Benjamin Alvarado
By Kathryn Wilson
A pile of manure saved the life of Benjamin Alvarado during World War II in 1944.
A private in Gen. George S. Patton's Third Army, he served in the 317th Infantry Regiment of the 80th Infantry Division. Alvarado and three other soldiers were positioned as outposts in St. Genevieve, France. The four soldiers were in a small farmhouse when they saw German forces approaching.