Hero Street, U.S.A.: The Story of Little Mexico's Fallen Soldiers

Claro Solis wanted to win a gold star for his mother. He succeeded—as did seven other sons of “Little Mexico.”

Second Street in Silvis, Illinois, was a poor neighborhood during the Great Depression that had become home to Mexicans fleeing revolution in their homeland. In 1971 it was officially renamed “Hero Street” to commemorate its claim to the highest per—capita casualty rate from any neighborhood during World War II. Marc Wilson now tells the story of this community and the young men it ...