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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 201 - 250 of 649

Topic

Subject	Collection	Story	Interviewed by
Gregoria Acosta Esquivel	World War II	By Lori Slaughenhoupt Gregoria Esquivel was strongly influenced by her uncles who served in the military during World War II. Their patriotism and involvement in the war effort helped shape her perspective on life when she was only a child... Read More	Laura Herrera
Rafaela Muniz Esquivel	World War II	By Joanne R. Sanchez San Antonio, TX - When she was seven years old, Rafaela Muñiz Esquivel - the second oldest in the family that would eventually include 15 children - began caring for her brothers and sisters. Rafaela stayed home from... Read More	Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez
Antonio M. Esquivel	World War II	By Robin Larson For Antonio "Tony"M. Esquivel, any romanticized remembrances of youth are tempered with memories of pervasive pre-war segregation in his hometown and the inescapable horror he endured in combat. "I liked the service... Read More	Dr. Carlos G. Velez-Ibanez
Baldomero Estala	World War II	By David Muto Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Baldomero Estala relied on quiet independence. In junior high school – from which Estala withdrew for economic reasons before fighting in World War II – he kept to himself, he says.... Read More	Cheryl Smith Kemp
Herlinda Mendoza Buitron Estrada	World War II	By Whitney Sterling On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the entire Buitron family, including all nine children, was sitting in church when the pastor... Read More	Gloria Monita
Lorenzo Falcon	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	Tamez Raul
Enrique Rodriguez Falcon	World War II	By Jennifer Yee Like many veterans coming home from World War II, Henry Falcon remembers having a difficult time adjusting to American society. His return to the peace of America was a stark contrast to his three years of fierce air combat... Read More	Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda
John Fernandez	World War II	By Spencer Hamilton A simple announcement for aviation cadet training at a camp in Washburn Island, Mass., piqued John Fernandez’s interest, so he applied. He just never expected to make it. But to the El Paso, Texas, native’s... Read More	Robert Rivas
Estela Fernandez	World War II	By Jenn Zwillenberg Estela Fernandez was a young woman in El Paso, Texas, when World War II began, so the battlegrounds seemed distant. Wartime wasn’t about soldiers and combat. Instead, while her husband Johnny was away, she learned... Read More	Delia Esparza
Randel Zepeda Fernández	World War II	By Colleen Torma Randel Zepeda Fernández was only a baby when his family moved from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, and then to Los Angeles. But later, as a young man, his lack of United States citizenship hampered him. "I... Read More	Steven Rosales
Rafael Fíerro	World War II	By Lynn Maguire Rafael Fierro graduated from a small Texas high school in May of 1939, hoping to go to college on a basketball scholarship; but rather than donning a basketball jersey, he put on the uniform of a U.S. soldier. "I went... Read More	Elizabeth Flores
Belisario & Mrs. Flores	World War II, Korean Conflict	By J. Barrett Williams Brigadier General Belisario Flores, who served his country for more than 40 years during three wars, retired from the Texas Air National Guard and the United States Air Force in the summer of 1986. Upon his... Read More	Cheryl Smith Kemp
Juana D. Flores	World War II	By David Muto Juana Flores holds up a photograph her husband sent her while at war more than 60 years ago. “For my dear wife, Juana,” script on the back of the picture reads. “The love I have for you is unforgettable.” ... Read More	Armando Segouia
Olga Delgado Flores	World War II	By Eric Latcham When her new husband shipped off for the Philippines, Olga Delgado Flores was pregnant back home in El Paso, Texas. Only 15 years old when she married 18-year-old Ramón Flores, she had dreams of a better life for her... Read More	Edna Amador
Alfred P. Flores	World War II	By Soren Silkenson When Alfred P. Flores was 16, his brother Robert, was lost in an early guided missile attack that sank his ship, the Rohna, three miles off the coast of Italy. The sinking in the Mediterranean of the British troop... Read More	Jenny Achilles
Guadalupe Rodriguez Flores	World War II	By Jeffrey McWhorter Morning broke as the train rolled into Texarkana, Texas. “Now don’t close your eyes,” the porter admonished a 22-year-old Bertha Flores, “because we’re getting close … and we’ll pass it real fast.” For... Read More	Raquel C. Garza
Raymond J. Flores	World War II	By Shelby Tracy Raymond J. Flores has always been a fighter. He volunteered for the Army in the midst of World War II, but a defective leg kept him from fighting overseas. His lifelong battle for freedom would be done on the... Read More	Violeta Dominguez
Armando D Flores	World War II	By Bettina Luis CORPUS CHRISTI, TX-On October 21, 2000, through the efforts of former alumni, a historical marker was erected on the south side of the Nueces County courthouse dedicated to the Cheston L. Heath Grammar School. The marker... Read More	Bettina Luis
Johnnie W. Flores	World War II	By Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez Johnnie W. Flores was the fifth of seven children born to Jose Maria and Teresa (Huizar) Flores, on a farm outside of Somerset, Texas, a community southeast of San Antonio. In the mid-1930s, Johnnie moved to... Read More
Rafael Flores	World War II	By Victoria Brown Cal State, Fullerton Rafael Flores put his life on hold when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II at the age of 22. His experiences in the Army not only matured him, but also changed his outlook on... Read More
Moises Flores	World War II	By Deborah Bonn During a brief trip home from the war in Japan, Moises Flores surprised a whole colony in Mexico that thought he’d been killed in combat. Among those shocked by Flores' return was the sheriff in Chihuahua, Mexico’s... Read More	Joe Myers Vasquez
Ramon C. Flores	World War II	By Cari Hammerstrom Ramon C. Flores was 64 years old when the Persian Gulf War began. Struck with pangs of patriotism, the World War II veteran promptly showed up at the recruitment office and tried to enlist, but was turned away because of... Read More	Andrea Williams
Teodoro Franco	World War II	By Cheryl Smith Looking at the elderly man in the brown fedora and navy blue dress coat, preening his snowy mustache with a miniature comb from his shirt pocket, one would never suspect the turbulent road he has followed throughout his life... Read More	Andrea Shearer
Edward Frazer	World War II	By Kathleen Bily Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Edward Frazer’s first teacher thought he was mentally disabled because he spoke only Spanish. But during his World War II service in the Philippines, that Spanish became one of his best... Read More	Raquel C. Garza
Leonard Vara Fuentes	World War II	BY LINDSAY FITZPATRICK Even after flying several successful missions over Italy during WWII, Leonard Fuentes was prepared to continue serving his country, and remained in the military after the war, serving in Korea. Fuentes graduated... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Santos Acosta Fuentes	World War II	By Karla González It was 1944 and 28-year-old Santos (Sandy) Acosta had lost all hopes of meeting the man she would marry and live with for the rest of her life. But that same year, the fantasy became a reality. Sandy Acosta met a... Read More	Karla Gonzalez
Toby Fuentes	World War II	By Nora Ramirez For 58 years, the sounds of flying bullets and torpedo explosions have tormented Toby Fuentes. Sitting outside the porch of his house in a peaceful, almost rural area of East Austin, Fuentes recently recounted the... Read More	Nora Ramirez
Guy Gabaldon	World War II	By Ruchika Joshi Guy Gabaldon said he stopped counting how many people he was taking prisoner in Saipan during World War II. But in a 1957 episode of the television program, "This Is Your Life," his fellow Marines credited him with single-... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Thomas Galindo	World War II	By Antonio Gilb Thomas Galindo was working at an Austin drug store selling sodas for 35 cents when he heard the shocking report on the radio. It was news that would irrevocably change the 19-year-old's life. The date was Dec. 7, 1941... Read More	Antonio Gilb
Jose Galindo	World War II	By Lisa Cummings When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Nationality Act of 1940 on October 14 of that year, Jose Galindo's life would never be the same. The act allowed Mexican-born residents to be drafted or volunteer for the U.S... Read More	Lisa Cummings
Ramón Galindo	World War II	By Marta McGonagle It was May 8, 1945. The war in Europe was over, but not for Ramón G. Galindo. After the death of Adolph Hitler, it was Galindo's 571st Anti-Aircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion that was stationed at Hitler's... Read More	Martamaria McGonagle
Hortense Mota Gallardo	World War II	By Alicia Downard When Hortense Mota Gallardo recalls her childhood growing up in Depression-era San Antonio, Texas, she remembers the generosity of her father, Bartollo Mota, and how he not only provided for his own family, but for... Read More	Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez
Reynaldo Perez Gallardo	World War II	By Lucy Guevara As the son of a Mexican Army general and an aficionado of airplanes since childhood, Reynaldo Perez Gallardo was a perfect candidate to join Mexico's Fighter Squadron 201, the only combat unit from that country to... Read More	Lucy Guevara
Elena Peña Gallego	World War II	By Lindsay Peyton While scores of Latinos valiantly served their country amid discrimination during World War II, many -- such as Elena Gallego of Fort Stockton, Texas -- fought social battles on the homefront. The wife of a WWII... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Pete A. Gallego	World War II	By Leslie McLain When Pete A. Gallego returned from World War II after having helped changed the course of history, he found his hometown hadn’t undergone such dramatic transformation. Instead, the population in Alpine, Texas, had... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Cipriano Gamez	World War II	By Ashley Tompkins Cipriano Gamez contends he "never did anything outstanding," but many would disagree. His actions speak for themselves and for the thousands of other men who served in World War II. Born in Belmont, Iowa, in 1922... Read More	William Luna
Willie C. Garcia	World War II	By Hannah McIntyre Like many World War II veterans, Willie Garcia married his bride right before shipping out of town to prepare for overseas combat. In 1944, Marfa, Texas, native Garcia met Elizabeth Ruiz while stationed... Read More	Katie Woody
Esteban R. Garcia	World War II	By Kristin Stanford While still a teenager, Esteban R. "Steve" Garcia learned firsthand that destroyers -- unlike nerves or stomachs -- are made of nearly impervious steel. As waves incessantly pounded the sides of the four-stacker... Read More	Liza Moreno
Gilbert Garcia	World War II	By Meridith Kohut There were ways to battle tedium in the long stretches at sea: poker games, movie nights and dishes of ice cream. But for Gilbert Garcia of Houston, Texas, it was mostly the poker winnings he relished. At sea, Garcia... Read More
Teodoro Garcia	World War II	By IRMA GARCIA Teodoro Garcia grew up poor in Presidio, Texas, a small border town, during the Great Depression. To relieve the family's burden, he left home in Clovis, N.M., to live with his grandmother in Presidio. Garcia only reached... Read More	Ray Atencio
Ricardo Garcia	World War II	By Caitlynn Taylor “It was the worst thing to happen,” Ricardo Garcia said of his time in the 5th Marine Division in Okinawa. Garcia spent 10 days on the front lines, waiting in the daylight and fighting and surviving bombings at... Read More	Raquel C. Garza
José Blas García	World War II	By Doralis Perez-Soto In December 1941, 18-year-old José Blas García traveled from his neighborhood of Trastalleres, an area among the swamps and mangrove trees near Caño de Martín Peña in Santurce, Puerto Rico, with four friends to... Read More	Doralis Perez-Soto
Saragosa Garcia	World War II	By Sierra Brasher Saragosa A. Garcia always marched to the beat of a different drum. And his ability to play music, to change the tempo of his life, along with the assurance from carrying a treasured Holy Bible and his mother's... Read More
Arnold Feliu Garcia	World War II	Arnold Feliu Garcia was born in San German, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 19, 1911, to Andres Garcia Lopez and Celia Feliu Servera. As a boy in Puerto Rico, he met and fell in love with Tomasita “Tommi” Ribas of Ponce. They soon parted, however, as he,... Read More	Ted Bridis
Elizabeth Ruiz Garcia	World War II	By Hannah McIntyre Elizabeth Garcia, who stayed home and worked while her husband was away serving in World War II, feels that the best career she could have is helping others. Garcia has spent her life working to take care of other... Read More	Hannah McIntyre
Abelardo Garcia	World War II	By Nikki Stanko Rocking back and forth in a squeaky computer chair, hands folded in his lap, Abelardo Garcia chuckled as he relived having played match-maker for his fellow Army soldiers in a quaint beer hall in Czechoslovakia in... Read More	Raquel C. Garza
Narciso Garcia	World War II	By Scott Reister To become an Air Cadet in the Army's World War II training program, one had to display physical and mental superiority. Cadets had to be the best of the best, and follow a path of intense training in preparation for... Read More	Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Carmen García-Rosado	World War II	By Eduardo Miranda, California State University, Fullerton While World War II was underway thousands of miles away, Carmen García Rosado, a young schoolteacher... Read More	Manuel Aviles-Santiago
Rudy Vela Garza	World War II	By Elliott Blackburn For Raul de la Garza, the cratered landscape was a constant reminder of just how close the battlefield was. De La Garza remembers one particular evening when he and fellow soldiers were laying communications wire. The... Read More	William Luna
Gonzalo Garza	World War II	By Jennifer Gallo Gonzalo Garza's commitment to the Marines Corps began with the recruiting pamphlet. Of the five principles dubbed as "pillars" for that institution, Garza was particularly serious about using education as a guide after... Read More	Juan Campos