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Daniel Thomas Archuleta

Daniel Archuleta was interviewed by the VOCES Oral History Project in Denver, Colorado at the Servicios de la Raza on August 9, 2010. Photo by Michelle Lojewski  

Vietnam

By Jonathan Woo

War can affect people in ways that no one can anticipate. Daniel Archuleta, a Vietnam War medic and Bronze Star recipient, might understand what Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn meant when he wrote: "Even if we are...

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Henry Velez

Eva Maria Rains Archuleta

Eva Maria Rains Archuleta  

World War II

By Rachel Finney

Born in her grandmother's home in 1926, in the small agricultural town of Las Tusas in northern New Mexico, Eva Maria Archuleta lived a life of modest means, like most during the World War II era.

With no electricity...

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Adrianna Lujan

Adan Daniel "Dan" Arellano

Adan Daniel "Dan" Arellano - Voces Oral History Project  

Vietnam

By Jennifer Monsees

Once a migrant worker, Dan Arellano became a realtor; once a struggling student he turned into an author. Arellano had a way of taking life’s difficult lessons and making the most of them.

The Navy veteran used...

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Manuel G. Aviles-Santiago

Frank Arellano

Frank Arellano - Voces Oral History Project  

World War II

By Veronica Sainz

In the early morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, 22-year-old Frank Arellano had just gone down for breakfast at Schoffield Barracks, on the Hawiian Island of Oahu, when he heard the sound of machine guns firing. He...

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Rea Ann Trotter

Ubaldo Arizmendi

Ubaldo Arizmendi  

World War II

By Gin Kai

Ubalbo C. Arizmendi is grateful to have seen the world, but regrets having seen it at a time when it was trying to destroy itself.

Born in the South Texas town of Brownsville, Arizmendi was 8 when his mother died. Although...

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Andrea Shearer

Tom Armendariz

 

World War II

By Casey Zertuche

For 72-year-old Thomas Armendariz, it was difficult to conjure up memories of World War II, though he does recall being assigned to a unit that included many Mexican Americans.

"I wasn't a volunteer. I was drafted...

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William Luna

Jesus Leyva Armendaríz

Jesus Leyva Armendaríz  

World War II

By Ellie K. Fehd

Jesus Leyva Armendaríz went from the depths of poverty during his Depression-era childhood in El Paso, Texas, to unimagined heights as a member of the famed "Blue Devils" of World War II.

Armendaríz served as a medic...

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Mariel Garza

Albert Armendariz

Portrait of Albert Armendariz.  

World War II

By Shannon Owens

Albert Armendariz has practiced law in Texas for over 50 years. The 81-year-old WWII veteran spends many weekends driving to represent his immigrant clients in West Texas who are trapped in the legal system.

"It's...

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Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Ceprian Armijo

Portrait of Ceprian Armijo.  

World War II

By Silky Shah

Ceprian Armijo started working on nearby farms with his father in his hometown of Avondale, Colorado when he was at about 8 years old. Little did he know that nearly ten years later he would be going off to fight in World War...

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Rea Ann Trotter

Andres Arredondo

Andres Arredondo  

World War II

By Valerie Venegas

Andres Arredondo dealt with adversity throughout his life. He overcome the death of his father at an early age and endured the torture of being a prisoner of war during World War II. Yet, through it all, he has managed to...

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Juan De la Cruz

Raul P. Arreola

Raul P. Arreola  

World War II Read More Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Felicita Munguia Arriaga

Felicita Munguia Arriaga - Voces Oral History Project  

Political & Civic Engagement

By Hope Teel

In 1959, Felicita Munguia Arriaga was a 12-year-old accompanying her mother to the polls, where the older woman planned to cast her vote for a man named Joe Hubenak.

Very few Hispanics were voting during that time for...

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Hope Teel

Modesto Arriaga

Modesto Arriaga - Voces Oral History Project  

Political & Civic Engagement

By Faith Daniel

Modesto Arriaga was playing baseball with his church team, the Rosenberg Lions, when a police car pulled up and asked for one of his teammates to go with them. Later, the other boys would learn that the ballplayer’s older...

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Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Cirilo Primo Arteaga

Cirilo Primo Arteaga - Voces Oral History Project  

World War II

By Erin Brady

Cirilo Primo Arteaga's parents came to the U.S. in 1918, fleeing the violence that followed the Mexican Revolution. His parents instilled in him a deep sense of patriotism for their adopted country. He also learned an...

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Joseph Marion Autobee

Joseph Autobee in Summer flying suit.  

World War II

By Joseph Money

Joe Autobee, of Publo, Colorado, grew accustomed to the taste of whiskey during his WWII service. As an Air Corps gunner pilot during World War II, he was given a sandwich and a glass of whiskey at the end of every raid...

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Rea Ann Trotter

Imogene Davis Avalos

Imogene Davis Avalos  

World War II

By Karin Brulliard

When Imogene "Jean" Davis first laid eyes on Alfred Avalos in September of 1942, she didn’t notice he was more than a decade her senior, and that his skin was several shades darker than hers. She saw only that he was...

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Karin Brulliard

Rachel Ayala

Rachel Ayala  

Political & Civic Engagement

For 45 years, Rachel Medina Ayala was an educator in Brownsville, Texas, working her way up from elementary school teacher to assistant superintendent.

Ayala was born May 13, 1947, in Brownsville to Francisco Medina and Maria Torres Medina...

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Cecilia Gonzales

David Ayala

David Ayala  

Political & Civic Engagement

Not getting an education was “not an option” for David Ayala and his three siblings.

Ayala was born March 3, 1949, in Pharr, Texas, to Marcelino and Ana Maria (Guajardo) Ayala. After he graduated from high school in 1967, he attended Pan...

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Martin do Nasciemento

Arnulfo D. Azios

Arnulfo D. Azios  

World War II

By Ann Harbour

As the tower bells at the University of Texas at Austin rang "You're in the Army Now," Arnulfo “A.D.” Azios and fellow members of what was called the Enlisted Reserve Corps were called to duty. Judge Azios proudly recalls...

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Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda

Dennis Baca

Dennis Baca  

World War II

By Karen Matthews

Dennis Baca still cries when he thinks of the friends he lost during World War II. Even now, 57 years after his discharge from the U.S. Army, his voice becomes choked with emotion as he recalls the battles, the hardships...

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Violeta Dominguez

Eloy D. Baca

Eloy D. Baca  

World War II

By Henry Mendoza

That his Purple Heart came in the mail long after he was home probably says the most about Eloy Baca's tenure as a soldier in the United States Army and, for that matter, the way most Latino veterans approached World War...

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Brian Lucero

Juan Antonio Baez

Juan Antonio Baez  

World War II

By David Muto

Juan Antonio Báez remembers sitting with two fellow soldiers on a hillside, singing their favorite Puerto Rican songs. World War II had taken them far from their homeland, a nation, for Báez, of poverty and hardship.

...

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Robert Rivas

Juan Baggio

Juan Baggio  

World War II

By John Lee

Though he was never stationed on the battle front, the early portions of Juan Baggio’s life prepared him to serve his country on the home front during World War II.

“My dad died three months before I was born and my...

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Adolfo Dominguez

Delfina Cooremans Baladez

 

World War II

By Kim Loop

Sisters Wilhelmina Cooremans Vasquez, 79, and Delfina Cooremans Baladez, 81, have done nearly everything together throughout their lives, including joining the workforce during World War II.

In early 1942, when the United...

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Brenda Sendejo

Lorenzo Banegas

Lorenzo Banegas and the Bataan Death March  

World War II

Lorenzo Banegas was one of more than 1,700 New Mexico National Guard soldiers taken prisoner on Bataan.

No state paid a higher price - more than 900 New Mexico captives died. Banegas survived, but even today - 72 years old and retired in...

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Robert C. Moore

Uriel Robles Bañuelos

Uriel Robles Bañuelos  

Vietnam

By Stephanie De Luna

At around 1 a.m. on Jan. 10, 1969, gunner Uriel “Ben” Bañuelos and other soldiers were roused from their sleep at Fire Support Base Pershing, 40-50 miles northwest of Saigon.

Bañuelos and the other men were in an...

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Samantha Salazar

Amador Barbosa

Amador Barbosa  

World War II

By Meredith Stencil

Amador Barbosa seems so matter of fact about his wartime experiences -- almost too matter of fact when you consider his primary responsibility was to clear mines and unexploded devices, as well as trudge through combat...

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Manny Lopez

Genovevo Bargas

Genovevo Bargas  

World War II

By Borger Bargas

On April 29, 1945, Genovevo Bargas and some of his shipmates looked to the sky from the deck of the USS Comfort. A Japanese kamikaze was headed straight for their hospital ship. They were in the midst of the Battle of...

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Raquel C. Garza

Placida Peña Barrera

Placida Peña Barrera  

World War II

By: Emily Burgess

Placida P. Barrera vividly remembers her childhood days in the dry heat of Guerra, Texas, also known as "El Colorado" Ranch, where she’d help her father plant corn, pumpkins and watermelon.

Just as clearly, she...

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Virgilio Roel

Margarito Barrientes

Margarito Barrientes  

World War II

A family man and skilled orator, Margarito Barrientes rarely spoke to his loved ones about his experience in World War II. For the longest time, he kept to himself his recollections of hiding in foxholes and interacting with civilians in the...

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Gonzalo Barrientos

Gonzalo Barrientos  

Political & Civic Engagement

By Ashley Mastervich

As one of the first Mexican Americans to represent Travis County in the Texas House of Representatives and Senate, Gonzalo Barrientos Jr. was part of the first wave of Latino officials who led the way for minority...

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Ashley Mastervich

Marcelino Ramirez Bautista

Marcelino Ramirez Bautista  

World War II

Shortly after Marcelino Ramirez Bautista’s mother, Petra Ramirez, died in 1916, Bautista’s father took young Bautista with him when he left Zacatecas, Mexico, for New Mexico in search of work.

When Tiburcio Bautista lost his job in the...

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Henry A Bebon

Henry A Bebon  

World War II

By Marisa Galvan

Not everyone in World War II worked on the front lines or manned the battleships. There were those who served behind the lines, who provided basic services and support and who were often taken for granted.

Henry A....

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Lynn Maguire-Walker

Antonio Becerra

Antonio Becerra  

World War II, Political & Civic Engagement

By Martin do Nascimento

Antonio Becerra has always found a way to remain steadfast, persistent and determined in the face of adversity - first as a Mexican American growing up in rural Texas in the 1920s and '30s, then as a German prisoner...

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Martin Do Nascimento

Philip James Benavides

Philip James Benavides  

World War II

By Rachna Sheth and Sandra Taylor

Philip James Benavides had a dream when he joined the United States Marine Corps in the summer of 1941: He wanted to make music. But within three and a half years, particularly after three months of torture...

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Robert Rivas

Fernando Bernacett

Fernando Bernacett  

World War II

By Jenny White

When Fernando Bernacett came to New York City to find his father as a 6-year-old in 1929, he had no idea what an adventure he was beginning. By the time the Puerto Rico native retired in Miami, he’d witnessed the Great...

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Paul Harrigan

Joe Bernal

Joe Bernal  

World War II

By Erin Peterson

Minorities living in Texas owe Joe Bernal a favor. As a first-term State Representative from San Antonio’s West Side during the 1960s, Bernal’s first bill aimed to wipe discrimination laws off the books.

At a time of...

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Mr. Valentino Mauricio

Bobby G. Biers

Bobby Biers  

Vietnam

By Emily Macrander

Marine veteran Robert "Bobby" Biers recalls more distress as a drill instructor dodging comments from mothers than when he was on the frontlines in South Vietnam.

"I had these mothers calling me up, asking me, '...

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Marc Hamel

Stanley Bittinger

Stanley Bittinger  

Political & Civic Engagement

By: Voces Staff

The main topic of this interview centered around professor Stanley Bittinger’s life during the chicano movement in South Texas, and the experiences he had working at Texas A&I University during this time as well. The...

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Alex Valdez

Frank Bonilla

Frank Bonilla  

World War II

By Anne Quach

Frank Bonilla planned to attend college after finishing high school, but within two weeks of graduation, he was drafted into the Army to fight in World War II.

After his experiences in Europe, including action in the...

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Mario Barrera

José Borja

Jose Borja  

World War II

By Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Every year at Christmas, José Borja organizes a celebration at a nearby Veterans Administration Hospital, in particular to honor aging Merchant Marines.

The cause of recognizing the Merchant Marines has...

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Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Adolfo Borrego

 

World War II

By Mariel Davis

While fighting in Europe during World War II between 1943 and 1945, Adolfo Borrego said he felt no fear because he believed he was under God's protection.

As he laid out a world map on a kitchen table, Borrego pointed...

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Brian Lucero

Alberto Bosquez

Alberto Bosquez  

World War II

By Jane O’Brien

Fourteen-year-old Alberto Bosquez grabbed his stack of newspapers in 1941, headed to downtown San Antonio and began dealing them out. "Extra! Extra!" he called out, "Japan bombs Pearl Harbor!"

Aside from the papers...

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Jane O’Brien

Mary A. Bossom

 

World War II

By Stephanie Threinen

Alabama native Nathan Edgar Bossom had never set foot outside of the South before he was drafted into World War II at the age of 20.

Although he’s Anglo, Bossom notes there was camaraderie among the troops of his...

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Yudith Vargas

Nathan Edgar Bossom

Nathan Edgar Bossom  

World War II

By Stephanie Threinen

Alabama native Nathan Edgar Bossom had never set foot outside of the South before he was drafted into World War II at the age of 20.

Although he’s Anglo, Bossom notes there was camaraderie among the troops of his...

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Yudith Vargas

Trinidad D. Botello

Trinidad D. Botello  

World War II

By Patrick Lynch

 

The story of the Botello brothers – Crisantos, Gregorio, John, Simon and Trinidad, who all served during World War II – is one of honor and bravery. And thanks to another of the brothers, their tales of...

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Simon D. Botello

Simon D. Botello  

World War II

By Patrick Lynch

The story of the Botello brothers – Crisantos, Gregorio, John, Simon and Trinidad, who all served during World War II – is one of honor and bravery. And thanks to another of the brothers, their tales of heroism won’t be...

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John D. Botello

John D. Botello  

World War II

By Patrick Lynch

The story of the Botello brothers – Crisantos, Gregorio, John, Simon and Trinidad, who all served during World War II – is one of honor and bravery. And thanks to another of the brothers, their tales of heroism won’t be...

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Crisantos D. Botello

Crisantos D. Botello  

World War II

By Patrick Lynch

The story of the Botello brothers – Crisantos, Gregorio, John, Simon and Trinidad, who all served during World War II – is one of honor and bravery. And thanks to another of the brothers, their tales of heroism won’t be...

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Eduardo Botello

Eduardo Botello  

World War II

By Xochitl Salazar

On Friday, Oct. 13, 1944, the 79th Infantry Division was in its 23rd day of battle against German forces in the eastern part of Alsace-Lorraine, France.

Eduardo Botello, in a platoon of 27 men, walked slowly and...

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Xochitl Salazar