TX

By Aryn Sedler

SAN MARCOS, Texas -- When Mike Aguirre graduated from Brackenridge High School in San Antonio in 1939, many opportunities and doors were closed to Mexican Americans.

"One of my friends got a job at the Five and Dime store and they would not hire Mexican Americans because they just weren't hiring them, or even grocery stores weren't hiring [Mexican Americans]," he recalled.

Aguirre worked in a restaurant with his mother for a while and then in 1939 he joined the service.

By Dartinya Harris

Valentín Aguilar says he feels proud that he served during World War II.

Born in Laredo, Texas, Aguilar only received a second grade education. He made a living picking vegetables on a community farm. Aguilar's eyes would soon be opened to a vast new world by participating in the U.S. Military. Aguilar became a soldier in the Army on December 3, 1942. After being inducted at Fort Sam Houston, he trained for over a year with the 84th Division.