Subject | Collection | Story | Interviewed by |
---|---|---|---|
Charley Gonzales Kidder |
World War II |
By Natasha Verma “Two years, 11 months and 21 days,” World War II veteran Charley Gonzales Kidder said with a smile. “That’s exactly how long I served.” At 18 years of age, Gonzales Kidder was proud and honored that his country gave... |
Liliana Rodriguez |
Louis Joseph Lopez |
Korean Conflict |
By the Voces Staff Louis Lopez had a distinguished 29-year career as a police office in Denver. Long before community policing was a widely adopted practice, he focused on establishing good relationships with the minority communities where... |
Joseph Padilla |
Ernestine Mojica Kidder |
World War II |
By Haley Dawson Ernestine Mojica Kidder vividly recalls one of her earliest memories as a young child in Taylor, Texas. Her father lifted her into his arms and pointed to a schoolhouse in the distance. “That’s where you’re going to school... |
Taylor Peterson |
Angel Montenegro |
Korean Conflict |
By Danny Frank If Angel Montenegro could live his life over again, he would not change a thing. Since childhood, the Army veteran has made a habit of making the best of his opportunities. Montenegro was born Sept. 27, 1936,... |
Lana Bennett |
John Soltero |
World War II |
By Katherine Salinas His hand mimicked the path of a B-17, recalling the spry 22-year-old that John Soltero had been all those years ago when he was dropping bombs onto Berlin. A confident smile was radiant beneath his shaded glasses and “... |
Liliana Rodriguez |
German Abadia-Olmeda |
Vietnam |
By Ximena Mejorado Cal State, Fullerton When he got his draft notice at the age of 18, Germán Abadía’s first thought was to go into hiding. The Puerto Rican native said he did not understand why he needed to go to Vietnam... |
Manuel Aviles-Santiago |
Carmen B. Salaiz Esqueda Abalos |
World War II |
By Kenneth Cantu Back when Rosie the Riveter was proclaiming to women all across the U.S., “We Can Do It!” Carmen (Salaiz) Esqueda Abalos proved it. Her husband, Mike, having enlisted in the Navy, Abalos joined the war effort by... |
Brenda Sendejo |
Apolonia Muñoz Abarca |
World War II |
By Darcie Stevens As news of the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor came over the radio on Dec. 7, 1941, a 20-year-old Polly Muñoz Abarca started dreaming of places worlds away from her dorm room in Corpus Christi, Texas. None of the... |
Erica Martinez |
Salomon Trevino Abrego |
World War II |
By Justin Lefkowski Salomon Abrego was at the Battle of the Bulge, where he and his fellow soldiers suffered through one of the coldest winters to hit the area in more than 20 years. As a medic, Abrego watched helplessly as the cold... |
Juan De la Cruz |
Hector Acedo |
World War II |
By Melanie Kudzia Hector Acedo was 19 and World War II had been in full swing for three years when an older friend who’d already been drafted said: "Let's join the Navy." Acedo’s response: "Sure, well let's go." After... |
Claudia Provencio |
Anthony Acevedo |
World War II |
By Cathy Sze It was 50 degrees below zero, one of the coldest winters Germany had seen in 50 years. A blanket of snow several feet high covered the ground. Wearing only combat uniforms designed for warfare in the tropics, a group of... |
Eluid Martinez |
Rudy Acosta |
World War II |
By Frank Trejo Growing up in Southern California, Rudy Acosta was like countless of other young boys. He escaped each week to the movies and watched the likes of Errol Flynn and John Wayne triumph over the bad guys. Little did... |
Louis Sahagun |
Jessie Acuña |
World War II |
By Paul Brown A trip across the Atlantic on the luxury ship the Queen Mary would seem like a dream come true for anyone, especially a teenager from a small West Texas town. But for Jessie Acuña, it was a trip into the unknown. The trek... |
Paul Brown |
Jose Eriberto Adame |
World War II |
By Lindsay Blau Jose "Joe" Eriberto Adame saw combat in one of the most defining events of World War II -- the Battle of Normandy. But one of his most vivid memories is at the genesis of America's involvement in the conflict -- the day the... |
Christina Perkins |
Frank Aguerrebere |
World War II |
By Kimberly Tran, California State University, Fullerton Although he never talked much about his wartime experiences, Frank Aguerrebere parachuted into the Normandy Invasion and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, two of the bloodiest and... |
Vicki Torres |
Nicanor Aguilar |
World War II |
By Claudia Farias Nicanor Aguilar is something of a renaissance man, both as a musician and, at an age when most people would be slowing down, an athlete. But Aguilar’s proudest accomplishment involves his efforts to end... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Valentin Aguilar |
World War II |
By Dartinya Harris Valentín Aguilar says he feels proud that he served during World War II. Born in Laredo, Texas, Aguilar only received a second grade education. He made a living picking vegetables on a community farm. Aguilar's eyes... |
Peter Mendoza |
Salvador V. Aguilar |
World War II |
By Joel Weickgenant Salvador Aguilar remembers lonesome nights aboard the cargo ship he served on during World War II. On many nights, he and fellow sailors and troops were forced to lie in the dark, ordered not make any sounds. It was... |
Joel Weickgenant |
Tony Aguilera
|
World War II |
By Yasemin Florey Even though Tony Aguilera's childhood in an East Los Angeles barrio was once marked by poverty, he remembers it fondly. "We were a very happy family," he said of his Mexico-born parents and 13 siblings. "We played... |
Milton Carrero Galarza |
José Aguilera |
Political & Civic Engagement |
By Brigit Benestante As a high school student in South Texas, José Aguilera participated in a six-week walkout that was ultimately unsuccessful and resulted in him leaving school. Yet he has no regrets: The experience defined him as... |
Raquel Garza |
Josephine Trujillo Aguilera
|
World War II |
By Emily Berman Josephine Aguilera sits and contemplates her life during the Second World War. She explained how her experience growing up was different from her two daughters’ because she never got the chance to finish school. She... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Andrew Aguirre |
World War II |
By Kathryn Tomasovic Andrew Aguirre's youth was overwhelmed with battlefield events that continue to haunt him to this day. Aguirre was born in Vinton, Texas, on Jan. 4, 1925, and moved to San Diego three years later. ... |
Rene Zambrano |
Mike Aguirre |
World War II |
By Aryn Sedler SAN MARCOS, Texas -- When Mike Aguirre graduated from Brackenridge High School in San Antonio in 1939, many opportunities and doors were closed to Mexican Americans. "One of my friends got a job at the Five and Dime... |
Aryn Sedler |
Manuel Joseph Aguirre |
World War II |
By Angela Macias Manuel Aguirre’s small stature prevented him from joining the Marines, but it didn’t keep him from doing his part in the war effort. After hearing President Franklin D. Roosevelt tell the nation the Japanese had... |
Angela Macias |
Gloria Araguz Alaniz |
World War II |
By Yvonne Lim Gloria Araguz Alaniz began her role as the family caregiver when her mother passed away, leaving 15-year-old Alaniz to care for her... |
Yvonne Lim |
Rodolfo Alaniz |
World War II, Korean Conflict |
By Rajesh Reddy In the spring of 1945, 16-year-old Rodolfo “Rudy” Alaniz's older brother Ricardo, a rifleman with the 8th Infantry Division, was killed in Germany, an event that would alter young Alaniz’s life. "I presented my brother... |
Rajesh Reddy |
Carmen Irizarry Albelo |
World War II |
By Sylvia Mendoza When Carmen Albelo sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to the United States in 1939, she envisioned a land of opportunity and freedom, not war, discrimination and loneliness. "When I came here I thought I was... |
Helen Aguirre Ferre |
Higinio Albelo |
World War II |
By Luisito Caleon The choppy seas north of Scotland were dark. A dense fog enveloped the Navy ship loaded with ammunition destined for Normandy, the site of the beginning of the end of World War II. The ship, on its way to... |
Adrian Baschuk |
Ward Albro |
Political & Civic Engagement |
By: Voces Staff Born in San Antonio Texas, Albro spent most of his youth moving from place to place, leaving Texas to settle in Tennessee for most of his elementary years, then settling in San Angelo Texas where he attended San Angelo High... |
Ruben Paquian |
Joseph Alcoser |
World War II |
By Eric Garza The Great Depression. World War II. The civil rights movement. Joseph Alcoser lived through these milestones in American history. Yet, he never truly felt that he was part of the country that he fought to defend. ... |
Rene Zambrano |
John & Eugenia Aleman |
Vietnam |
By Haley Dawson When John Aleman became one of very few Latinos to graduate from Sam Houston State University in 1963, he not only overcame the poverty of his youth, but went on to succeed in his subsequent military service and post-Vietnam... |
Haley Dawson |
Moses Aleman |
World War II, Korean Conflict |
By Cheryl Smith Kemp When Moses “Moe” Alemán’s parents emigrated from Mexico to Austin, Texas, as children, the horse... |
Lynn Maguire-Walker |
Eugenia González Alemán |
Vietnam |
By Joshua Barajas As a spouse whose husband was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War, Eugenia “Jennie” González Alemán couldn't just sit at home waiting for him to come back: She wrote letters for mortally wounded American... |
Joshua Barajas |
Henry Alfaro |
Political & Civic Engagement |
By Jeffrey Kmiecinski, St. Bonaventure University When Henry Alfaro began his broadcasting career, he was one of very few Mexican-Americans in the industry. Decades later, his community work and trailblazing career led to him being named... |
Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Juan Ramon Alires |
World War II |
By Xochitl Salazar Juan Ramon Alires was already the father of two children, with another baby on the way, when he went to war as part of the 11th Armored Division. Alires was drafted into the Army and assigned to the 11th Armored... |
Irene Consuelo Chavez |
José Luis Aliseda |
Vietnam |
By: Voces Staff José Aliseda's family was uprooted by the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, leading them to relocate to Mexico City. He would later move to the U.S., serve in the Army in Vietnam, and become an anesthesiologist in Texas.... |
Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Braulio Alonso |
World War II |
By Cheryl Smith Kemp Of the many memories Braulio Alonso has of World War II, none stick out more than those tied to the liberation of Italy’s capital. After Allied forces flooded Rome on June 4, 1945, some members of the 328th... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Antonio Flores Alvarado |
Vietnam |
By Kassandra Balli “I know I pulled him back to the safe area, but I don’t remember how I did it," said Vietnam veteran Tony Alvarado, recalling the day he rescued a fallen comrade during the battles for Hills 861 and 881. When... |
Kassandra Balli |
Raymond Phile Alvarado |
World War II |
By Mary Margaret Tobin It was Nov. 26, 1943, and Pvt. Raymond Alvarado played poker with his buddies on the HMT Rohna as it sailed along the coast of Algeria. The soldiers were relaxed. They chatted about their wives and girlfriends back... |
Taylor Peterson |
Benjamin Alvarado |
World War II |
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... |
Nicole Cruz |
Homero Alvarado |
World War II |
By Kristen Clark Homero Alvarado is a true American hero. Born March 12, 1925, in Vera Cruz, Mexico, Alvarado and his 11 siblings, nine of whom are still living, were raised in a bilingual household by his Italian mother and Mexican... |
William Luna |
Albert Alvarez |
Political & Civic Engagement |
By Dylan Nikoletopoulos Albert Alvarez did not have to make any compromises to become mayor of Pearsall, Texas. He knew exactly why he wanted to do it and had the background and name recognition to help get him elected. His father,... |
Dylan Nikoletopoulos |
Adolfo Alvarez |
Korean Conflict, Political & Civic Engagement |
By Jacob Martella Coming back from the Korean War, Adolfo Alvarez knew he had to do something with his life. He had survived nine months along the 38th Parallel holding the line against the North Koreans, not knowing if he would... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Albert Jose Angel |
World War II |
By Israel Saenz After joining the Army during World War II, New Mexico native Albert Angel began fretting he’d spend the entire war fixing airplanes stateside, so he found his supervisor and confronted him: "You're wasting your time... |
Norman L. Martinez |
Philip Antuna
|
World War II |
By Cheyenne Cozzalio Brothers Ralph and Philip Antuna can joke now about the food they had to eat while stationed in Europe in 1944. But underneath the laughter is a note of relief they made it out of Europe alive after fighting in the... |
William Luna |
Ralph Antuna |
World War II |
By Cheyenne Cozzalio Brothers Ralph and Philip Antuna can joke now about the food they had to eat while stationed in Europe in 1944. But underneath the laughter is a note of relief they made it out of Europe alive after fighting in the... |
William Luna |
Jose Aragon |
World War II |
By Laura Lopez, California State University, Fullerton Few people can claim to have been a veteran of three military branches. And few can recall images of war as vividly as Jose Aragon did when, at the age of 84, he recounted his... |
Joseph Padilla |
Joe A. Arambula |
World War II |
By Michael Taylor According to Joe Arambula, a veteran of some World War II's most intense battles in the European Theater, there is such a thing as being too careful in war. Seeing men killed for being too cautious made Arambula decide he'... |
Michael Taylor |
Julia Araujo |
Voces of a Pandemic |
By: Voces Staff Julia is a Master's student at New York University studying performance activism. Situated in Queens, New York, she recounts her initial reactions to the COVID-19 outbreak, its impact on her community, and the effects of... |
Dominique Montiel Valle |
Benerito Seferino Archuleta |
World War II |
By Heather Hilliard The six months Bennie Archuleta spent in battle in Europe during World War II changed his life forever. As a 17-year-old teenager, he had rarely traveled outside of the American Southwest. But as a soldier in the... |
Brian Daugherty |