He was born on January 24, 1917, in Moquegua, Peru.[4] His childhood passed through periods in his country and in Bolivia.[4]
Second World War
In December 1942, in the midst of the Second World War,[1] Sanjinez attended the Belgian embassy in Lima to enroll in the rebel camp that the government of the European country was promoting, along with other governments in exile, to end the Nazi occupation.[4] The then President of Peru, Manuel Prado Ugarteche, accepted his decision and authorised Sanjinez.
He left on a Chilean ship, from Port of Callao, bound for New Orleans (through Panama), and from there to New York, and then to Canada, where he started his military training at No.42 Canadian Army Educational (Basic) Training Centre - Joliette, in Quebec. Months later, Sanjinez was relocated to the South of England, where further training was provided, in preparation to what would be the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare.
We saw the explosion and little by little we got closer to the place. We could only find the trunk of the sergeant. He had lost his hands and legs and was dead. The driver was lying several meters away, unconscious. We were seconds away from being in the jeep, but we were saved.[4]
Sanjinez also had an active and recognized participation with the Piron Brigade in the campaigns towards the liberation of France (Cabourg, August 21, Deauville, August 22 and Honfleur, August 24), Belgium (Brussels, September 3) [5] and Netherlands.
Post-war
Personal belongings of Sanjinez Lenz at his home in Pucallpa (2019).
In 1946 he returned to Peru after finishing his volunteering in 1945. He worked for the airline company Faucett, from the late 1940s till 1980s.[4] He had 6 children, 9 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Death
Sanjinez died on 24 August 2020[5] at his home in Pucallpa at 103 years of age due to kidney failure,[5] an ailment that had afflicted him for some time.[6] He was the last Latin American soldier to die who participated in D Day.[7]
Awards
He received several recognitions and medals for his participation. The most important is the medal of the Legion of Honor in knighthood by France, awarded in 2017 by the French embassy.[8]
