Oxnard Man Gave His Life to Save Village

The French village of Mutzig has never forgotten that Simon S. Quiroz gave his life fighting for the town’s freedom.

So more than 50 years after the Oxnard native was killed by a German sniper during World War II, the village in Alsace is dedicating a memorial to Quiroz--the only Allied soldier to die in Mutzig.

News of the memorial surprised Quiroz’s daughter, Hope Viera, who wasn’t even 2 when a German lieutenant shot her father on Nov. 26, 1944.

“I think it is a great honor to have the city recognize my father,” said Viera, a 53-year-old secretary at Mar Vista Elementary School in Oxnard. “It’s amazing he was the only soldier killed defending the town.”

That Quiroz made the ultimate sacrifice while routing Germans from Mutzig has created a bond between the French village of 5,000, near the German border, and Oxnard, a sprawling coastal city of more than 150,000.

On Tuesday, the Oxnard City Council approved a special “Friendship City” relationship with Mutzig, solidifying ties with a largely ceremonial gesture. Several of Quiroz’s relatives plan to travel to Mutzig for the memorial’s dedication May 8, which is Liberation Day in France.

“I didn’t expect this kind of attention at all,” said Bob Valles, Quiroz’s 59-year-old nephew and a deputy equal employment opportunity officer at the Navy base in Port Hueneme.

Valles visited Europe with his son last year and, on a whim, made a side trip to the town where his beloved uncle died. In Mutzig, he met residents who knew Quiroz’s story and were grateful for the American contribution to the war effort.

Luc Heinrich, a member of the village historical society, led the push for the informal Friendship City ties and the memorial plaque in front of the Mutzig doorway where the sniper’s bullet pierced Quiroz’s skull.

“I think France and the United States have a long history of friendship,” said Heinrich, an advertising executive, in an interview from his home in Mutzig. “But Quiroz’s death really symbolizes the friendship between two cities in particular. It has brought us closer together.”

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As a member of the Army’s 15th Infantry Division, Quiroz marched into Mutzig with Allied troops to liberate the town from German occupation on Nov. 24, 1944.

The German Army was retreating and Quiroz was put on patrol, charged with going door-to-door to find any German soldiers hiding from the Allies.

“He was cleaning house, getting out the Germans,” said Valles. “He was shot by a German lieutenant who was in a nearby house.” The lieutenant then shot and killed himself, Valles said.

It took awhile for news of Quiroz’s death to reach his family.

“It was shocking,” said Valles, who was about 8 at the time. “A telegram person came on a bicycle and knocked on the door at about 7:30 a.m. Everybody got hysterical and started crying.”

After a memorial service in a Mutzig church, Quiroz’s body was shipped back to Oxnard, where he was buried in Santa Clara Cemetery. His name is listed on a veterans memorial in Oxnard’s Plaza Park.

Valles plans to fly to the dedication in Mutzig with his two daughters, their husbands and his son.

He and his brother have vivid memories of adventures with their uncle before he left for Europe in 1943, Valles said.

“He used to take my brother and I all over the place--fishing, hiking, to Los Angeles,” he said. “He pampered us a lot.”

Viera said her mother, now 72, wanted to name her Barbara when she was born shortly before Quiroz was drafted. But Quiroz insisted on christening the first of his two daughters Esperanza, or Hope.

“He said, ‘No, name her Hope because she is the only hope I have of coming back,’ ” Viera said.