Lasting friendships, family ties and community
By Maria E. Garcia
Tortilla’s Army was the spontaneous outgrowth of the ways World War II altered life in Logan Heights and its intersection with the charisma and leadership of young Manuel “Tortilla” Ojeda. A favorite game during wartime in Logan Heights was playing army.
By 1942 Tortilla had assembled his troop of kids as young as five and as old as fourteen. He had pressed into service his younger cousins, neighborhood friends and his younger brother Nando. General Tortilla marched his growing ranks around the neighborhood to protect it and to be prepared to fight.
After the summer of 1942, the participation in Tortilla’s Army slowly died. … [Read more…]