Home
Collections : World War II

World War II

Stories with interview subjects from our World War II collection. Browse all stories to see subjects across all Voces collections.

Displaying 51 - 100 of 649

Topic

Subject	Collection	Story	Interviewed by
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... Read More	Brian Lucero
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... Read More	Violeta Dominguez
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. ... Read More	Robert Rivas
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... Read More	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... Read More	Brenda Sendejo
Lorenzo Banegas	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... Read More	Robert C. Moore
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... Read More	Manny Lopez
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... Read More	Raquel C. Garza
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... Read More	Virgilio Roel
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... Read More
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... Read More
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.... Read More	Lynn Maguire-Walker
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... Read More	Martin Do Nascimento
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... Read More	Robert Rivas
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... Read More	Paul Harrigan
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... Read More	Mr. Valentino Mauricio
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... Read More	Mario Barrera
José 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... Read More	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... Read More	Brian Lucero
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... Read More	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... Read More	Yudith Vargas
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... Read More	Yudith Vargas
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... Read More	Xochitl Salazar
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
Gregorio 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... Read More
Carmen Conteras Bozak	World War II	By Katie Kennon Carmen Bozak's only memory of Dec. 7, 1941 -- the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese -- is of a good friend and co-worker being stranded after her date heard about the attack on the car radio. The woman's date... Read More	Vivian Torre
José María Burruel	World War II	By Laura Zvonek As a child, José María Burruel's family lived in a shack on land that didn't belong them: They were, in essence, "squatters." And they were unwelcome. At night, the houses were pelted with stones. "One morning, we got... Read More	Delia Esparza
Ricardo Martinez Bustos	World War II	By Layron Livingston Before entering World War II, Richard M. Bustos, Sr. endured a different kind of battle. As an adolescent in rural southeastern Texas, he encountered racial segregation and discrimination daily. “On signs, you’d... Read More	Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda
Máximo Perez Butanda	World War II	The Other Soldiers Little-remembered treaty sent 300,000 sons of Mexico to the United States during WWII; their weapons were their labor-hardy bodies By Violeta Dominguez The battlefield wasn’t the only place where... Read More	Violeta Dominguez
Alberto Z. Caballero	World War II	By Na Kyung Kim General society’s prevailing atmosphere of racial discrimination couldn’t shake the strong comradeship present in the Army for Albert Caballero, who began his service in 1940 with the 36th Infantry Division. Though he... Read More	Steve G. Treviño
Herminia Guerrero Cadena	World War II	By Ashley Hitson Without prior understanding of the war or its impact on the world, young Herminia Cadena watched her brother leave home to join the Marines. "I didn't recognize the importance [of the war] until my brother went in,"... Read More	Erika Martinez
Manuel & Mrs. Herminia Cadena	World War II	By Francisco H. Cortes Manuel Cavazos Cadena was only a boy during WWII. But he witnessed the effects the war had in one of the several towns he lived in: San Marcos, Texas. Two of his brothers were employed because of the war, when... Read More	Antonio Cantú
Manuel F. Calderon	World War II	By Cheryl Smith Kemp Manuel Calderon’s crossed arms seemed to reflect his mood when asked if he was drafted into World War II. “Of course,” replied Calderon, who served in the Army for four years. Not happy about his afternoon... Read More	Cheryl Smith Kemp
Luis Aguilar Calderon	World War II	Soon after his 18th birthday, Luis A. Calderon was drafted into the Army. He fought with the 75th Infantry Division for 94 consecutive days ending on April 13, 1945. That relatively short period of time in his life would have lasting effects on... Read More
Ernesto Calderón	World War II	By Miguel A. Castro Ernesto Calderon was just 18 years old and living in Central Texas in 1946 when his life took an unexpected turn. Eldon and Lloyd Adams, two brothers, asked him if he wanted to go with him to the drive-in theater at... Read More	Miguel Castro
Carmel Sandoval Camacho	World War II	By Ajay Patel Carmel Camacho's father told him as a young boy that, if he was kind to other people, then he would never have trouble getting along with anyone. Camacho took his father's words to heart, working as a medic in the Army,... Read More	Liliana Rodriguez
Manuel Camarillo	World War II	By Kayla Young Peering through the door he’d just kicked in with his combat boots, the Manuel Camarillo serving on the front lines of World War II Germany was a different man from the one he’d been back in South El Paso. Back then, he’d... Read More	Raquel C. Garza
Diego Campa	World War II	By Elizabeth Wilder Diego Campa wanted nothing more than to live a simple American life while retaining his Mexican heritage. Campa’s family and friends held lively celebrations of Mexican culture, but outside this cocoon -- even at... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Ventura Terrones Campa	World War II	By Nathan Wyman For Ventura Terrones Campa, the gravity and brutality of World War II often seemed distant to her while living in the Kansas heartland of America. Like many thousands of wives left to raise their children while their... Read More	Delia J. Lujan
Natividad Campos	World War II	By Erika Jaramillo World War II veteran Natividad Campos says he felt like an old man by the age of 9. Kidnapped by his father at age 3 and raised by his Spanish-speaking grandmother, Campos, the oldest son of four, had no formal... Read More	Beatriz Guerrero
Antonio V. Campos	World War II	By Alyssa Armentrout When an officer interrupted training to ask, "Does anybody here play the trumpet?" Antonio Campos stepped up and raised his hand. "I play the trumpet," he replied. Campos ended up getting assigned to one of... Read More	William Luna
Antonio Campos	World War II	By Betsy Clickman Antonio Campos has devoted his life to fighting for the advancement of Latinos, engaging in civil rights work that has given Hispanics in South Texas a "head start." As a child, having to share a bed with siblings... Read More	Veronica Garza
Jesse T. Campos	World War II	By Jordan Godwin Jesse Campos wears a World War II Veteran hat garnished with a dozen medals and pins that magnify his 5-foot frame. Taking off the hat reveals the same impressively full head of hair he’s had all his life. “I’ve... Read More	Mrs. Olga Campos Benz
Lalo Campos	World War II	The yellow clapboard house with the 1990 Cadillac Seville parked outside is Lalo Campos' home. A Mexican American World War II veteran, he sits in a study that is covered with family portraits with his feet propped up in his walker. There is a... Read More	Sofia Mena
Richard G. Candelaria	World War II	By Yvonne Lim Growing up in Southern California during the 1920s and 1930s, Richard G. Candelaria would bike up to the top of Mulholland Drive to watch the P-38 twin-engine fighter planes take off and land from Burbank. Candelaria read... Read More	Mario Barrera
Felipe Cantú	World War II	In many ways, the postwar years of Felipe L. Cantú represent a quintessential profile of a World War II veteran, quietly resuming his life, but with a modest hesitancy to discuss combat experiences or express his feelings. In many other ways,... Read More
Domingo Cantu	World War II	By David R Zavala On his initial night of fighting in World War II Europe, Domingo Cantu landed for his first mission, and was unable to free himself from his parachute. As he struggled and tugged to get the chute off, he heard the blasts... Read More	Antonio Cantú