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Subject Collection Story Interviewed by

Jose Cuellar

Jose Cuellar  

World War II

By Peggy Hanley

Jose "Joe" Cuellar volunteered to be a scout in the South Pacific during World War II because scouts were considered leaders by his fellow soldiers. At the tender age of 18, Cuellar was convinced he wanted to be a leader,...

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Jennifer Sanchez

Carmen Danna

Carmen Danna Voces - Oral History Project  

Political & Civic Engagement

By: Voces Staff

Carmen Danna was born in San Antonio, TX and grew up in Devine, TX. As a former elementary school teacher she experienced different forms of discrimination throughout her life. She reflects on her...

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Natalie Venegas

Fred Davalos

Fred Davalos  

World War II

By Clint Hale

Dealing with the harsh realities of World War II was tempered by experiences that Fred Davalos encountered in his youth. He’s more at ease relating the difficulties of his childhood than his experiences during the war, when he...

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Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Joseph Davila

Joseph Davila  

World War II

By Prisilla Totiyapungprasert

Corporal Joseph Davila had a choice during his military occupation in the Southern Philippines: He could stay with the other soldiers to hold up enemy advancement toward American military headquarters, or he...

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Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez

Luis Reyes Davila

Luis Reyes Davila  

World War II

By Liliana Velazquez

Lying on the deck of the USS Tripoli on a quiet night on the Pacific Ocean, Luis Reyes Davila felt at peace in a time of war. During this brief respite from battle, with the soothing waves splashing against the aircraft...

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Liliana Velázquez

Alfonso Lopez Davila

Alfonso Davila  

World War II

After being struck by shrapnel on a German battlefield on Nov. 27, 1944, 20-year-old Alfonso L. Davila, of Corpus Christi, Texas, was dragged to a big foxhole where he lay next to dead soldiers for five hours.

“It was the first time I ever...

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Manuel De Jesus Lozano

Manuel De Jesus Lozano - Voces Oral History Project  

World War II

By Angela Bonilla

From a very young age, World War II veteran Manuel De Jesus Lozano was on the move. After a childhood marked by struggle, his work ethic propelled him to a long and successful career in the Air Force.

He finally...

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Nikki Cruz

Alfred A. De La Cruz

Alfred Q. De La Cruz  

World War II

By Donnie Hogan

Alfred Antonio De La Cruz made $2 per week working as a radio technician, while the military paid $17 per month, so joining the Army was an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.

De La Cruz says he has always had a...

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Kris Edward Rodriguez

Roberto De la Cruz

Roberto De la Cruz  

World War II

By Cheryl Smith Kemp

When military recruiters showed up at the local Post Office in early August of 1942, Roberto De la Cruz saw it as a ticket out of the Rio Grande Valley, an escape from a lonely laborious life in South Texas.

So...

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Raquel C. Garza

Juan Espinosa De La Garza

Juan Espinosa de la Garza - Voces Oral History Project  

Vietnam

By the Voces Staff

Gunshots peppered the ground around Cpl. Juan De La Garza. The mud of the rice paddies filled his boots. He did not know where the shots were coming from, just that he had to get his men back to Hill 327, a base camp...

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Taylor Peterson

Miguel de la Peña

Miguel de la Peña  

World War II

By Shelby Downs

Miguel de la Peña’s first injury in World War II landed him in the infirmary for two days. His second injury landed him his wife of 58 years.

After first suffering a concussion at Normandy, de la Peña was wounded by...

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Rajesh Reddy

Rubiana De la Peña

Rubiana De la Peña  

World War II

By SHELBY DOWNS

Miguel de la Peña's first injury in World War II landed him in the infirmary for two days. His second injury landed him his wife of 58 years.

After first suffering a concussion at Normandy in July, Mr. de la Peña was...

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Rajesh Reddy

Teodoro De la Rosa

 

World War II

By Anna Wong

Evident in his service to the United States, Teodoro De La Rosa is a man who’s proud and loyal to his country.

De La Rosa was born in the humble surroundings of Pharr, Texas. His father, Gregorio De La Rosa, was a...

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Joe Myers Vasquez

James Arthur De Leon

James Arthur De Leon  

World War II

By Angela Macias

 

With an older brother John already serving in the Army in Europe, James DeLeon was adamant about going to serve his country during World War II.

"My parents were against me joining, but I thought I...

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Theresa De Leon Weeks

Hector De Leon

 

Political & Civic Engagement

Austin attorney Hector De Leon considers himself lucky to have been born in Austin and raised in East Austin.

“Without being born in Austin, Texas, I wouldn’t have been able to go to college,” he said.

He grew up not far from the...

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Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Peter De Leon

Peter De Leon  

World War II

By Antonio Gilb

Peter De Leon considered himself lucky after returning home to Chicago after serving in World War II. At least 10 of his neighborhood friends came back in body bags.

The closest De Leon came to dying was a kamikaze...

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Antonio Gilb

Odilon De Leon

Odilon De Leon  

World War II

By Jonathan Damrich

Odilon De Leon wore his Purple Heart in the middle of his cap, right below the spot where it read “Okinawa 1945.”

“I’m proud and happy that I served my country,” De Leon said, “even though I was disabled at the...

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Raquel C. Garza

Jesse de los Santos

Jesse de los Santos  

World War II

By Cheryl Smith Kemp

Number 10 in a brood of 16, Jesse De los Santos was well accustomed to being a mere piece of something much larger than himself by the time he joined the United States Calvary in 1939.

Little did he know, however...

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Alejandro De los Santos

Alejandro De los Santos  

World War II

By Denise Chavarri

Alejandro De Los Santos of Laredo served overseas during World War II for about 40 months.

"I missed home but at the same time I knew I couldn't return," De Los Santos said. "I wrote to my mom very often to let her...

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Denise Chávarri

Lita De Los Santos

Portrait of Lita De Los Santos, Black and White  

World War II

By Brooke N. Miller

World War II flung Lita De Los Santos’ eight brothers across the world. The front room of the De Los Santos’ home in Eastland County, Texas, was dominated by a map of the world. De Los Santos and her mother, Angelita...

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Raquel C. Garza

Felipe de Ortego y Gasca

 

World War II

By Nathan Batoon

Felipe Ortego was a high school dropout in 1943, but after joining the Marine Corps and serving in the Pacific Theater, he’d awakened a new passion: writing. And that passion would imbue him with a new identity.

“The...

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Mario Barerra

Hector De Peña

Hector De Peña  

Political & Civic Engagement

By Anita Rice

Hector De Peña never saw any action on the battlefield during World War II. He never stormed the beach at Normandy, never liberated the prisoners of Europe's concentration camps and never fired upon the Japanese or Germans....

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Karla Gonzalez

Elena Tamez De Peña

 

World War II

By Jaime Margolis

When Elena De Peña was growing up, her parents emphasized the importance of a good education. Her father was a mechanic and her mother ran a grocery store in San Benito, Texas; De Peña said they set a good example for her...

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Erika Martinez

Fernando Rene Del Rio

Crew #11 VP772-ATSUG1-NAS. Fernando del Rio standing 2nd from the left. 1951 March, NAS Atsuqi, Japan. Passing from crew #11 VP772 squadron PB$Y2 aircraft patrol Navy squadron.\We were the fist Navy Reserve Squadron to fly combat over Korea.\""  

Korean Conflict

By Avery Bradshaw, Cal State Fullerton

When Fernando Del Rio left Los Angeles in September 1950 and joined a Navy air squadron, it was the first time he had ever been away from home. Turning on the radio, he was surprised to hear Japanese...

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George Sanchez

Gilbert Louis Delgado

Gilbert Louis Delgado  

World War II

By Andrea Couch

Growing up in Santa Fe, N.M., in the '30s and '40s, Gilberto Delgado saw sign language for the first time: It was how one of his friends communicated with her deaf grandmother.

Later, that childhood exposure would lead...

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Andres Romero

Santos Deliz

Santos Deliz, San Juan, Puerto Rico.  

World War II

By Chris Nay

Santos Deliz and a few other men from his unit crept into the abandoned house in Germany, seeking refuge and respite from battle. After a quiet night, Deliz awoke with a shock.

"It was too dark; we couldn't see...when I...

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Lucy Guevara

Moses F. Diaz

Moses Diaz was interviewed on Thursday, January 6, 2011 at the Community Settlement Association of Riverside in Riverside, California. (Photo By: Marc Hamel)  

World War II, Korean Conflict

By Trina Berberet

He may have been only 16 at the time, but Moses Diaz decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy because, as he recalled: “I didn’t want to miss out on the war.”

It was 1945, near the end of the World War II, and Diaz...

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Joseph John Diaz

 

World War II

By Barbara Gibbon

Despite being in an infantry unit that saw some of the most fighting during World War II, Joseph Diaz takes it all in stride. His memory hasn't faded over the years, and neither have the realities of fighting a war.

...

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William Luna

Benigno Nevarez Diaz

Benigno Nevarez Diaz  

World War II

By Veronica Olvera

Amid the horror of war in the European Theater, Benigno Diaz found himself in awe of the deadly efficiency of enemy forces, struck by "how accurate the German aviators were," he said.

Diaz served as a scout during...

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Cheryl Browntein-Santiago

Leno Flores Díaz

Leno Flores Díaz  

World War II

By Kathy Adams

As an immigrant from Juarez, Mexico, living in East Los Angeles in the ’20s and ’30s, Leno Flores Díaz remembers going to school in hand-me-downs and feeling ostracized when the teachers anglicized his name.

“They had...

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Raquel C. Garza

Luis Alfonso Diaz de León

Luis Alfonso Diaz de León  

World War II

By Julia Bulhon

“War is horrible, but it helps you grow,” said Navy veteran Luis Diaz de León, of witnessing conflict’s brutality first hand.

As if that weren’t enough, Diaz de León has also withstood racism, earned a master’s degree...

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Raquel C. Garza

Alfred Dimas

Alfred Dimas  

World War II

By Christopher Trout

Alfred Dimas has spent his life in pursuit of adventure. This pursuit took him across the United States to find work wherever he could during the Depression, and in 1942 it took him into the U.S. Army as a volunteer....

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Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Beatrice Esudero Dimas

Beatrice Esudero Dimas  

World War II

By Jonathan Alexander

A church gathering, a pink dress and a comment to a friend 60 years ago set in motion the story of Beatrice Dimas. The party provided the scene, her dress caught young Alfred Dimas' eye, and his words said it all: she...

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Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Pete Dimas

Pete Dimas  

World War II

By Shelley Hiam

Memories of childhood and his mother's mouth-watering cooking remain fresh on Pete Dimas' mind. Sopapillas, chili with carne sauce and delicious beans are some of the foods he remembers.

"Mother was an excellent cook....

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Norma Gallegoz

José Antonio Dodier

José Antonio “Tony” Dodier - Voces Oral History Project  

Vietnam

By Adam Keyrouze

Both his father and his grandfather had served their country proudly during World War I and World War II, respectively. So José Antonio “Tony” Dodier didn't think twice about joining the Army.

Dodier’s first...

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Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Arturo Dominguez

 

World War II

By Kelsey Lawrence and Valerie Harris

Speaking in a labored but steady voice, Arturo Dominguez recalled with impressive precision the names of towns that his Army unit traveled through in Europe and the exact address --102 Casanova...

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Peter Haney

Jeronimo F. Dominguez

 

World War II

By Caleb Miller

As he picked crops in Texas during his youth, Jeronimo Dominguez never imagined that one day he'd be taking shelter in a German foxhole while his comrades died around him.

Dominguez, who was born in March 1913 in...

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Lynn Maguire-Walker

Richard Dominguez

Richard Dominguez  

World War II

By Courtney Stoutmire

Richard Dominguez counts his "blessings" every day when he remembers his time in World War II. The best part: It was short and sweet.

Dominguez was drafted in June of 1943, but he wasn’t sent into combat until...

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Steven Rosales

Rosalio Rabbit Duran

Rosalio\Rabbit\"Duran"  

Korean Conflict, Political & Civic Engagement

By Katy Lutz

Rabbit's Lounge was a dimly-lit, tiny bar that boycotted Budweiser while serving up some of the coldest beer in Austin, Texas. It might have seemed a very unlikely candidate for the Austin hub of Chicano politics in the early...

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Katy Lutz

Samuel Padilla Echeveste

 

Read More Michelle Lojewski

Samuel Padilla Echeveste

 

Samuel Echeveste never saw himself becoming a decorated war veteran serving the U.S. during a time when he was not accepted by his fellow Americans.

His grew up in Miami, Arizona, where he was born on Christmas Eve 1932 to Aristeo...

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Michelle Lojewski

Leon Eguia

Leon Eguia  

World War II

By Liliana Velázquez

Leon Eguia has kept silent for many years, never inclined to share his feelings about World War II with anyone, not even his family.

"I saw a lot of things," said Eguia, who opened up during a recent interview. "...

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Liliana Velázquez

Ernest Eguia

Ernest Eguia  

World War II

By Stephen Stetson

Ernest Eguia spent a lifetime on the cutting edge. Rising above the crippling poverty of the Great Depression, Eguia was at the forefront of the Allied Invasion of Normandy during World War II and was also on the...

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Claudia Garcia

Ysaac C. Elizalde

Ysaac C. Elizalde  

World War II

By Ever Figueroa

You don’t have to be in combat to be a veteran.

During World War II, Ysaac Elizalde provided the troops with the food necessary to give them enough energy to prepare for the horrors of combat. Elizalde would go on to...

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David Silva

Davie Elizardo

Davie Elizardo  

World War II

By Israel Saenz

Davie Elizardo never asked for much. For a woman who grew up without an education, doing field labor throughout the day and watching one of her brothers go off to fight in the Pacific, the wellbeing of her family is all she...

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Israel Saenz

Rudy Elizondo

 

World War II

By Brittany Rodriguez

He was only a child when the war began, but Rudy Elizondo supported the United States in his own way.

From his time in the Boy Scouts to his service in the United States Navy, Elizondo proved that one could...

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Markel Rojas

Raymon A. Elizondo

Raymon A. Elizondo  

World War II

By Israel Saenz

Growing up in Utah, Raymon Elizondo grew up having to scrap: he struggled to get as much schooling as he could, stood up to those who didn’t welcome Latinos and earned what he could as a railroad hand for Union Pacific...

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Israel Saenz

Delmiro Isidro Elizondo

Delmiro Isidro Elizondo  

World War II

By Jane Slater and Chris Schulz

It was a Sunday in 1941 when Delmiro Isidro Elizondo bought a movie theater ticket. As he did, he learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

His life would never be the same again.

His day, as...

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Kevin Klauber

Miguel Encinias

Miguel Encinias  

By Sonia Nezamzadeh

Miguel Encinias lived what he calls a "child's paradise." Born the youngest of 16 children -- 11 sisters and four brothers -- to Benito Encinias and Manuelia Lopez Encinias, he grew up enjoying photography, music and...

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Brian Lucero

Charlie Ericksen

Charlie Ericksen, interviewed at the Voces Oral History Project office, University of Texas at Austin on February 27, 2010.  

Korean Conflict, Political & Civic Engagement

By Jordan Strassner

Charlie Ericksen spent most of his adult life creating a strong bond with Mexican-Americans, writing news stories and columns about them, and advocating for better treatment for that community.

During his...

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Frank Trejo