Stories with interview subjects from our World War II collection. Browse all stories to see subjects across all Voces collections.
Displaying 1 - 50 of 649Subject | Collection | Story | Interviewed by |
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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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 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 |
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 |
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... |
Adrianna Lujan |
Frank Arellano |
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... |
Rea Ann Trotter |
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... |
Andrea Shearer |
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... |
Mariel Garza |
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... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
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... |
William Luna |
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... |
Rea Ann Trotter |
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... |
Juan De la Cruz |
Raul P. Arreola |
World War II | Read More | Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Cirilo Primo Arteaga |
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... |
|
Joseph Marion Autobee |
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... |
Rea Ann Trotter |
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... |
Karin Brulliard |
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... |
Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda |