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 101 - 150 of 649

Topic

Subject	Collection	Story	Interviewed by
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
Epimenio Caraveo	World War II	By Celina Moreno World War II veteran Epigmenio Caraveo valiantly served his country as a paratrooper in the legendary 101st Airborne Division, overcoming the sting of discrimination and poverty of his youth. As a young boy... Read More	Celina Moreno
Robert L. Cardenas	World War II, Korean Conflict, Vietnam	By Rachel Platis In 1939, National Guard Pvt. Robert Cardenas was in the final stage of obtaining a full scholarship to the California Institute of Technology, having just completed two years of pre-engineering study at San Diego State... Read More	Marc Hamel
Abner Carrasco	World War II	By Juliana Torres During the landing at Salerno, Abner Carrasco was shooting at a German Panzer, a heavily armored tank, when its turret suddenly pivoted and pointed directly at him. Facing his potential death, Carrasco kept firing and was... Read More	Steven Rosales
Meregildo Carrillo	World War II	By Shamoyita DasGupta Meregildo Carrillo harbors no regrets. A decorated soldier, Carrillo served in World War II in France in the 79th Infantry Division, both despite and because of his own personal battles. Born in San... Read More	Lawrence J. Polon
William Carrillo	World War II	By Mario Barrera William Carrillo knew he wanted to go into the Army Air Corps when he enlisted in 1942, but there was a problem: He didn’t have the required college degree for the Air Corps Cadet program. So on the application form the... Read More	Mario Barrera
Cayetano Casados	World War II	By Anjali Desai Cayetano Casados had a floating, front row seat for the historic Normandy Invasion of World War II. "We were the first ship to be fired on and the first ship to fire in the invasion," said Casados of the campaign that... Read More	Norman L. Martinez
Eugene Ramirez Casarez	World War II	By Joanne Rao Sánchez Eugene Casarez was just 11 years old when he started working for the Surprise Bakery on E. 7th Street in Austin, Texas. Little did he realize that his four years of making empanadas, pan de huevo and bizcochitos... Read More	Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez
Peter Casarez	World War II	By Joanne R. Sánchez Pete Casarez's fondest childhood memory was playing baseball with his brothers, Frank, Eugene and Frutoso (Tuto) at the Catholic church playground, a half block from their home on East 9th Street in Austin, Texas. ... Read More	Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez
Julius Casarez	World War II	By Laura Radloff As a young man, Julius Casarez didn’t know exactly what he was getting himself into when he enlisted in the Army. "My brother told me that if I enlisted sooner rather than later, I could pick where I wanted to be... Read More	Rasha Madkour
Theresa Herrera Casarez	World War II	By Joanne R. Sanchez As a child, growing up in Austin, Theresa Herrera Casarez loved to sing, dance and recite poetry. Later, during WWII, she was able to put her talents to work entertaining soldiers at USO clubs and at nearby Camp Swift... Read More	Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez
Sam Casarez	World War II	By Stephen Stetson For most of his life, Sam Casarez, an Austin, Texas, native who served as a Merchant Marine in World War II, wasn’t accorded the privileges and benefits of veterans. Today, 13 years after the Merchant Marines were... Read More	Porteskcia Kelley
Joe David Casillas	World War II, Political & Civic Engagement	By Nora Ramirez World War II is over, but the fight against discrimination is far from finished for Joe Casillas, a WWII veteran who lives in San Diego. His father, Felix Ledesma Casillas, was a migrant worker who came from Jalisco,... Read More	Rene Zambrano
Ruben Casillas	World War II	By Alicia Rascon Ruben Casillas, a World War II veteran, remembers encountering discrimination on a daily basis in his youth. Looking back, Casillas recalled being excluded from opportunities given to his classmates and still asks, "... Read More	Rene Zambrano
Thomas Lopez Casso	World War II	By Sarah Carter Thomas Casso took off through the jungle after lighting a smoke signal that would tell United States troops where to target the Japanese, who were trailing his company on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Casso... Read More	Steven Rosales
Lauro Castillo	World War II	By the Voces Staff Lauro Castillo grew up in a poor farming family in South Texas, living in a bare-bones house with a leaky roof. The U.S. Army provided an escape from poverty but also exposed him to the brutal reality of war. He... Read More	Marcos Castillo
Manuel Martinez Castillo	World War II	By Chandler Elise Race As Manuel Castillo stood on the landing barge off of Omaha Beach in Normandy, the battle was already in full motion on shore. For Castillo, the reality of the landing was not the glorified or stirring depictions of... Read More	Erika Martinez
Gilbert Castorena	World War II	By Christine Emmot Growing up in the North Island neighborhood of San Diego, Ca., before World War II, Gilbert Castorena had a childhood filled with good memories of his family, friends and school days. Those relaxing days changed... Read More	Rene Zambrano
Ramiro Castro	World War II	By Roxanne Telles, California State University, Fullerton After dropping out of high school, Ramiro Castro was working as an electrician when he was drafted in 1943 into the U.S. Army during World War II. He would go on to use his expertise... Read More	Cheryl Brownstein-Santiago
Alfredo Castro	World War II	Alfred Castro was the son of an accomplished musician, who recognized early that Alfred had a natural gift and did all he could to foster the boy’s musical growth. Castro’s father, Luis Castro, who played the trumpet with the San Antonio... Read More
Caesar Catalino Castro	World War II	As a young man in San Antonio, Caesar Castro was an accomplished pianist. His talent caught the attention of a group of famed California musicians who wanted Caesar to move west with them, so that they could mold him. Castro didn'... Read More
Jesus Castro	World War II	By Anthony Sobotik At 30 years of age, Jesus Castro was one of the older soldiers drafted for duty during World War II. However, this soldier and father of six children wasn't about to let his age hinder his dedication or performance. ... Read More	Anthony Sobotik
Ladislao Catalino Castro $Ladislao\L.C.\"Castro in a March 2001 portrait. (Photo by Alan K. Davis)"$	World War II	By Alan K. Davis From their crippled B-24 bomber, Ladislao "L.C." Castro and the rest of the crew could see the white cliffs of Dover across the English Channel, on March 18, 1944. The fuel gauges read empty. The control cables were severed.... Read More	Alan K. Davis
Zoila Antonia Castillo Castro $Sallie Castro gave this picture of herself in her early 20's to Larislao with the words,\To my darling one and only.\""$	World War II	By Nicole Griffith Sallie Castro is the wife, mother, and grandmother of military men. The walls in her living room are covered with pictures of the men in uniform and medals decorate the bookcases. Mrs. Castro, 74, is a... Read More	Nicole Griffith
Alfredo A. Castro	World War II	By Erin Neck Alfred Castro wears a cap that bears his medals on the outside but holds his memories of the war inside. Now 80 years old, Castro vividly remembers the details of his life before, during and after the war and the men with... Read More	Laura Loh
George Castruita	World War II	By Sparkie Anderson George Castruita has lived a full life. He served in the Pacific in World War II, traveled abroad, witnessed apartheid in South Africa, was chased down by "Paisanos" and had a young woman turn cold when she discovered he... Read More	Steven Rosales
Hilario Cavazos	World War II	By Nicolas Martinez When the government called Hilario Cavazos Jr. to war in October of 1943, he was in his senior year at Laredo's Martin High School, working his way toward college. He asked for an extension to finish high school, but to... Read More	Virgil Hines
Pablo Cavazos	World War II	By Rebecca Eng With 18 pairs of boots and 15 cowboy hats, Seventy-eight-year-old Pablo Cavazos is a walking specimen of Texas pride. His advice to young people is simple: Get a good start in the military. "If they go into the... Read More	William Luna
Carlos Cavazos	World War II	By Yvonne Lim Carlos Cavazos, a veteran infantry instructor, has been wearing his olive-brown wool uniform, along with his Army cap and gray, knotted, tie to special events for 35 years. He keeps the uniform, issued to him more than 50... Read More	Yvonne Lim
Felicitas Joyce Cerda Flores	World War II	By Kendra Mayer Education is said to open the door to opportunity, and Felicitas Flores, who has led an exceptional life, all the while using education as her key to success, knows this well. A Houstonian by birth and by choice,... Read More	Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda
Enrique Cervantes	World War II	By Cary-Anne Olsen A four-line poem written on a birthday card had more influence on World War II Air Force pilot Lieutenant Colonel Henry "Hank" Cervantes than his teacher could have ever imagined. "On my eighth birthday, Miss... Read More	Bruce Ashcroft
Valentino Cervantes	World War II	By Anna Zukowski An award-winning sharpshooter, Valentino "Smokey" Cervantes dodged death as a member of the 801st Tank Destroyer Battalion. On an M-1 Tracked Recovery Vehicle, Cervantes would pick up disabled half tracks after each... Read More	Celina Moreno
Juana Estela Gonzalez Chapa	World War II	By Misty Roberts Estela Gonzalez Chapa's experiences during the war may not have all the drama and suspense of typical war stories; she was living in Rio Grande City, in South Texas. But her memories of the war provide a glimpse of what... Read More	Misty Roberts
Roberto Chapa	World War II	By Joshua Leighton When Roberto Chapa enlisted in the United States Army on December 2, 1942, he had no idea how much this decision would alter the rest of his life. Though the war was thousands of miles away in Europe and Asia, Chapa... Read More	Joshua Leighton
Elias Ramirez Chapa	World War II	By Manesh Upadhyaya Watching war movies about battle ships as a child in Beeville, Texas, created a yearning in Elias Chapa to enlist in the Navy. At the age of 17, Chapa still wasn’t old enough to sign up for the Navy. Having three... Read More	Denise Morales
Ralph Amado Chavarria	World War II	By Erin Dean Everything is "beautiful" to Ralph Chavarria, an 88-year-old World War II veteran of the Pacific Theater, who is, to this day, a well-known musician in the Phoenix, Ariz., area. Chavarria survived a tough childhood full... Read More	George Diaz
John Chavez	World War II	By Amanda Stair John Chavez grew up as an orphan, moving from house to house, and later survived the bloodiest Pacific battle of World War II. After the war, he settled in Tucson, Ariz. So when he looked back, he realized: "My life turned... Read More	Samantha Salazar
Raúl A Chávez	World War II	By Amy Bauer Aside from a move at 8 months of age, Raul Chavez had never traveled more than the 20 miles from Los Angeles to Catalina Island. Born on Valentine's Day in 1926 in Chihuahua, Mexico, Chavez moved to East L.A. when he was... Read More	Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda
Robert John Chavez	World War II	By Shan Dunn One night in December of 1941, the world changed for Robert John Chavez. He was in the 9th grade and a 15-year-old teenager, attending a dance marathon, when word came over the radio that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor.... Read More	Erika Martinez
Juanita Silvas Chavez	World War II	Read More	Taylor Peterson
Mariano Olivera Chores	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... Read More	Violeta Dominguez
Roger Cisneros	World War II	Roger Cisneros is a former state senator and one of Colorado's most dedicated civil rights advocates. He was born Jan. 22, 1924, in Questa, New Mexico, to Donaciano Cisneros and Todosia Martinez. He graduated from high school and... Read More	Joseph Padilla
Guadalupe Huerta Conde	World War II	By Brooke West Even after 58 years of marriage, Guadalupe "Lupe" Conde still serenades his wife, Maria, on some nights. It was Maria, he says, who restored the sense of peace he lost in battle in North Africa and Italy. Conde’s... Read More	Carlos Conde
Frank Cordero	World War II	By Sarah Jackson Drafted at 21, Frank Cordero endured hardships typical of most soldiers. But in telling his story, he prefers to dwell on the lighter side of war. Born in 1921 in Alamogordo, N.M., Cordero was the youngest of five... Read More	Veronica Garcia
Arnold V Cordova	World War II	By Matthew Pier, California State University, Fullerton He was only a junior in high school, working a part-time job on Sept. 10, 1941, when Arnold Cordova received a government letter ordering him to report for military service. Once in... Read More	Cheryl Brownstein-Santiago
Alfredo Cordova	World War II	By Julia Zwick Seventy-nine-year-old Alfredo Cordova is one of the thousands of American men and women who served in the Army during World War II. His story starts in a poor town in New Mexico and takes him to California and Europe, and... Read More	Iliana Limón
Lina Martinez Cordova	World War II	By Katherine Sayre Lina Cordova prayed each night for her husband's safe return to her and their two children during World War II. "I used to pray every night, every night I would pray, 'Please God, bring him home,'” Cordova said. "I... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Margarito Correa	World War II	By Edna P. Carmona, For 10 days in 1944, Margarito Correa and nine of his fellow soldiers were lost -- tired and hungry and unsure where to go or what to do. But even in the midst of the chaos, Correa held on to hope, believing his mother'... Read More	Ismael Martinez
Genaro Garcia Cortes	World War II	By Juliana Torres It wasn't the hard work he'd have to endure as a laborer that scared Genaro Cortes as he considered his decision to travel to the States. At 24, he was most worried about the possibility of being drafted. A mason by trade... Read More	Violeta Dominguez
Ascención Ambros Cortez	World War II	By Clara Obregón Ascención Ambros Cortez can't help but cry when she thinks of the sacrifices her brother, Enrique Ambros, and husband, Hernan Cortez, Sr., made for their country during World War II. Her husband lost his right hand and her... Read More	Desirée Mata