German Abadia-Olmeda
By Ximena Mejorado
Cal State, Fullerton
When he got his draft notice at the age of 18, Germán Abadía’s first thought was to go into hiding.
The Puerto Rican native said he did not understand why he needed to go to Vietnam to fight a war, which he knew nothing about. His mother, Gilia Olmeda, changed his mind. If he was called to the Army, he had to go or he would be jailed, he recalled her telling him.