American Legion Harrisburg Post 472 memorial dedication for Jose "Joe" Campos Torres

Houston, TX

Members of the American Legion Harrisburg Post 472 honor guard performed a 21-gun salute during the ceremony for the dedication of a plaza and trail to Jose "Joe" Campos Torres - a 23-year-old Mexican-American Army veteran who was killed by Houston Police Department officers in 1977 after returning from serving in Vietnam. Hundreds of people, and city/county leaders, rallied around Torres' family as they returned to Buffalo Bayou, where Torres was beaten and dumped in the bayou 45 years ago.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston Police Chief Troy Finner publicly apologized to Torres' family members over Memorial Day weekend in 2021. Both spoke at the dedication event, remembering where they were when they heard of the brutal murder of Torres and the Moody Park riots that followed.

"It was a sense of honor and pride to have been involved in this historic dedication." The majority of the Post 472 veterans are from the same Vietnam era, same age, same eastside neighborhood, and same socioeconomic background of Houston.



Mrs. Margarita Torres, mother of Joe Campos Torres, Army veteran.
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