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World War II

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

Displaying 551 - 600 of 649

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Subject	Collection	Story	Interviewed by
Henry Sillik	World War II	By Brandon Rawe It was a time in America's history when communities were racially segregated and shunning minorities was accepted. But none of that mattered during World War II to Henry Sillik, who served on a naval ship in the middle... Read More	Violeta Dominguez
Betty Chavez Silva	World War II	By Jenny Murphy Engulfed by a huge armchair, 78 year-old Betty Chavez Silva reflects on her memories growing up in New Mexico, remembering two older brothers who went off to serve in World War II. Silva smiles when she talks about... Read More	Jennifer Sanchez
Mike & Mrs. Betty Silva	World War II	By Wanda Lopez At 80, Mike Silva reflects on his World War II service and how he was foolish to volunteer for a conflict that still moves him to tears decades later. Silva was wounded during the war and saw many fellow soldiers die.... Read More	Violeta Dominguez
Agapito Encinias Silva	World War II	By Helen Peralta As a World War II prisoner of war, Agapito E. Silva said death often marched beside him while battling in the Phillippines. Having learned the art of survival is what allows him to vividly recount memories of a war that... Read More	Brian Lucero
Arthur Smith	World War II	By Ashley Clary The laugh-worn eyes of Arthur B. Smith hide a courageous yet triumphant story. Not only did he face the dangers of the 1942 Bataan Death March and three years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, he went on to lead a... Read More	Karleen Boggio-Montgomery
Paul Lopez Solis	World War II	By Elizabeth Egeland Paul Solis and his two brothers all served in World War II. He was in the China- Burma-India Theater; his older brother, Raymond, worked on dry docks in the Pacific; and his younger brother, August, served on the USS... Read More	Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda
María Isabel Solís Thomas	World War II	By Aaan Zukowski María Isabel Solis Thomas remembers the day as if it were yesterday: She and her sister, Elvia, are standing on a dock at a Richmond, Calif., shipyard, waving goodbye to sailors boarding American ships destined for battle... Read More	Anna Zukowski
Felipe Soliz	Korean Conflict, World War II	By Susan Miller Felipe and Mary Soliz live in a well-kept, modest house in a quiet neighborhood right at the entrance to town. Their home is filled with flags and war portraits in every corner. Mr. Soliz is a veteran of WWII and the... Read More	Susan Miller
Elfren Solomon	World War II	By Marisela Maddox At a time when many Mexican Americans were segregated from Anglo Americans by socioeconomic and educational standards, Elfren Solomon confesses he rarely, if ever, witnessed ethnic discrimination in the military: The... Read More	Rene Zambrano
Robert Soltero	World War II	By Courtney Mahaffey Robert Soltero can barely remember details of the Depression, but his memories of discrimination during that era remain vivid. "In those days, you couldn't even go downtown," said Soltero, who grew up in a west-... Read More	Ascensión Hernandez
Trino J. Soto	World War II	By Cindy Carcamo U.S. Navy veteran Trino Soto can't remember the exact date or location, but the image of his ship along with eight other destroyers traveling in the evening along the Pacific Ocean will forever remain in his mind. "As... Read More	Cindy Carcamo
Esteban Soto	World War II	By Vanessa Adams Esteban Soto is part of the second generation of veterans in his family. He remembers his father, a World War I veteran, telling stories of mustard gas and other horrors of the war. Little did Soto know, he too would... Read More	Rea Ann Trotter
Pedro Gomez Soto	World War II	By Frank Trejo Jr. Pedro Gomez Soto knew the importance of making the most of what life gives you. He was fond of saying that experiences “grow you up.” And they certainly did for Soto, who started working as a boy with other... Read More
Jesus Soto	World War II	By Bernice Chuang About 14 months before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, Jesus “Joe” Soto, 20 years old, enlisted in the Marines as a private. His ship, the USS New Orleans, deployed for Pearl Harbor in October,... Read More
Felix R. Soto Jr.	World War II	By Tim Garlitz To see the world, not to mention to avoid getting drafted into the Army, Felix Soto Jr. quickly signed up for the Coast Guard upon graduating from high school in June of 1942. Three out of Soto’s four brothers soon... Read More	Cynthia Cueva
Ruben D Suarez	World War II	By Cameron Reed, California State University, Fullerton Throughout his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II and for the rest of his life, Ruben Suarez had a strong understanding of diversity and the need to persevere to achieve his... Read More	Enrique Vega
Arthur Tafoya	World War II	By Elizabeth James As a medic treating the wounded and dying in World War II, Arthur Tafoya says dealing with the blood and gore of battle was in some ways the easy part. The difficult part was dodging the bullets and artillery fire. ... Read More	Norman L. Martinez
Elena Escobar Tafoya	World War II	By Katie Woody On the side of a mountainous bluff in Grant County, N.M., a nun kneels in prayer every day, wholly vigilant and never wavering. From dawn until dusk, she can be seen with her head bowed, hands clasped in silent meditation.... Read More	Brian Lucero
Andrew Sidona Tamayo	World War II	By Noelle Pareja Eighty-one-year old Houston resident Andrew Tamayo clearly remembers the day World War II broke out. And the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the 19-year-old Mexican American proudly enlisted in the Army. ... Read More	Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda
Emma Falcon Tamez	World War II	By Karina Valenzuela The Falcon family's military service extends beyond four brothers' time in World War II. For one thing, Raúl, José and Alejandro would eventually each have a son who served in the military: Raúl’s oldest son, Raúl... Read More	Raul Tamez
Arthur Tenorio	World War II	By Melissa Watkins Arthur "Chavalito" Tenorio spent Dec. 6, 1941, at a hotel in Honolulu playing craps with a fellow sailor. He lost the game, but a hotel employee warned the pair it didn't matter, because after tomorrow, they wouldn't be... Read More	M. David Gray
Pedro Tijerina	World War II	By Raquel C. Garza Growing up in Laredo, Texas, Pedro "Pete" Tijerina said he "never knew what discrimination was," mainly because the city's population was mostly Mexican. School children spoke Spanish freely, never fearing reproach from... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
William Henry Todd	World War II	By Katie Gibson For William Henry Todd, enlisting in the National Guard and serving during World War II transformed him from a child to a man. "The Army was a school for me. It taught me many things," Todd said. "When I joined the... Read More
Rafael Q. Torres	World War II	By Cheryl Smith Kemp Ninety-year-old Rafael Torres doesn’t have the mind he had back when he was growing up in El Paso, Texas, nor when he began penning his memories of World War II, but he still seems to remember quite clearly the... Read More	Robert Rivas
Gilberto Torres	World War II	By Israel Saenz A long, jagged scar marks Gilberto Roque Torres' right forearm, a permanent reminder of a summer day in France that would be his last in combat. Torres doesn't remember too many dates of events that occurred during his... Read More	Israel Saenz
Oscar Torres	World War II	By Reid Worth In June of 2002, 58 years after the battle in which he earned it, Oscar Torres finally received the Purple Heart for wounds received in action during the September 1944 assault on the island of Peleliu. In addition to earning... Read More	Virgilio Roel
Maria De La Paz Torres	World War II	By Maria Torres Maria Torres was only 12 years old when the war began, yet she was old enough to remember the profound impact it had on her life and family in El Paso, Texas. “When my brothers left, it just seemed like something that... Read More	Vanessa Torres-Villescas
Emilio Torres	World War II	By Kristin LaFrate When Emilio Torres enlisted in the Navy at the age of 18 on Sept. 18, 1942, little did he know he was beginning a more than 30-year military career spanning three wars. Torres served in World War II and, later, in... Read More
Aurelio Antonio Torres Martinez	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
Rudolph S. Tovar	World War II	By Nathan Beck On Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, Rudolph Tovar was a halfback marching his football team down a Los Angeles football field toward the goal line. Captain of the Verdugo Knights, Tovar and his teammates were informed during a timeout... Read More	Henry Mendoza
Roberto Tovar	World War II	By Michele Pierini At the age of 17, fresh from graduating Bowie High School in El Paso, Texas, Roberto Tovar volunteered for military service, something he’d wanted to do since he was 13, after the Pearl Harbor bombing. “I was very... Read More	Robert Rivas
David Pineda Towns	World War II	By Elaine Mingus For David Pineda Towns, it was always about the letters. The letters from his wife. The letters from his family and friends. And his letters back to them. It was always about the news they brought. He lived for their... Read More
José Concepción Trejo Dominguez	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
Gilberto S. Treviño	World War II	By Marjon Rostami Gilbert Treviño was a 19-year old junior at Texas A... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Felix B. Treviño	World War II	By David Zavala Negotiating a minefield on a snowy day in World War II Germany, 1945, Felix Treviño encountered a young German soldier who looked no older than a teenager; he was leaning against a tree, one leg gone from the thigh down,... Read More	David Zavala
Tomas Mata Treviño	World War II	By Brenda Menchaca Born and raised in the small town of Beeville, Tomas Mata Treviño knew little about the world beyond his South Texas community when he was drafted into... Read More	Paul Jaure
Domingo Trevino	World War II	By Stephanie Scalco Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, where Domingo Treviño attended, staged bazaars on a regular basis. At one of them, when he was a young man, Treviño was talking to a couple of pretty girls, and two guys approached... Read More	Paul Rodriguez Zepeda
Dominick Tripodi	World War II	By Jose Araiza While many were in shock after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Domínick Tripodi unhesitatingly volunteered to fight terrorism abroad. The U.S. Army applauded his initiative and loyalty but denied his petition. Although a... Read More	Luz Villarreal
Bennie Trujillo	World War II	By Robert Reiss, California State University, Fullerton "You could hear the tanks coming. You could hear the squeak, the tracks squeaking and the motors running. You could hear them coming. The Americans and the infantry were aware that... Read More	Joseph Padilla
Charles Trujillo	World War II	By Melissa Duran Charles "Junior" Trujillo remembers clearly the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Hearing the reports on the radio didn’t give him a good understanding of what war was about. "If you have never been into it [war], you... Read More	Rea Ann Trotter
Antonio Trujillo	World War II	By Elizabeth Robertson Despite the terror surrounding him on the mountainous Japanese island of Okinawa during World War II, Marine Cpl. Antonio Trujillo always found himself volunteering for missions that no one else wanted. He’d... Read More	Iliana Limón
Joseph Unanue	World War II	By Chris Nay Heading toward combat in the decisive Battle of the Bulge, a brush with death came early for Joseph Unanue. On his first day in the European Theater, his sergeant lay dead and, as the next in command, Unanue would have to save... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Charles Uranga	World War II	By Tony Cantú Charles Vizcaino Uranga, a self-made millionaire who fought at Normandy during World War II, left little doubt about who his hero was, during his interview in 2001. Relating anecdotes from his childhood in Alpine, Texas... Read More	Antonio Cantú
Leova Tellez Urias	World War II	By Amy Bauer By the age of 20, Leova Tellez Urias had already experienced segregation, the affects of the Great Depression, battle at the front lines during World War II and imprisonment by German soldiers. Now, at age 76, he looks back... Read More	Kevin Bales
José Jesus Urías	World War II	By Lynn Maguire José Urías volunteered for tasks other men were loathe to do: combing the beaches of Normandy, littered with human remains; uncovering mines; going door-to-door in France in search of German soldiers hiding in private homes... Read More	Ismael Martinez
Antonio Uribe	World War II	A full moon showering light over Mt. Fuji one night while on lookout duty in Japan is the wartime image Antonio Uribe recalls most vividly as he recounts his humble beginnings in Texas and the world of basic training and nautical knowledge that... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Joe Moreno Uriegas	World War II	By Cody Morris Joe Moreno Uriegas faced overwhelming enemy fire and unfamiliar surroundings on the front lines in Northern Europe during World War II. A soldier in the 188th Field Artillery Battalion supporting the 82nd Airborne... Read More	Cody Morris
Gabriel Valades	World War II	By Ginny Snyder Surrounded by news of the war in Europe, and with most of his friends already called to duty, Gabriel Valades enlisted in the Army in March of 1943 despite his parents’ concern. Even though his arrival came in the war's... Read More	Rea Ann Trotter
Salvador Valades	World War II	By Miguel A. Castro When it came to his safety, Salvador Valades knew he could always rely on his mother's prayers. I really don't know what she prayed over us, but I know I felt blessed," Valades said. As a young man, on the... Read More	Rea Ann Trotter
Harold Valderas	World War II, Korean Conflict	By Courtney Mahaffey On Dec. 7, 1941, Harold Valderas, then a senior at George Washington High School in New York City, was doing his homework while listening to the radio when he heard the report about Pearl Harbor. "Little did I... Read More	Violeta Dominguez