Hero Street: A Historical Documentary Film Series

We Remember Mary Munoz Ramirez of Hero Street

Mary Munoz Ramirez with filmmaker Kelly Rundle, co-producer of the "Hero Street" documentary series. 
 
We extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Mary Munoz Ramirez who passed away at the age of 98 at her home in Silvis, Illinois on Saturday, September 24, 2022 with her loved ones surrounding her. As her obituary notes, she was the last original resident of Hero Street. 

A rosary will be recited at 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 27th, followed by visitation until 7 p.m. at Schroder Mortuary, 701 1st Ave, Silvis, Illinois.

A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 28^th at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 800 17th St, Silvis, Illinois. Entombment will be in St. Mary’s Mausoleum, 2301 3rd St, East Moline, Illinois. Memorials may be made to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.

Mary was born May 15, 1924 in Silvis, Illinois the daughter of Ysabel and Victoria (Montecino) Munoz. She married Louis A. Ramirez August 18, 1944 in Moline, llinois. He passed away August 5, 2008. Mary worked for the Rock Island Arsenal during WWII. She enjoyed cooking, baking, sewing, and crocheting.

Survivors include her children Victoria (Ronald) Dumoulin, Rosemary (Douglas) Korty, Louis Jr. (Vicky) Ramirez, Linda (Dale) Roseman, Steve (Patti) Ramirez, Robert (Georgia) Ramirez, Jim Ramirez, and Susan (DeWitt) Young; son in law John Wassenhove; 18 grandchildren; 37 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, husband, daughter Martina Wassenhove; grandchildren Angelica McKinney and Jerome Dumoulin; great grandson Alexander Roseman, and 11 siblings. John, her brother, was one of the Hero Street eight who was killed in action in Korea on August 27, 1951 during the Korean War.

Mary Munoz Ramirez with Tammy Rundle, co-producer of the "Hero Street" documentary series. 

We were fortunate to sit down with Mary and do an on-camera interview about her brother John, who served and died in the Korean War. He was one of the eight heroes of Hero Street. "The Last to Fall from Hero Street: John Munos' Story" (Episode 8 of the "Hero Street" documentary series) is currently in production.

“Riding the Rails to Hero Street” presented Sept. 21 for Hispanic Heritage Month

Riding the Rails to Hero Street by Emmy award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will be presented on Wednesday, September 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Davenport Public Library-Fairmount Street Branch, 3000 N Fairmount St., Davenport, Iowa. The program is free to the public and sponsored by the Davenport Civil Rights Commission and Davenport Public Library.  A discussion will follow the 27-minute film.

Riding the Rails to Hero Street, part one in the Rundles’ Hero Street documentary series, tells the story of the immigrants’ journey from Mexico to Cook’s Point in Davenport, Holy City in Bettendorf, Iowa, and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad train yards and boxcar homes in Silvis, Illinois.  The families experienced both acceptance and discrimination in their new communities. Around the time of the great depression, the families were removed from the rail yards and some moved box cars or built new homes on 2nd Street in Silvis.  Only a block and a half long, the street lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America.  Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 150 service members since World War II.

Eduviges and Angelina Sandoval family of Silvis, Illinois.

The multi-part Hero Street documentary series will explore the personal and family sagas behind the eight heroes and tell the compelling true story of an ongoing struggle to memorialize Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, William Sandoval, Claro Soliz, Peter Masias, Joseph Sandoval, Joseph Gomez and John S. Muños.

Riding the Rails to Hero Street was partially funded by Humanities Iowa through Fourth Wall Films’ fiscal sponsor the Moline Foundation.

 

Visit www.HeroStreetMovie.com for more information.

Director Kelly Rundle films train footage for "Riding the Rails to Hero Street".

 

Joe Sandoval's Story Premieres Nov. 12 at 2PM on Putnam Museum's Giant Screen

Final arrangements are in place for the premiere of  An Infantryman from Hero Street during Veterans Day weekend Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. on the National Geographic Giant Screen Theater at the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa. A screening of Riding the Rails to Hero Street will precede the new film. Q&A with filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle, and other film participants will follow. Tickets will be available to pre-order soon at https://www.putnam.org/.

An Infantryman from Hero Street (a fourth episode in the "Hero Street" documentary series) tells the true story of Pvt. Joseph Sandoval who was born in a boxcar to Mexican immigrants in the Silvis, Illinois rail yard. In 1944, Joe, married with two young sons, was drafted and shipped to Britain with the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment. His unit helped fight the second stage of the Normandy Invasion in France. In April 1945, the Allied forces reached an agreement regarding post-war Germany, and Joe and his fellow soliders were told the war was essentially “over”. Joe was killed just days later during a German counter attack near the Elbe River in Schönebeck, Germany. In the two weeks that followed, U.S. and Russian troops shook hands across the Elbe and Adolph Hitler committed suicide.

"An Infantryman From Hero Street" stars Emmanuel Juarez, Eric Juarez, and Matt Walsh; and features commentary by First Army Support Command Historian Captain Kevin Braafladt, Rock Island Arsenal; Dr. Yurida Ramirez, University of Illinois-Urbana; author Marc Wilson “Hero Street, USA”; author Carlos Harrison "The Ghosts of Hero Street"; and members of the Joe and Frank Sandoval family, including Tanilo Sandoval, Georgia Sandoval Herrera, and Irene Mawson. The Hero Street series music theme was scored by Emmy-nominated composer William Campbell. 

Only a block and a half long, Second Street in Silvis, Illinois lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America. Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 150 service members since Mexican-American immigrants settled there in 1929.

Hero Street, a multi-part documentary series by Emmy® award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, explores the compelling true story of eight heroes: Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, William Sandoval, Claro Solis, Peter Masias, Joseph Sandoval, Joseph Gomez and John S. Muños.

An Infantryman from Hero Street was funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly; and, through its fiscal sponsor the Black Box Theatre, a Quad City Arts Dollars grant provided by Illinois Arts Council Agency, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation and John Deere.

Special thanks goes to Lora Adams and WQPT-PBS for continued support on the Hero Street documentary series. WQPT provided its broadcast studio for filming portions of An Infantryman From Hero Street, and serves as Fourth Wall Films' broadcast premiere partner.

The Hero Street documentary series is made possible by the generous support of contributors In Memory of Georgia Sandoval Herrera, the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC)--Iowa, the Mexican American Veterans Association (M.A.V.A.)--Hero Street Chapter #4,  Marc & Virginia Wilson, Bob & Blenda Ontiveros, Ken Sleeper & Dianne Manke, Chris Thompson, the City of Silvis, Dale Hendricks and Alison McCrary, Jessie Noriega and individual contributors like you. 

Fourth Wall Films is grateful to the Putnam Museum, the premiere partner for "An Infantryman from Hero Street" and its other award-winning films.

Sponsors for this special premiere event are Jennie's Boxcar ,  Fred & Ethel's and The Beiderbecke Mansion Bed & Breakfast.

     

 

Contact us at [email protected] if you would like to be a sponsor of this special premiere event. HeroStreetMovie.com

Hero Street, USA Featured in Turner's "100 Things To Do In The Quad Cities" Book

Writer Jonathan Turner's new invaluable book "100 Things to Do In The Quad Cities Before You Die" is brimming with the top places, events and organizations in the Quad Cities region, and among them is historic Hero Street, USA.

Only a block and a half long, Second Street in Silvis, Illinois lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America.  Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 100 service members since Mexican-American immigrants settled there in 1929.

The book also mentions the Hero Street, documentary series produced by Emmy®-winning filmmakers Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle. The series explore the compelling true story of eight heroes: Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, William Sandoval, Claro Solis, Peter Masias, Joseph Sandoval, Joseph Gomez and John S. Muños. The series will combine interviews with family members, friends, veterans, community leaders and historians with vintage photos, film, and archival materials to tell an unforgettable story of American courage, character and perseverance.

Turner, a digital reporter at WHBF-TV, and journalist who has written stories for over 20 years for newspapers in Wisconsin, Indiana, Connecticut and the Quad Cities, highlights the "must see, explore, experience, eat and sample" establishments in the QC metropolis thriving along the mighty Mississippi River.

To order "100 Things To Do In The Quad Cities Before You Die" visit 100ThingsQC.com. Send an email to Jonathan Turner via the website if you prefer to purchase a personal, signed copy.