Ron Cruz was a postal carrier for 29 years.
But he is much more than that.
He’s a patriot, in the truest sense of the word.
Cruz is a veteran. More precisely he is a veteran wounded in war who came perilously close to dying on the battle field.
As such, Cruz is one of those that Quilts of Valor — a non-profit that seeks to honor those veterans and service personnel “touched by war” — with a handmade quilt.
Cruz was awarded a Quilt of Valor by Michelle McCumber, group leader for the Amador Valley Quilters Quilt of Valor group on Sept. 12 at the start of the Veterans of Foreign War Post 6311 meeting.
And his story — or more precisely his service and sacrifice — is among countless honored by the nonprofit founded in 2003 by Catherine Roberts when her son Nat was deployed in Iraq.
The honorees are nominated for consideration.
Cruz was a 19 year-old machine gunner on an Army gun truck in 1968 in the Tet Offensive when his vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket destroying it and sending him flying through the air.
Cruz landed on the road and was immediately dragged to a canal to provide cover from enemy fire.
When he came to, his sergeant gave it to him straight.
He had seen similar injuries such as the two holes in Cruz’ leg where they were unable to stop the bleeding in the field.
His only hope of survival was if a medevac helicopter could reach him and transport him to an Army trauma center.
It was far from a given as enemy fire more often than not made such flights too dangerous to make.
He eventual heard the “popping sound” of a medevac helicopter.
It’s a sound that if he hears today, it still sets his heart racing.
“I got lucky,” said Cruz who is now 76 years old.
The enemy had “tricked” the soldiers.
They initially took fire from one side only to be hit by a rocket from the other side, Cruz was a 1965 Manteca High graduated drafted after he had enrolled in college.
“They weren’t supposed to do that,” Cruz noted of drafting college students. “I was none too happy. But I went because I was called to serve.”
Cruz served from 1967 through 1969 with the 9th Infantry Division.
He initially was assigned to the Mekong Delta.
But when the Tet Offensive — the bloodiest stretch of the Vietnam War was launched by North Vietnam and the Viet Cong — he was shifted to the Saigon area.
“We were used to the rice paddies and not the jungle,” said Cruz who was a Specialist 5.
Cruz had three surgeries in Japan.
It was there where a doctor gave him a clear picture of what was ahead in terms of his leg.
The bottom line was basically “use it or lose it.”
It — and a personal revelation that time is important — is what guided his decision to switch from a 20-year retail career to secure a job as a postal carrier.
“It was a job where I walked every day,” Cruz said. “And I worked only five days.”
Cruz noted retail management was much more lucrative. It took him 5½ years to match what he was making when he quit his retail career.
But it also meant working six to seven days a week, taking time away from his family.
“There comes a time in your life when you finally figure it out,” Cruz said. “Time is more important than money.”
And what is also important to Cruz is community. Cruz is heavily involved in veterans’ mural project
“A great man (the late Ken Hafer) told me you needed to give back to the community that has been good to you,” Cruz said.
That led to Cruz joining the Manteca Mural Society more than 20 years ago. He’s been president of the group for the past four years. The society that is responsible for roughly two dozen murals in downtown.
He’s been involved with the East Union Cemetery Association since 2010.
Cruz is also a member of VFW Post 6311 and American Legion Post 249.
He also played a role in all of the Memorial Weekend commemorations at Woodward Park that took place under the leadership of Pastor Mike Dillman, who also served in Vietnam.
Cruz, along with Dillman, were the key to establishing May as “Avenue of Heroes” in Manteca.
It involves the placement of banners on downtown street light poles during the month of May that lists the name of the 66 Manteca residents that have died in America’s wars since World War I.
It was Cruz — along with Norm Knodt, another Vietnan veteran — who led the charge for the mural society’s biggest project.
It involves five murals representing World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Global War on Terror.
The murals on the eastern facing wall of the Manteca Bedquarters at Main Street and Yosemite Avenue are considered the largest such mural project on the West Coast.
The second gun truck in the Vietnam War mural is a photograph depicting the truck Cruz was assigned to, right down to the truck number. The mural, among other details, also includes a medevac helicopter flying above.
Cruz actually donned a World War I sergeant’s uniform to lead a group of Manteca teens decked in soldiers’ uniforms “from the war to end all wars” so muralist Dave Gordon could have a photo to work from depicting soldiers charging forward from a trench.
The actual photo was taken using a drainage ditch in Manteca with “Sergeant Cruz” leading the way.
Cruz shared a story from years ago when he was having a spa installed at his home.
After a company representative knocked on his door he asked if the pickup truck in front of the house with the Purple Heart license plate was his.
When he replied in the affirmative, Cruz was then asked what branch of service. Cruz’s reply of the Army prompted the man to say in jest that he guessed that was OK even though he was a Marine.
“Welcome home,” the Marine then told Cruz.
That stands in stark contrast to the America that greeted Cruz and others when they returned from fighting in Vietnam.
Cruz was sent to Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco to recover and to learn how to walk again.
When patients eventually made their way outside the hospital for walks in The City that was the hotbed of the war protest movement, they were denounced, screamed at and treated poorly.
The experience of Cruz mirrors that of many of the 2,594,000 Americans that served in the Vietnam War and came home to a nation that based on their reception seemed downright hostile.
Cruz was one of 303,704 injured including 153,329 that required hospital care.
But he considers himself lucky.
Some 58,202 didn’t make it home. Eighteen of those casualties were from Manteca including Cruz’ buddy Bruce Soares.
After high school, Cruz went to work part-time at Hafer’s Furniture while going to college.
George Terry — a fellow 1965 Manteca High graduated — worked at the Defense Depot in Tracy.
Both got their draft notices within weeks of each other.
They both also went to basic training together. And both ended up in Vietnam at the same time — Cruz with a tank unit and Terry with a support unit.
Cruz’ sister brought the Selective Service letter to him at Hafer’s. “We lived a block from the store,” Cruz said in an interview in 2016. “I remember her walking into the backroom with the letter.” There was little doubt that Cruz would serve.
“My mother came from Mexico to the United States,” Cruz said, noting she was proud of the opportunities the United States allowed her to pursue as an immigrant.
During the two months Cruz spent in Vietnam, his skills as a machine gunner was reflected in setting a record for most hits during training at Fort Knox came in handy.
He also learned other skills such as how lit cigarettes were effective for getting leeches off your legs after they attacked you when you had to wade into rice paddies to get tanks unstuck.
Cruz — who is known for having a positive outlook on life — said one of his ongoing goals is to help people understand the price of protecting freedom.
“People need to appreciate patriots who serve,” Cruz said. “They keep our nation secure.”
Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 literally with a dream.
Roberts, whose son was serving in the Gulf War at the time recalls on the organization’s website a dream she had.
“The dream was as vivid as real life,” Roberts writes. “I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over.”
“The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt.”
“His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was: Quilts = Healing.”
Volunteer teams across the country donate their time and materials to make a quilt.
The quilts, according to the group’s website, convey a message: “Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation.”
For more information on Quilts of Valor go to qofv.org
