World War II

I was born in a small town in West Texas where societal lines were sharply divided between Caucasians and Latin Americans. It’s an issue that still plagues many Texas towns, especially in these days of debate over immigration issues and border security.

Sadly that has caused the patriotic contribution of Latinos and Latinas in the war effort before and during World War II to be overshadowed and at times forgotten. A University of Texas Professor, Dr. Maggie Rivas Rodriguez, is working to correct that with the US Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project. (She is also the author of A Legacy Greater than Words and Mexican Americans and World War II.)

Although the last batch of narratives posted on the site is from 2004, there is still an active contact address for information and suggestions. Note that the narratives are in PDF format, so depending on your system you may be asked to download the material, which will then open in your Adobe Reader or it may simply open in your browser. I spent a fascinating hour this morning going through accounts of life in the service and on the home front. This is an excellent repository of information and one I hope will grow in the future.

Click here for information on contributing to the project.

WWII, US Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project, Maggie Rivas Rodriguez