Korean Conflict

By Maureen King

It had always been a fascination to him, something he’d seen in the movies.

He knew he could do it and do it better than anyone else, he says, because he was a Mexican. The fascination: jumping out of an airplane.

The challenge led George M. Castañeda to serve as an Army paratrooper in the 11th Airborne Division during the Korean War.

"I'd do it again if they asked me to," Castañeda said. "If I had to go, I'd go on to the airborne. It's in my blood. That's when you know what you're made of. Either you got it or you don't got it."

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 Korean Conflict.

"We love the flag; we honor it and we protect it," he said.

Soliz, 72, was a technician for the U.S. Air Force in WWII; during the Korean Conflict, he did administrative and technical work. He retired from the Air Force in 1967.