who died with honor and glory.
“I consider the time I spent to reach Esquipula’s family very precious and important for me, my family and all our country,” she said.
After Edoardo found the tag, Limoni took to the Internet to find what she could about the soldier and, she hoped, his relatives.
Esquipula A. Roybal was born Oct. 29, 1921, in Peñasco to Jose D. and Eva M. Roybal. Shortly after graduating from Menaul School in Albuquerque, he joined the Army and was assigned to Battery E of the 68th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) Regiment.
With the outbreak of World War II, his unit shipped first to Casa Blanca, Morocco, then to Sicily. They arrived in Naples, Italy, on Oct. 31, 1943, in preparation for an amphibious assault at Anzio – near the site of present-day Torre Astura.
The Battle of Anzio was a ferocious and key battle of the Italian Campaign and began on Jan. 22, 1944, with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle. It was part of the Allied plan to oust the German forces occupying parts of Italy. By the time the Allied forces broke out from the beachhead in May 1944, they had lost an estimated 7,000 troops.
The Army set Roybal’s official date of death at Jan. 26, 1944, indicating he died in the early stages of the invasion. His body was never recovered, but there is a memorial headstone for Pfc. Esquipula A. Roybal in the San Pedro Cemetery in Peñasco. He was 22 when he died.
Veronica Limoni posted Edoardo’s find on her Facebook page in early August. Within days, she received a reply from a former co-worker, Sonia Chiandetti, who had moved from Rome to Birmingham, Mich., in 2010.
Chiandetti had attended Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Ala., for a year while her father, a pilot in the Italian Air Force, was attending the U.S. Air War College. While there, she met fellow sophomore Cris Sheirer, with whom she has stayed in touch with over the years. Knowing that Sheirer worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Albuquerque, she asked if the VA might help find Roybal’s family.
“I felt it was the least I could do,” Chiandetti said by phone earlier this month. “I can’t imagine how Italy would be today if it weren’t for the Americans who fought for our liberation.” Chiandettis’ grandfather, she noted, served in both world wars.
Because Roybal never had the chance to apply for VA benefits, Sheirer, a public affairs officer for the regional VA office here, could find no information on Roybal or his family. Sheirer did, however, have friends in law enforcement.
Sheirer contacted retired Albuquerque police officer Richard Gomez, who reached out to the Taos Police Department. Gomez’s call eventually wound up with Sgt. David Trujillo, an Army veteran himself.
“I researched our police records here for any potential relatives and came up with a list of phone numbers,” Trujillo said. “Then I just started calling.”
Although there are numerous Roybals in the area, the third call Trujillo made resulted in a call from Lydia Roybal whose husband of 57 years, Joe Roy Roybal, is Esquipula’s nephew.
Trujillo got word back to Sheirer, who notified the Limonis that their search had come to an end. Veronica Limoni mailed the tag to Sheirer, who has arranged for it to be presented to the Roybals today in Peñasco. Sheirer will be joined by Alan Martinez, deputy secretary of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, and Chris Norton, director of the regional office of the Veterans Benefits Administration.
‘Just grateful’
“I’m just grateful to the Limoni family for going through all this effort to return the tag,” said Sheirer, an Army veteran whose father served during the Vietnam era and whose grandfather served in World War II. “I appreciate someone’s returning a piece (pertaining to) one of ours back to us after 71 years. It also reminded me of what our World War II soldiers did there. If not for them, the Limonis might not be here today.”
“Joe was very surprised to hear about Esquipula after so many years,” Lydia Roybal said Thursday from the couple’s Peñasco home. She was speaking on behalf of Joe, who she said is in poor health.
“My husband remembers Esquipula a little bit. He remembered his uncle putting him on his shoulders and walking to the pool hall and around town,” she said. Joe was about 7 years old when his uncle died.
Lydia Roybal said her husband is considering giving the tag to their grandson, Samuel Hern, an Army veteran who completed two tours in Afghanistan. Hern, 30, lives in Española.
Accompanying the tag, now in a purple velvet case, will be a handwritten note from Edoardo to the Roybal family:
“I would like to thank you for what Esquipula did for Italy. He was a hero, he protected us and he gave his life in the service of his Country. Thank you! XXX.”
Esquipula served with Battery E of the 68th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) Regiment during World War II.
On 18 Nov 1942, the 68th CA (AA) arrived at Casablanca, Morocco, as part of a 14 troop transport ship convoy. The Regiment arrived in Sicily on August 9, 1943. On 31 Oct 1943, the regiment arrived at Naples, Italy. The 68th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA) made an amphibious assault at Anzio, Italy on January 22, 1944. Esquipula's date of passing indicates he lost his life as part of the Anzio assault.
A cenotaph for Esquipula was erected in his hometown of Peñasco, New Mexico.
-------------------------------------
Act of gratitude: Italian family returns lost dog tag, salutes Peñasco GI’s sacrifice at Anzio
By Charles D. Brunt / Journal Staff Writer
Published: Friday, November 13th, 2015
It was a warm, brilliant day in early August when Edoardo Sed, snorkeling with his family off the Italian west coast near Torre Astura, spied a shiny object in the clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Diving to the tantalizing glint, the 11-year-old retrieved a 2-inch-long stainless steel tag. Stamped into the tag was the name Esquipula A. Roybal, a series of numbers and letters, the soldier’s next of kin, and a mailing address in Peñasco, N.M.
Thus began a monthslong quest by Edoardo and his mother, Veronica Limoni, to return the soldier’s amazingly well-preserved dog tag to his family some 5,800 miles away.
The search started in Rome, detoured to Birmingham, Mich., bounced to Albuquerque, then to Taos and, finally, to the small town of Peñasco in north central New Mexico.
“This is a really (small) effort compared to what the American soldiers made for us during the Second World War,” Limoni said by email from her home in Rome earlier this month. “Esquipula gave his life trying to protect our country, in the name of freedom, and I just wanted to say ‘Thank you’ to Esquipula and to all those American soldiers who died with honor and glory.
“I consider the time I spent to reach Esquipula’s family very precious and important for me, my family and all our country,” she said.
After Edoardo found the tag, Limoni took to the Internet to find what she could about the soldier and, she hoped, his relatives.
Esquipula A. Roybal was born Oct. 29, 1921, in Peñasco to Jose D. and Eva M. Roybal. Shortly after graduating from Menaul School in Albuquerque, he joined the Army and was assigned to Battery E of the 68th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) Regiment.
With the outbreak of World War II, his unit shipped first to Casa Blanca, Morocco, then to Sicily. They arrived in Naples, Italy, on Oct. 31, 1943, in preparation for an amphibious assault at Anzio – near the site of present-day Torre Astura.
The Battle of Anzio was a ferocious and key battle of the Italian Campaign and began on Jan. 22, 1944, with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle. It was part of the Allied plan to oust the German forces occupying parts of Italy. By the time the Allied forces broke out from the beachhead in May 1944, they had lost an estimated 7,000 troops.
The Army set Roybal’s official date of death at Jan. 26, 1944, indicating he died in the early stages of the invasion. His body was never recovered, but there is a memorial headstone for Pfc. Esquipula A. Roybal in the San Pedro Cemetery in Peñasco. He was 22 when he died.
Veronica Limoni posted Edoardo’s find on her Facebook page in early August. Within days, she received a reply from a former co-worker, Sonia Chiandetti, who had moved from Rome to Birmingham, Mich., in 2010.
Chiandetti had attended Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Ala., for a year while her father, a pilot in the Italian Air Force, was attending the U.S. Air War College. While there, she met fellow sophomore Cris Sheirer, with whom she has stayed in touch with over the years. Knowing that Sheirer worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Albuquerque, she asked if the VA might help find Roybal’s family.
“I felt it was the least I could do,” Chiandetti said by phone earlier this month. “I can’t imagine how Italy would be today if it weren’t for the Americans who fought for our liberation.” Chiandettis’ grandfather, she noted, served in both world wars.
Because Roybal never had the chance to apply for VA benefits, Sheirer, a public affairs officer for the regional VA office here, could find no information on Roybal or his family. Sheirer did, however, have friends in law enforcement.
Sheirer contacted retired Albuquerque police officer Richard Gomez, who reached out to the Taos Police Department. Gomez’s call eventually wound up with Sgt. David Trujillo, an Army veteran himself.
“I researched our police records here for any potential relatives and came up with a list of phone numbers,” Trujillo said. “Then I just started calling.”
Although there are numerous Roybals in the area, the third call Trujillo made resulted in a call from Lydia Roybal whose husband of 57 years, Joe Roy Roybal, is Esquipula’s nephew.
Trujillo got word back to Sheirer, who notified the Limonis that their search had come to an end. Veronica Limoni mailed the tag to Sheirer, who has arranged for it to be presented to the Roybals today in Peñasco. Sheirer will be joined by Alan Martinez, deputy secretary of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, and Chris Norton, director of the regional office of the Veterans Benefits Administration.
‘Just grateful’
“I’m just grateful to the Limoni family for going through all this effort to return the tag,” said Sheirer, an Army veteran whose father served during the Vietnam era and whose grandfather served in World War II. “I appreciate someone’s returning a piece (pertaining to) one of ours back to us after 71 years. It also reminded me of what our World War II soldiers did there. If not for them, the Limonis might not be here today.”
“Joe was very surprised to hear about Esquipula after so many years,” Lydia Roybal said Thursday from the couple’s Peñasco home. She was speaking on behalf of Joe, who she said is in poor health.
“My husband remembers Esquipula a little bit. He remembered his uncle putting him on his shoulders and walking to the pool hall and around town,” she said. Joe was about 7 years old when his uncle died.
Lydia Roybal said her husband is considering giving the tag to their grandson, Samuel Hern, an Army veteran who completed two tours in Afghanistan. Hern, 30, lives in Española.
Accompanying the tag, now in a purple velvet case, will be a handwritten note from Edoardo to the Roybal family:
“I would like to thank you for what Esquipula did for Italy. He was a hero, he protected us and he gave his life in the service of his Country. Thank you! XXX.”
Esquipula was the son of Jose D. And Eva M. Roybal.
Esquipula served with Battery E of the 68th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) Regiment during World War II.
On 18 Nov 1942, the 68th CA (AA) arrived at Casablanca, Morocco, as part of a 14 troop transport ship convoy. The Regiment arrived in Sicily on August 9, 1943. On 31 Oct 1943, the regiment arrived at Naples, Italy. The 68th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA) made an amphibious assault at Anzio, Italy on January 22, 1944. Esquipula's date of passing indicates he lost his life as part of the Anzio assault.
A cenotaph for Esquipula was erected in his hometown of Peñasco, New Mexico.
-------------------------------------
Act of gratitude: Italian family returns lost dog tag, salutes Peñasco GI’s sacrifice at Anzio
By Charles D. Brunt / Journal Staff Writer
Published: Friday, November 13th, 2015
It was a warm, brilliant day in early August when Edoardo Sed, snorkeling with his family off the Italian west coast near Torre Astura, spied a shiny object in the clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Diving to the tantalizing glint, the 11-year-old retrieved a 2-inch-long stainless steel tag. Stamped into the tag was the name Esquipula A. Roybal, a series of numbers and letters, the soldier’s next of kin, and a mailing address in Peñasco, N.M.
Thus began a monthslong quest by Edoardo and his mother, Veronica Limoni, to return the soldier’s amazingly well-preserved dog tag to his family some 5,800 miles away.
The search started in Rome, detoured to Birmingham, Mich., bounced to Albuquerque, then to Taos and, finally, to the small town of Peñasco in north central New Mexico.
“This is a really (small) effort compared to what the American soldiers made for us during the Second World War,” Limoni said by email from her home in Rome earlier this month. “Esquipula gave his life trying to protect our country, in the name of freedom, and I just wanted to say ‘Thank you’ to Esquipula and to all those American soldiers who died with honor and glory.
“I consider the time I spent to reach Esquipula’s family very precious and important for me, my family and all our country,” she said.
After Edoardo found the tag, Limoni took to the Internet to find what she could about the soldier and, she hoped, his relatives.
Esquipula A. Roybal was born Oct. 29, 1921, in Peñasco to Jose D. and Eva M. Roybal. Shortly after graduating from Menaul School in Albuquerque, he joined the Army and was assigned to Battery E of the 68th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) Regiment.
With the outbreak of World War II, his unit shipped first to Casa Blanca, Morocco, then to Sicily. They arrived in Naples, Italy, on Oct. 31, 1943, in preparation for an amphibious assault at Anzio – near the site of present-day Torre Astura.
The Battle of Anzio was a ferocious and key battle of the Italian Campaign and began on Jan. 22, 1944, with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle. It was part of the Allied plan to oust the German forces occupying parts of Italy. By the time the Allied forces broke out from the beachhead in May 1944, they had lost an estimated 7,000 troops.
The Army set Roybal’s official date of death at Jan. 26, 1944, indicating he died in the early stages of the invasion. His body was never recovered, but there is a memorial headstone for Pfc. Esquipula A. Roybal in the San Pedro Cemetery in Peñasco. He was 22 when he died.
Veronica Limoni posted Edoardo’s find on her Facebook page in early August. Within days, she received a reply from a former co-worker, Sonia Chiandetti, who had moved from Rome to Birmingham, Mich., in 2010.
Chiandetti had attended Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Ala., for a year while her father, a pilot in the Italian Air Force, was attending the U.S. Air War College. While there, she met fellow sophomore Cris Sheirer, with whom she has stayed in touch with over the years. Knowing that Sheirer worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Albuquerque, she asked if the VA might help find Roybal’s family.
“I felt it was the least I could do,” Chiandetti said by phone earlier this month. “I can’t imagine how Italy would be today if it weren’t for the Americans who fought for our liberation.” Chiandettis’ grandfather, she noted, served in both world wars.
Because Roybal never had the chance to apply for VA benefits, Sheirer, a public affairs officer for the regional VA office here, could find no information on Roybal or his family. Sheirer did, however, have friends in law enforcement.
Sheirer contacted retired Albuquerque police officer Richard Gomez, who reached out to the Taos Police Department. Gomez’s call eventually wound up with Sgt. David Trujillo, an Army veteran himself.
“I researched our police records here for any potential relatives and came up with a list of phone numbers,” Trujillo said. “Then I just started calling.”
Although there are numerous Roybals in the area, the third call Trujillo made resulted in a call from Lydia Roybal whose husband of 57 years, Joe Roy Roybal, is Esquipula’s nephew.
Trujillo got word back to Sheirer, who notified the Limonis that their search had come to an end. Veronica Limoni mailed the tag to Sheirer, who has arranged for it to be presented to the Roybals today in Peñasco. Sheirer will be joined by Alan Martinez, deputy secretary of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, and Chris Norton, director of the regional office of the Veterans Benefits Administration.
‘Just grateful’
“I’m just grateful to the Limoni family for going through all this effort to return the tag,” said Sheirer, an Army veteran whose father served during the Vietnam era and whose grandfather served in World War II. “I appreciate someone’s returning a piece (pertaining to) one of ours back to us after 71 years. It also reminded me of what our World War II soldiers did there. If not for them, the Limonis might not be here today.”
“Joe was very surprised to hear about Esquipula after so many years,” Lydia Roybal said Thursday from the couple’s Peñasco home. She was speaking on behalf of Joe, who she said is in poor health.
“My husband remembers Esquipula a little bit. He remembered his uncle putting him on his shoulders and walking to the pool hall and around town,” she said. Joe was about 7 years old when his uncle died.
Lydia Roybal said her husband is considering giving the tag to their grandson, Samuel Hern, an Army veteran who completed two tours in Afghanistan. Hern, 30, lives in Española.
Accompanying the tag, now in a purple velvet case, will be a handwritten note from Edoardo to the Roybal family:
“I would like to thank you for what Esquipula did for Italy. He was a hero, he protected us and he gave his life in the service of his Country. Thank you! XXX.”
Esquipula served with Battery E of the 68th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) Regiment during World War II.
On 18 Nov 1942, the 68th CA (AA) arrived at Casablanca, Morocco, as part of a 14 troop transport ship convoy. The Regiment arrived in Sicily on August 9, 1943. On 31 Oct 1943, the regiment arrived at Naples, Italy. The 68th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA) made an amphibious assault at Anzio, Italy on January 22, 1944. Esquipula's date of passing indicates he lost his life as part of the Anzio assault.
A cenotaph for Esquipula was erected in his hometown of Peñasco, New Mexico.
-------------------------------------
Act of gratitude: Italian family returns lost dog tag, salutes Peñasco GI’s sacrifice at Anzio
By Charles D. Brunt / Journal Staff Writer
Published: Friday, November 13th, 2015
It was a warm, brilliant day in early August when Edoardo Sed, snorkeling with his family off the Italian west coast near Torre Astura, spied a shiny object in the clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Diving to the tantalizing glint, the 11-year-old retrieved a 2-inch-long stainless steel tag. Stamped into the tag was the name Esquipula A. Roybal, a series of numbers and letters, the soldier’s next of kin, and a mailing address in Peñasco, N.M.
Thus began a monthslong quest by Edoardo and his mother, Veronica Limoni, to return the soldier’s amazingly well-preserved dog tag to his family some 5,800 miles away.
The search started in Rome, detoured to Birmingham, Mich., bounced to Albuquerque, then to Taos and, finally, to the small town of Peñasco in north central New Mexico.
“This is a really (small) effort compared to what the American soldiers made for us during the Second World War,” Limoni said by email from her home in Rome earlier this month. “Esquipula gave his life trying to protect our country, in the name of freedom, and I just wanted to say ‘Thank you’ to Esquipula and to all those American soldiers who died with honor and glory.
“I consider the time I spent to reach Esquipula’s family very precious and important for me, my family and all our country,” she said.
After Edoardo found the tag, Limoni took to the Internet to find what she could about the soldier and, she hoped, his relatives.
Esquipula A. Roybal was born Oct. 29, 1921, in Peñasco to Jose D. and Eva M. Roybal. Shortly after graduating from Menaul School in Albuquerque, he joined the Army and was assigned to Battery E of the 68th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) Regiment.
With the outbreak of World War II, his unit shipped first to Casa Blanca, Morocco, then to Sicily. They arrived in Naples, Italy, on Oct. 31, 1943, in preparation for an amphibious assault at Anzio – near the site of present-day Torre Astura.
The Battle of Anzio was a ferocious and key battle of the Italian Campaign and began on Jan. 22, 1944, with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle. It was part of the Allied plan to oust the German forces occupying parts of Italy. By the time the Allied forces broke out from the beachhead in May 1944, they had lost an estimated 7,000 troops.
The Army set Roybal’s official date of death at Jan. 26, 1944, indicating he died in the early stages of the invasion. His body was never recovered, but there is a memorial headstone for Pfc. Esquipula A. Roybal in the San Pedro Cemetery in Peñasco. He was 22 when he died.
Veronica Limoni posted Edoardo’s find on her Facebook page in early August. Within days, she received a reply from a former co-worker, Sonia Chiandetti, who had moved from Rome to Birmingham, Mich., in 2010.
Chiandetti had attended Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Ala., for a year while her father, a pilot in the Italian Air Force, was attending the U.S. Air War College. While there, she met fellow sophomore Cris Sheirer, with whom she has stayed in touch with over the years. Knowing that Sheirer worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Albuquerque, she asked if the VA might help find Roybal’s family.
“I felt it was the least I could do,” Chiandetti said by phone earlier this month. “I can’t imagine how Italy would be today if it weren’t for the Americans who fought for our liberation.” Chiandettis’ grandfather, she noted, served in both world wars.
Because Roybal never had the chance to apply for VA benefits, Sheirer, a public affairs officer for the regional VA office here, could find no information on Roybal or his family. Sheirer did, however, have friends in law enforcement.
Sheirer contacted retired Albuquerque police officer Richard Gomez, who reached out to the Taos Police Department. Gomez’s call eventually wound up with Sgt. David Trujillo, an Army veteran himself.
“I researched our police records here for any potential relatives and came up with a list of phone numbers,” Trujillo said. “Then I just started calling.”
Although there are numerous Roybals in the area, the third call Trujillo made resulted in a call from Lydia Roybal whose husband of 57 years, Joe Roy Roybal, is Esquipula’s nephew.
Trujillo got word back to Sheirer, who notified the Limonis that their search had come to an end. Veronica Limoni mailed the tag to Sheirer, who has arranged for it to be presented to the Roybals today in Peñasco. Sheirer will be joined by Alan Martinez, deputy secretary of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, and Chris Norton, director of the regional office of the Veterans Benefits Administration.
‘Just grateful’
“I’m just grateful to the Limoni family for going through all this effort to return the tag,” said Sheirer, an Army veteran whose father served during the Vietnam era and whose grandfather served in World War II. “I appreciate someone’s returning a piece (pertaining to) one of ours back to us after 71 years. It also reminded me of what our World War II soldiers did there. If not for them, the Limonis might not be here today.”
“Joe was very surprised to hear about Esquipula after so many years,” Lydia Roybal said Thursday from the couple’s Peñasco home. She was speaking on behalf of Joe, who she said is in poor health.
“My husband remembers Esquipula a little bit. He remembered his uncle putting him on his shoulders and walking to the pool hall and around town,” she said. Joe was about 7 years old when his uncle died.
Lydia Roybal said her husband is considering giving the tag to their grandson, Samuel Hern, an Army veteran who completed two tours in Afghanistan. Hern, 30, lives in Española.
Accompanying the tag, now in a purple velvet case, will be a handwritten note from Edoardo to the Roybal family:
“I would like to thank you for what Esquipula did for Italy. He was a hero, he protected us and he gave his life in the service of his Country. Thank you! XXX.”
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PFC 68 COAST ARTY REGT
NEW MEXICO
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from New Mexico.
Sponsored by Ancestry
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