Subject | Collection | Story | Interviewed by |
---|---|---|---|
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,... |
Jennifer Sanchez |
Carmen Danna |
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... |
Natalie Venegas |
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... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
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... |
Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez |
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... |
Liliana Velázquez |
Alfonso Lopez 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... |
|
Manuel De Jesus Lozano |
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... |
Nikki Cruz |
Alfred A. 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... |
Kris Edward Rodriguez |
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... |
Raquel C. Garza |
Juan Espinosa De La Garza |
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... |
Taylor Peterson |
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... |
Rajesh Reddy |
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... |
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... |
Joe Myers Vasquez |
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... |
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... |
Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
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... |
Antonio Gilb |
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... |
Raquel C. Garza |
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... |
|
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... |
Denise Chávarri |
Lita De Los Santos |
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... |
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... |
Mario Barerra |
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.... |
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... |
Erika Martinez |
Fernando Rene Del Rio |
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... |
George Sanchez |
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... |
Andres Romero |
Santos Deliz |
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... |
Lucy Guevara |
Moses F. Diaz |
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... |
|
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. ... |
William Luna |
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... |
Cheryl Browntein-Santiago |
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... |
Raquel C. Garza |
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... |
Raquel C. Garza |
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.... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
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... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
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.... |
Norma Gallegoz |
José Antonio Dodier |
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... |
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... |
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... |
Lynn Maguire-Walker |
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... |
Steven Rosales |
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... |
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... |
Michelle Lojewski | |
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. "... |
Liliana Velázquez |
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... |
Claudia Garcia |
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... |
David Silva |
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... |
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... |
Markel Rojas |
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... |
Israel Saenz |
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... |
Kevin Klauber |
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... |
Brian Lucero | |
Charlie Ericksen |
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... |
Frank Trejo |