1 50 130 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b0b1f8e6e51ac7f7e7762e21d14c8899.png 337a1b7ce50ca920370bc99123000fa6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Morell Collage 3 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b3b3b2a53a0b5385c824b53693a85c31.png 57c26e9eaa2326d341228242c416198f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Stephanie Mata Granados Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Raul Garcia OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Raul.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 0203-10-28 Raul Garcia 01:14:27 Latino Lorain Latino Veterans Fall 2023 Oberlin College Libraries oberlin Raul Garcia Stephanie Mata Granados 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/xw42n792v Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title="Raul Garcia" src="//media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/j3860697r/embed" width="600" height="337" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; English 0 Introduction Hello. I am Stephanie Mata Granados and I'm interviewing Raul Garcia to talk about his life as part of the Latino Veterans Oral History Project. Thank you, Mr. Garcia, for agreeing to be interviewed. Could you please state your name and your birthdate? Stephanie Mata Granados introduces Raul Garcia who is being interviewed for the Latino Lorain Veteran History Project, which is a collaboration between the Lorain Historical Society and Oberlin College. The interview takes place in the Lorain Historical Society. Latino Lorain Oral History Project ; Lorain Historical Society 0 36 Family So the first question I have for you today is just if you could ask, if you could tell me, um, where you were born and where you grew up. Raul Garcia discusses his early life in Lorain and his experiences with his parents and 5 siblings. US Marine Corps ; Utah ; Mexico ; siblings 0 201 Early Life Then what about just life in general for you and your family? What was that like growing up? Mr. Garcia describes growing up in Lorain as a place with people of “all nationalities.” He also discusses community clubs, organizations, and life in Lorain during the civil rights movement. The Gents multicultural club ; civil rights ; Lorain 0 313 Dance and Music What were some of the things that you would do besides parties? Like, what was, like, would you guys organize in some way? Raul Garcia shares that weekly dances were a major way that Mr. Garcia’s club, The Gents, would create community. dance ; the Gents 0 409 Mentors and Role Models And what about some of your mentors or role models? Did you have any growing up? So like, could you tell us more about them? Mr. Garcia talks about some of his role models growing up, including President John F. Kennedy, his uncles, and brothers. Additionally, Mr. Garcia points out that TV’s glorification of the military contributed to people’s perception of the military as cool. &#13 ; &#13 ; John F. Kennedy ; Better American ; family ; TV 0 540 Coming Back From War When my uncles went in, I think they were both drafted. They come out, uh, better people. Mr. Garcia recalls that his uncles and brother came out of war as better people, but they also didn’t talk about their experiences in war. However, he did witness them being verbally mistreated by people who didn’t approve of their participation in war. Mr. Garcia also shares about his inability to talk about his service, except with his old squadrons. Korean War ; Vietnam War ; secret missions ; FaceBook ; social media 0 840 Service Beyond the Military Yeah. So thank you for that. I appreciate hearing about like, early life and then delving into a little bit later, but that's awesome. Yeah. I'd love to hear it all. Um, yeah. So we kind of talked about how you first began to think about military service, like through your role models, like, um, people on TV and your uncles. Was there anything else you would like to share about that?&#13 ; Mr. Garcia says he wanted to serve his country because it’s something he loved to do. In fact, he continued to serve his country in other ways after he stopped serving in the military. corrections officer ; military police ; post office ; human services 0 1025 Time in the Military So speaking specifically about your service, what was the branch that you entered and why specifically that Mr. Garcia shares that he was in the navy, in which he traveled the world and came across different living conditions. He remembers having a good time during his basic training, although this wasn’t the case for all the men there. US Navy ; Hawaii ; Alaska ; Hong Kong ; Australia ; Italy ; Spain ; FaceBook ; Great Lakes ; Chicago 0 1484 How Background Impacts Service What were some of the emotions that you had during boot camp? For Mr. Garcia, basic training and boot camp felt like a playground, especially because of the way he was brought up. basic training ; bootcamp ; orders 0 1769 Being Away From Home Was the basic training your first time away from home? Mr. Garcia shares that basic training was the first time that he was away from home and it was wonderful because he was able to see the world and how other people lived. leaving home 0 1842 Memorable Stories of Service What is your most vivid, vivid memory of your time? Training or in school? Raul Garcia remembers when his aircraft caught on fire while he was serving in the US Air Force. US Air Force ; emergency landing 0 2124 A Favorite Part of Service Oh God. when you start walking home. I don't know. Um, but yeah. Uh, thank you for talking about that aspect of your life. Now we would like to talk more about your wartime service, which you've been talking about already, but just some further questions. Mm-Hmm. Um, we talked about a little bit about what you loved most about your time in Hawaii, maybe. Was there any other, like best part of your service overall or like your favorite part of service overall? One of Mr. Garcia’s favorite parts of his service was in Adak, Alaska. He shares a specific favorite memory of bald eagles that were following him. &#13 ; Adak, Alaska ; submarines ; Russia ; bald eagle 0 2339 Difficult Times of Service What about, um, like, oh, like you said before, there are good and bad parts of, of life. That's life, so it's great to hear about that, like favorite memory. But what about, was there like a time that wasn't so great? Or maybe that was difficult, like a challenge? Mr. Garcia recalls that one of the hardest parts of his service was flying in the military planes. Regardless, it was challenging and made him stronger because it taught him where his limits were and therefore taught him who he was. He finds comparisons between this lesson that he learned in the military and the lessons that he and his wife give their daughter.&#13 ; military planes ; submarine ; family ; college ; help 0 2758 Leaving the Military How did it feel ending service? Mr. Garcia describes that when he left the military he continued to do some work in Europe, but eventually had to leave to start planning his life. He mentions that he and other veterans on FaceBook say the same thing, including that if they could, they would go back and serve on their aircrafts. Mr. Garcia also mentions that his service never ends because of constant reminders of his experiences in the military. &#13 ; Military service ; reserves ; Rome ; Italy ; Spain ; FaceBook ; Fourth of July ; Veterans Day ; Dreams ; Lorain 0 3210 Legacy With that, with like generations coming, we were talking about this earlier, but do you feel like generations after you are also joining the military? Or do you feel like you're setting that example? Raul Garcia shares that his son is now interested in joining the military as well. Mr. Garcia explains how military service for Latinos is intertwined with Latino values of family, respect, and protection. He also discusses how family sets the foundation for people. son ; uncles ; grandfather ; Mexican Revolution ; protecting family ; respect 0 3460 The Impact of Military So we would like to know how your experiences in the military changed you. Mr. Garcia shares that being in the military made him into something he always wanted to be. Lorain ; US Military ; travel 0 3662 Life Lessons Speaking of life lessons, we've talked a lot about different ones that you've learned that have. Are there any others that you'd like to share? Mr. Garcia shares the life lesson of respecting your family as much as possible and to not turn on each other, but instead to resolve problems, something that was reinforced in the military. He also tells a personal anecdote of a time when he embraced this life lesson. respect ; family ; military ; sailor ; help 0 4060 Military Service’s Impact on Feelings Surrounding War and Military We'd also like to know more about how your military service impacted your feelings about war and the military in general. Raul Garcia talks about how the military has strengthened the ways that he interacts with current war and the concept of protection. war ; home ; gratitude ; prepared ; protect 0 4305 Advice for Future Generations I appreciate all the wisdom that you have. I mean, brought here today. Uh, one of the final questions that we have is what message do you want to give to future generations that may come across this interview, that will watch this interview? Mr. Garcia’s advice to future generations that will watch this interview is that you learn by making mistakes, and when those mistakes happen, just get up and keep going. He wishes everyone good luck. mistakes ; personal growth 0 4391 Last Remarks Awesome. Uh, so just to wrap up, I wanna ask you if there's anything else that you would like to talk about, um, or that you want people to remember about your story, your family, um, before we end the interview? Mr. Garcia shares that he tells his kids that they should serve their country at least for a year or two. This is a way of giving a part of yourself to your country and community and it’ll make you a better person. service ; national service ; community 0 Oral History In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Raul.xml LL_Garcia_Raul.xml Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Raul Garcia Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2023-10-28 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/73f1c01c3f86b4d579e996be61dcb5f9.jpg 6115e25d0cef15eaef09b8e40c1a1789 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Walter Thomas-Patterson Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Mike Ferrer OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Ferrer_Mike.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Mike Ferrer 01:31:07 Latino Lorain Latino Veterans Fall 2023 Oberlin College Libraries oberlin Mike Ferrer Walter Thomas-Patterson 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/9c67wm83m Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title="Mike Ferrer" src="//media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/6682x398c/embed" width="600" height="337" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; English 77 Introduction Hello my name is Walter Thomas-Patterson, and I am here with Mike Ferrer to interview him as part of the Latino Veterans Oral History Project, and for the record can you state your name and birth date Ferrer states his name and birthdate. The interview setting is the Lorain Historical Society.&#13 ; Lorain Historical Society ; Latino Veterans ; Oral History Project. 0 78 Childhood in New York City Where were you born and where did you grow up Ferrer discusses his early life and his family growing up as being one of four boys living. His family lived in the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens in New York. He stated that his biological father was mostly out-of-the-picture ; Ferrer recalled one time when his father picked him up from school, which was a notable event. Ferrer stated that his mother was from Sabana Grande, a small town in Puerto Rico ; she was the one who mainly raised him.&#13 ; &#13 ; His upbringing in New York during the 1960s was chaotic. He recalls "playing on the roofs of Manhattan, gangs everywhere, people threatening to take your lunch money,” and that his schooling was marked by inconsistency: “we switched schools every year, year-and-a-half maybe.” Ferrer stated that his schools in New York were predominantly African-American. He stated that in reference to his childhood in New York City: “you never think you’re having a bad childhood when you have so many crumpled buildings to play in.”&#13 ; Manhattan, New York ; Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico ; childhood ; Lorain. 0 79 Childhood in Lorain, Ohio We came to Lorain for a very strange reason. The family moved out of New York City after one of his brothers started robbing department stores and was eventually caught by police. His mother, determined to not have another one of her children descend into crime, decided to move the family to Lorain, Ohio, where his grandmother lived.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer explained that his upbringing living in South Lorain was “docile” compared to the streets of New York. Ferrer recalls being amazed by the grassy lawns that dotted the sidewalks in his neighborhood, and his perception of less crime. His mother remarried while they were in Ohio, and Ferrer started working for his Uncle who owned a bakery.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer added that more broadly during his childhood, his family tended to avoid discussing difficult or uncomfortable topics ; “we never dealt with issues, we never discussed problems,” he stated. The general expectation was to toughen up and face the circumstances you were given, he reiterated.&#13 ; &#13 ; He stated that during high school, although he had trouble with tardiness, he was able to immerse himself in theater and take classes on Shakespeare and Greek.&#13 ; Migration ; crime ; family ; theater ; friends ; high school ; Shakespeare 0 153 Race in his Early Life How was race talked about in your early life? He mentions that he never remembers being subject to racism in New York: “I do not ever remember being subjected to racism. It was always ‘punk kid,’ but never ‘punk, Puerto Rican kid.’&#13 ; race ; racism ; New York City ; African-Americans 0 222 Life in College What was your experience in College? Ferrer says that he did not consider applying to college, and he envisioned himself staying near his home and playing basketball post-high school. However, his mother and his English teacher worked together and applied to Bowling Green State University for him. Ferrer recalled receiving a letter in the mail with his acceptance.&#13 ; &#13 ; During his time at Bowling Green, Ferrer became involved in the Latino Student Union at Bowling Green, where he wrote speeches and other literature for their activities.&#13 ; &#13 ; He noted that he became more distant from his Puerto Rican identity in College, stating that he struggled to reconcile the version of obedience that his mother and relatives taught him when speaking to authority figures (teachers and cops): “they always looked down at the ground,” which Ferrer assumed meant “they were either afraid or they were ashamed to be Hispanic.” Ferrer explained that his perception of hispanic subservience troubled him during college, and that as a result, his Puerto Rican identity became a source of shame. “I don’t wanna be Hispanic in college because I’m not subservient to anybody.” Ferrer clarified that his name gained a variety of ethnic connotations as a result: “so Ferrer was either French or Italian. . . but never Puerto Rican.” He says that the only people that knew he was Hispanic were his fellow classmates in the Latino Student Union.&#13 ; College ; Bowling Green State University ; Latino Student Union ; Hispanic identity 0 282 Military Service It was my last semester, and we were partyin. Ferrer said that he struggled during his final semester in college ; he was failing his courses and hanging out with friends who would party late into the night. One day during his final semester, he stumbled upon a military recruiter stationed on his college campus, and recalled addressing the recruiter: “yo man, if you can get me out of this semester in a week, I will join the military.” Ferrer said that his decision to join the military was not motivated by a patriotic duty ; rather, he saw it as an opportunity to escape his current circumstances. He traveled to Ft. Jackson in North Carolina to prepare for Basic Training, which he described as quite comfortable relative to what came next.&#13 ; &#13 ; After his time in North Carolina, Ferrer traveled to Ft. Campbell Kentucky for Basic Training for six weeks. He recalls being roused from his barracks early in the morning and whisked onto a bus to Fort Campbell. Upon arriving at Fort Campbell Kentucky, he recalled encountering drill sergeants for the first time, who rushed on the bus and started yelling. This experience was emblematic of what the next six weeks became for him. According to Ferrer, this time, “was the scariest time of my life, but it was also the first time I understood what discipline was.”&#13 ; &#13 ; Later, Ferrer recalled how his time in Basic Training helped him clarify the difference between obedience through fear, which his mother instilled in him, and obedience through discipline, which he began to internalize during basic training.&#13 ; 0 329 Joining the Commander and Chief's Guard When I get back to the barracks, there is this guy standing by the shower. During his time in advanced individual training, which came after basic training, Ferrer was recruited to join the Commander and Chief’s Guard, which is the personal escort of the United States President. Ferrer recalled receiving a top-secret White House Clearance for this job.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer said there were a number of different roles he was expected to carry out on a daily basis. He took part in ceremonies and events involving the president. He saluted the president if, for example, the president was entering or leaving a specific area. He was also expected to march by the presidential motorcade.&#13 ; &#13 ; If a U.S. soldier was killed in action, his unit was expected to carry the casket of the deceased. Ferrer participated in Arlington National Cemetery Memorials and remembers standing by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Once a year, he took part in putting flags in front of every single gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery, which he remembered being an especially tedious task.&#13 ; &#13 ; In addition to his roles in Washington D.C, Ferrer remembered participating in ceremonies in Virginia to welcome foreign dignitaries to the United States, who arrived at different Virginia military bases. He remembered the tremendous amount of preparation and attention-to-detail he had to practice to be prepared.&#13 ; &#13 ; Beyond his ceremonial roles, Ferrer participated in a traveling show called the “Spirit of America.” as part of the Commander and Chief’s Guard. They would travel the country and perform military reenactments of the Revolutionary War—dressing up as colonial and British soldiers and firing their prop muskets at one another. Ferrer recalled the elaborate choreography and presentation skills that these shows involved.&#13 ; &#13 ; Serving in the Commander and Chief’s Guard was a sought-after position, and Ferrer said that if soldiers dropped their rifle, then they were transferred out of the unit Korea. This was a common occurrence for many soldiers, Ferrer stated, because they could easily pass out if they locked their knees while standing.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer eventually left the Commander and Chief’s Guard after his daughter was born. &#13 ; Commander and Chief’s Guard ; Arlington National Cemetery ; Washington D.C. 0 396 Leaving the Military When I got out, I decided I’m gonna go back to college. Ferrer explained that after being discharged from the military, he was more mature ; he received straight A’s in his final semester and graduated. He said that his experience in the military was transformative because of the lessons it taught him about discipline. He started grant-writing for local organizations, but initially struggled to find his calling. Fortunately however, he was offered a job as director of the youth center in Lorain. Even though he took a significant pay cut, he quickly fell in love with his job. Most notably, he started a theater program that ran successfully for fifteen years.&#13 ; 0 442 Lessons from the Military Can you describe how your time in the military informed your work? “In the military, you cannot fail,” Ferrer declared, “You assume that every mission you were given, you were going to do.” The rigid nature of the military command structure, where failure was not an option, motivated his later desire to work with underprivileged kids in Lorain who were vulnerable to joining organized crime. Ferrer inserted this sense of order into his teaching practice. Additionally, he incorporated the physicality of military instruction into his positions as a community organizer in Lorain.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer described that on a psychological level, his ability to distance himself from negative and destructive thoughts that would previously feel overwhelming were another critical lesson from the military. His ability to dissociate from feelings of anger is a key psychological practice that he has passed on to his mentees.&#13 ; Military discipline ; theater ; workforce development agency ; mentorship. 0 503 Perception of Military I think any experience can be good or bad, it depends on who your mentors are ; who your associates are ; who you hang out with, how easily it is for people to get on your head. Ferrer emphasized that the military was not a cure-all for society ills, but it was an opportunity for building character and responsibility. It helped develop young people’s sense of pride, but crucially, only if those buy into the structure that it provides: “It’s what you make of it,” Ferrer said. Ferrer added that from his perception, the military played a crucial role in removing kids he knew from toxic home lives, where they were especially vulnerable: "In my book, the military has saved 27 kids.” Ferrer summarized that he doesn’t attach a value-judgment to the military, rather, it gives people an opportunity, and they can choose what they want to make with that.&#13 ; Family ; military and character building ; opportunity 0 572 On Himself as a Latino and a Veteran Now everywhere I go and everything I do, there is not a person I know who doesn’t know that I’m Puerto Rican. Ferrer said that his views on race have changed as compared to when he was younger. He says he had a better understanding of how unconscious bias impacts treatment of Latinos in the United States, and said he was frustrated by how people lack a recognition of their own bias. He stated that he does not experience racism in his life. On the topic of military in politics, Ferrer said he tries to remain neutral ; he said that on a personal level, he carries his own beliefs on the military.&#13 ; Race ; racism ; unconscious bias 0 623 Closing Thoughts No one teaches me as much as these young people. Ferrer described the kinds of lessons he had learned throughout his life in service, as well as the values he seeks to uphold. He said that he sees himself “as a life-long learner,” and the enduring relevance that young people hold in shaping his own life. He said that his life-long dedication to service has only energized him to continue working with kids as long as he can.&#13 ; LCCC (Lorain County Community College) ; senior citizens ; service. 0 659 Message to Future Generations What’s your message for future generations? Ferrer emphasized the importance of listening to your heart and finding friends that care about you. Ferrer said it is crucial to be able to distinguish between acquaintances, or people you just know, to real friends, who can aid you during a difficult time. He described showing his mentees optical illusions that challenge their decision-making abilities ; it takes time for the viewer to see the various pictures within the illusions, and through this process, Ferrer said he helps them realize the downside in jumping to conclusions: “Let things filter in,” Ferrer emphasized, “Don’t trust family for everything. Friendship ; mentorship ; family 0 Oral History In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Ferrer_Mike.xml LL_Ferrer_Mike.xml Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2023-10-28 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/faf14faaff55d9a44d8d9cc28443439d.jpg 266d2824bac4b243720c580336868499 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Skye Jalal Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Arvin Morell OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Morell_Arvin.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Arvin Morell 00:45:17 Latino Lorain Latino Veterans Fall 2023 Oberlin College Libraries oberlin Arvin Morell Skye Jalal 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/ns064606n Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title="Alvin Morell" src="//media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/br86b364d/embed" width="600" height="337" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; English 0 Introduction Okay. I am Skye Jalal and I'm interviewing Arvin Morell to talk about his life as a part of the Latino Veterans Oral History Project. Thank you Mr. Morrell, for agreeing to be interviewed. Can you please state your name and birthdate? Jalal introduces Arvin Morell who is being interviewed for the Latino Lorain Veteran History Project, which is a collaboration between the Lorain Historical Society and Oberlin College. The interview takes place in the Lorain Historical Society. Latino Lorain Oral History Project ; Lorain Historical Society 0 33 Early Life Can you begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up? Arvin Morell talks about growing up in South Lorain. He was born to parents who arrived from Puerto Rico on work assignment in 1951. He speaks about his father, who worked for Ford Motor Company, and his mother who was a stay-at-home parent before working for Dalton Sewing Factory for 10 years. He talks about growing up with 4 brothers and 1 sister, and the importance of spending time outdoors in their upbringing. He also talks about how his parents instilled a value for going to church in him at a young age. This value is still important to him today. Puerto Rico, early life ; Ford Motor Company ; Dalton Sewing Factory, ; childhood ; parents 0 182 Religion and Children Absolutely. I'm no longer in, in the Catholic church, but I belong to a House of Praise International, what they consider born again Christian. I've been serving the Lord actually this year will be 32 years. I accepted Jesus Christ when I was 30 years old. Mr. Morell is no longer a part of the Catholic Church, and is now a member of the House of Praise International. He speaks about how both of his sons, Seth and Justin, were raised in the church. Mr. Morell shares a childhood memory of Friday trips to the grocery store with his mother. On these days she would allow him and his brother to pick out special treats such as pop tarts and cereal, and visit restaurants such as Burger King, McDonalds, and the Casey’s hamburgers on 21st street in Lorain. Children ; religion ; Christianity ; Catholicism ; House of Praise International 0 345 Decision to Enlist How did you first begin to think about military service? Mr. Morell talks about his family’s connection to the Ford. Both his father and older brother worked for Ford for many years, and he assumed during high school that he would work there as well. However, layoffs began at Ford in 1979, a year before he graduated high school in 1980. This left him to find alternative plans. His friend, Jack Lowe, had joined the Marine Corps in 1979 so Morell figured that he would as well. &#13 ; Arvin Morell and his friend from “up the street”, Angelo Capello, joined the military together as a part of the Buddy System. Morell talks about the comfort of going into bootcamp with somebody who he grew up with. He also talks about coming from a military family himself. His oldest brother, Tony Morell was drafted into the Vietnam War. Another older brother, Ray Morell, went into the Air Force in 1979.&#13 ; Ford Motor Company ; U.S. Marines ; layoffs ; Buddy System 0 500 Early Military Service And where did you do basic training? Mr. Morell talks about going into basic training at Parris Island, right out of high school at age 18. His service lasted for four years, from August 15th 1980, to August 14th, 1984. He speaks more about the experience of going into the military with Angelo Capello, a friend from Lorain who he already knew. He says that this eased the experience of leaving home for the first time. &#13 ; Morell talks about how the military shaped him, specifically about how it taught him discipline. He says that the Marine Corps turned him “from a boy into a man.” In an anecdote about shaving his head, he explains how the military “wants you to be one person” and the importance of being responsible for the whole community. Parris Island ; enlistment ; discipline ; U.S. Marines 0 719 Engagement and Early Marriage Right. I have some questions now about your time in service. Arvin talks about his relationship with his now-wife Glenda, throughout his time in service.The two of them were highschool sweethearts, and got engaged at age 19 during his second year of service. Marrying Glenda allowed her to travel with him, when he wasn’t stationed overseas. &#13 ; He proposed to her by payphone while stationed in Naples, Italy. He talks about the difficulty of being separated from her, the letters that the two of them would send to each other while he was away, and how he spent their first wedding anniversary stationed in Beirut, Lebanon. He shares that he kept the coins from the payphone he used to propose, and had the three of them put together as a 25th wedding anniversary gift. The three coins symbolize himself, Glenda, and God together as one. spouse ; letters ; high school sweethearts ; Naples, Italy ; Beirut, Lebanon 0 932 Military Travel What was the most challenging part of your service? Mr. Morell talks about his experiences traveling while in the military. He shares that he appreciated being able to see places that he would have never seen otherwise. However, it was still difficult to be brought away from his wife. He was surprised to find Spanish spoken in different places around the world. His favorite place to visit was Naples, and he found himself able to communicate with the Italians through Spanish. His wife would either stay in Lorain, or Camp LeJeune in North Carolina while he was overseas. Travel ; Camp Lejeune ; Naples ; spouse ; Spanish 0 1082 Military Jobs and Military Discharge And what was your role, working with the ships? Mr. Morell explains his job in the military as a field wireman switchboard operator, and the process of connecting the switchboards for military communications. He talks about his decision to leave after fulfilling his obligation of four service years. He discusses not wanting to go overseas for a third time as being a main factor is his decision to leave the military. military jobs ; overseas deployment ; military communications ; discharge 0 1224 Returning to Lorain and a Career with the U.S. Postal Service Did you come back to Lorain after? Mr. Morell talks about returning back home to Lorain following his service. He discusses working at the Post Office for 32 ½ years, as a letter carrier in the towns of Elyria, North Ridgeville, and Oberlin Ohio. He talks about how the discipline and punctuality learned through the military became a part of his everyday life, and work as a postal carrier. He also talks about how his original family values of “discipline” learned by his parents, were continued through his time in the military. He says that the military “molds you into what they want you to be.” In an anecdote about “sea-rats” or sea-rations, he explains how the military taught him to become adaptable in different environments. civilian life ; U.S. Postal Service ; discipline ; c-rations (c-rats) 0 1459 Feelings About the Military How has your military service impacted your feelings about war, and the military in general? Morell talks about living in the Beirut building, a year before the 1984 bombing. He shares how his military experience affects his feelings about athletes kneeling for the flag at sporting events. He says that he flys the flag proudly everyday, and that to him it means “freedom, democracy, liberty, and justice for all.” To him, the American flag means that everybody is equal, though it may not always be that way in real life. He shares how he still is willing to sacrifice his life for the country, regardless of those who may not think of him as an American. athletes kneeling ; American flag ; citizenship ; democracy ; freedom ; liberty ; justice ; equality ; racism ; discrimination ; Hispanic ; patriotism ; Beirut bombing (1984) 0 1637 Closing Thoughts What message would you like to leave for future generations, who will view or hear this interview? Morell shares his message for the upcoming generation: “We live in a wonderful country.” He shares how the Marine Corps made him the person he is today, and his great respect for all people who serve in the military. He talks about his positive experiences with the VA system. He discusses the importance of the VA, and of presidential support for veterans. He talks about his life as a one of service, both in his military time and in working as a postal carrier for 32 years. He says that his name, Arvin, means “friend of the people.” He says that he loves God and that he loves people. U.S. Marines ; VA programs ; postal carrier 0 1854 Sharing Photos and Souvenirs I had a couple souvenirs that I'll share. Okay. Arvin Morell shares a series of photographs and souvenirs from his time in service. He shares several images from his time in Beirut, Lebanon, and talks in more detail about living in Beirut before the 1984 bombing. He shares a commemorative jacket that he had commissioned after his service, embroidered with the astrological signs of himself and his wife, and all of the locations he traveled to. He talks about his two sons, who currently work at the post office and as an air traffic controller, and three grandchildren. He closes the interview by reading “Christmas in Beirut”, a poem by his fellow service member, Walt Kennedy. Travel ; Beirut bombing (1984) ; family ; Beirut 0 Oral History In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Morell_Arvin.xml LL_Morell_Arvin.xml Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Arvin Morell Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2023-10-28 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/8f0b4ee52a6c2718d4d5502265cca123.jpg 26fef171b77da56870d2ca4695dae3e9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. 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Title A name given to the resource Arvin Morell #2 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/e39e94bb910801b5459e47cdb77053ea.jpg fc50cae9fd5bc95affa3a8bf2d5359ce Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Arvin Morell #1 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/f1b4362936da310d4a85101ef9655fa7.jpg 4625b8eff6d747ba4a3b26af30e467cf https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/d5442d69c5eaf6608f259f7fc5c837ba.jpg 3f3e59a5b7690aff8366bdada7a4c075 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer at Fort Drum Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource (New York) February 1984 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/21f2c4ddf3003b0e1070a9616ffd1d27.jpg 369a7fa7021880a4925b4d3436ef618d https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/7329056de03dc3d3851402f0ca9c1c49.jpg af4365202642109e37b2459ea88950fd Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer at Fort Totten Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource (Queens, New York) February 1984 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/230ef86506b43a1fbfe73a82ce5297a4.jpg fc3ce637326faf8321803e6456d67d66 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Arvin Morell and Wife Portrait https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/d337666ee7d58e2ffd57282c5bba66b9.jpg 4072f42b06bb0b3915149c7f69b8dadf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Arvin Morell Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Arvin Morell Portrait 1 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/0638c3a054a083739e6d126c80aa6aab.jpg 6115e25d0cef15eaef09b8e40c1a1789 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Description An account of the resource Test description Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Portrait 2 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/2f99afb1be020449df0c617ea44bab14.jpg e6defaf3c47c1a0d3caab8fba6b29ced Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Description An account of the resource Test description Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Portrait 1 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/6c90b89429ea6f3ee1496bd136663d75.jpg 93892a9fccb2a56005444c0e96ffc0de Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Raul Garcia Portrait 2 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/30244fc56d9d7026c91bd59314634661.jpg 8d6ebdb2d3275bf1987c361470659786 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Raul Garcia Portrait 1 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/bc2215e360108558631df1a91a38f465.jpg f91f502fdc8bda2582c746eae36ccd63 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Raul Garcia in Phillipines https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b41203624adb5c45a75eaaccb5a40979.jpg c81dd5c3cdbc1001f8edb6eeef43636a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Raul Garcia's First Day in Hawaii https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/85e1756e581b93a5ac4747dd088b403e.jpg dd5d77193615fef5be118e3876930711 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Raul Garcia Navy Headshot https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/58f7f7c13069238932da7042c9d124ab.jpg 9e9e98b458699c3b174890c5b67454f7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez's Selective Service System Registration Certificate Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/d4323050418cdb7d9395d46fd8477530.jpg b39e9c6727050bacea0b4caaf940f46f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez's Selective Service System Registration Certificate Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/e43a27c155a174602c84f9c6adb4c0fe.jpg a720e92bba8e083683d69bccac6ed13c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez in uniform at the Chicksands Airforce Base Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Matinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/9f6b5aded2d8957bc470edebd0533a17.jpg add3d1ba26742897682ec1821281853e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez in uniform with a woman Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/bb086125f2cfd9fa527c70ff4fa47e62.jpg 5258ae329d70bf5c0766821287702a77 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez's Lackland Military Training Center letter Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/574f61e77d25bc29093f781509ab7ed6.PNG 59b08622d7442c198830e442182615cf Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Leah Yonemoto-Weston Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Merida Rodriguez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rodriguez_Merida.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Merida Rodriguez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Merida Rodriguez Leah Yonemoto-Weston 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/5999n342c Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Merida Rodriguez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/nv935287v/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to interview with Merida Rodriguez Okay, we have to start by doing what’s called a LEDE. It’s just kind of an introduction by saying I’m here interviewing Ms. Merida Rodriguez and like a formal statement. Do you want me to say Mary or Merida for this? Yonemoto-Weston conducts a LEDE and introduces Merida Rodriguez who is being interviewed on October 29th, 2022 for the Latino Veterans Oral History Project which is a collaboration between the Lorain Historical Society, El Centro de Servicios Sociales and Oberlin College. 47 Early life, from Puerto Rico to Lorain We’ll begin with some questions about your early life if that’s ok? So I guess we’ll just start with, can you begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up? Rodriguez recounts that she was born in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico and then brought to Lorain, Ohio a year later by her family where she has lived ever since. She states that she knows Lorain very well and that the location for the interview (Lorain Historical Society) was once a public library. Rodriguez describes being raised in the neighborhood surrounding Lorain Historical Society, Downtown Broadway, in apartments with many other Hispanic families and attending the local schools. She recounts that she met her husband and other friends, including Celestino Rivera, through Sacred Heart Chapel’s youth groups. Rodriguez describes how she and her husband made their first Communion together as children before becoming a couple many years later. Catholicism ; friends ; migration ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico 214 Meeting husband and early days of relationship Wow! That’s so wild! So how old were you when you and your husband started dating? Rodriguez describes that she and her husband started dating when she was 17 years old after finishing high school. She states that knowing her husband through her brothers growing up made him feel like a friend first and foremost before developing a romantic relationship with him. Rodriguez describes how her husband was drafted and sent to Vietnam while the two were dating. They eventually reunited in Puerto Rico when he received “R and R” and Rodriguez went to meet and visit family there. She describes the joy of meeting both her own family and her husband’s family as well during this trip. family ; Puerto Rico ; Vietnam War 315 Family and friends in the military I definitely want to talk about, obviously, your husband’s service and everything like that in Vietnam, but before we go there, you talked about your brothers. Did you have any sisters as well? Rodriguez discusses her family including how she has two older brothers but no sisters. One of her brothers, Hector Rodriguez, was in the air force and served for four years and their other brother, Angel, was in the navy. Rodriguez describes how neither of her brothers were sent to Vietnam but instead to Thailand and The Netherlands. After their military service, both the brothers came back to Lorain and got married. Rodriguez describes how she knew many people in the military and many military families growing up. Most of her friends were drafted, including her husband. However, she describes that her brothers enlisted. Yonemoto-Weston asks about other members of Rodriguez’s family growing up and Rodriguez describes how her father came to Lorain to work in the steel mill. Rodriguez recounts that her father left Puerto Rico for Connecticut with his brother before moving to Lorain and that after he was able to save up money, he sent for Rodriguez and her mother and brothers in Puerto Rico and moved them to the U.S. with him. Rodriguez states that Lorain is most of what she knows in respect to her surroundings as she has lived there for so long and the vast majority of her life. draft ; military family ; U.S. Air Force ; U.S. Navy 467 Life in Lorain during husband’s service and difficulties of his return after war We can talk a little bit more about your husband’s service if that’s alright with you. So you met at Sacred Heart and then how did you learn he was being drafted? What did that feel like to you? Rodriguez recounts that the draft was a communal thing during the Vietnam War and how most of her male family and friends were drafted around the same time in 1968-69 and pretty much everyone in her community knew someone in the military. Rodriguez describes dating her husband before he served six months in Vietnam and then returning to Lorain together from their trip to Puerto Rico after his service. She states that the two dated for a bit longer after returning to Lorain before getting engaged. Rodriguez recalls that she could see the difference in her husband’s personality after his return from Vietnam. She describes him being less calm and relaxed and having anxiety, which was difficult for her to understand. Rodriguez discusses how the general American societal culture at the time was very hostile towards Vietnam veterans and that her husband experienced harassment including being spit on and being told not to wear his uniform upon returning to the U.S. Rodriguez states that she heard and saw these things but that they were hard for her to absorb or fully understand as a civilian who’s relationship with her husband was independent from the military and his service. She states that the world was in a very different place and time culturally. Rodriguez recalls that this time was very difficult because she did not understand where her husband’s anxiety and depression were coming from and that she felt she was naive to these issues when she married a person who was struggling. Yonemoto-Weston asks what kinds of things Rodriguez was involved with while her husband was away in Vietnam. Rodriguez answers that she attended beauty school and started working in various beauty parlors as she waited for her husband to return. She also states that she found community in her church with other women whose husbands or fiancees were at war. Rodriguez describes this as a traumatic time as the community repeatedly had to experience the loss of friends and family serving overseas. She reminisces about sending letters to her husband while he was away and receiving the letter with the news that he was being discharged. depression ; discrimination ; marriage ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; trauma ; Vietnam 975 Marriage and family life, husband’s journey to recovery Could you tell me more about your life after he was discharged and what that was like? Your married life? Rodriguez discusses how over all her marriage has been wonderful and she feels lucky. She talks about how once she and her husband had children in the 1960s, things started to change in terms of her husband’s mental health and Rodriguez could not understand this shift. She gives examples of how his PTSD would affect the family like that he could only sit facing the windows of a building in public settings and did not like crowds and how this represented a loss of trust in the community around him. Rodriguez describes her husband as not feeling secure during this time. She emphasized however, that her husband was a wonderful father and did not let his mental health issues affect his parenting. In fact, according to Rodriguez, her husband would emphasize to his children that they were lucky to have the things they did in the US and that children in Vietnam did not have the same privileges. Rodrgiuez expresses that she feels that she had to keep a lot secret and hold a lot of her husband’s trauma and that she believes many Vietnam veteran wives feel the same way. She discusses how the creation of VA programs and the expansion of mental health awareness has made things a lot easier for their family in the past few decades. children ; family ; mental health ; VA medical center ; Veterans Affairs 1401 PTSD and cultural mental health education Because it’s, uh, it’s, I have to tell you it’s sad when you see someone you love suffer from anxiety, depression, which is what we know today as PTSD. I didn’t even know what that meant. I remember he used to come home and say, “You know they say I have PTSD!” and I’m like “Well, what’s that?”. So we all had to be educated on that. Rodriguez discusses how awareness around PTSD and veterans’ mental health has become more widespread in the past 20 years and how this has helped her community and family. She describes that understanding and naming the things her husband has gone through validates her experiences because it was difficult to help her husband through this PTSD. marital relationship ; PTSD ; spouse ; stigma 1599 Pride and strength Was there anything you found to be good or fulfilling about being the wife of a Vietnam vet? Or any positive parts? Rodriguez states that a positive part of being a Vietnam veteran’s wife has made her very prideful and aware of the sacrifices veterans have gone through. She describes feeling glad that she was naive to the atrocities of war while it was happening or else she does not know how the community would have coped. Rodriguez describes the strength, empathy, kindness, and compassion she gained from being a Vietnam veteran’s wife. Though she describes herself as being less trusting as well and feels well aware of the toll war takes on people. She praises her children for enduring the aftermath of their father’s service. familial support ; respect 1911 Message for future generations What message would you like to leave for future generations who might view or hear this interview? Rodriguez describes her message for future generations as to not give up on one’s family struggling with mental health issues as veterans. She describes the importance of continuing to support veterans through the hard times and help destigmatize mental health. future ; love ; support In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rodriguez_Merida.xml LL_Rodriguez_Merida.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0023 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Merida Rodriguez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/40bc77dd8f94d9e95c5ea3df14a2c14a.PNG 901a3ae199cac1e76ffae20f36762cb8 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Tzetzangare Rosas-Perez Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Jose Rodriguez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rodriguez_Jose.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Jose L Rodriguez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Jose Rodriguez Tzetzangare Rosas-Perez 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/k0698750g Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Jose Rodriguez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/g158bh30q/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introductions I'm Tzetzangare Rosas-Perez and I am interviewing Mr. Jose Rodriguez to talk about his life as part of the Latino Veterans Project. Mr. Jose Luis Rodriguez was born April 22, 1946. The interview was done on October 29th, 2022, in the Lorain Historical Society. 42 Early Life: Growing up in Puerto Rico Let’s begin with some questions about your early life. Can you just begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up. Mr. Rodriguez was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico where he was raised for the first 12 years of his life. Both his parents and grandparents were born in Yabucoa meaning he had generational connections with his homeland. He discusses what it was like to attend school especially since he only had to go for half a day. Mr. Rodriguez explains that this was mainly because he had to return home and help out with chores around the house and the farm. One of the details he notes is not wearing shoes even though they lived on a hill and how he had to attend school with no running water or electricity but that just showing how much things change over time. Rural Living ; Yabucoa, Puerto Rico 114 Family Dynamics: Working on the Farm My dad had came to the United States in 1950. My mother and him had had three children. Mr. Rodriguez discusses the beginning of his family's move to the United States. His father had first moved to the United States in 1950 leaving him at home almost like the man of the house. Since his parent’s had three children, him being the oldest of two younger brothers, he felt a sense of responsibility. This came across by working on his family farm to help his grandfather and grandmother plow the fields with oxen. Even though his father left when he was six this did not impede him from helping his grandfather to work on the tobacco fields where he was given a jar to pick the insects off the tobacco plants. His own mother’s first job was working with his grandfather packing cigars. He notes that part of his job was also going around his neighborhood and selling the products his grandparent’s farm produced in addition to still going to school Family ; Farm Work ; Migration ; Tobacco 265 Connections to the Earth We lived outside mostly. After discussing just how much working on the farm meant to him, he reiterated that he lived mostly outside and enjoyed eating a lot of fruits. Everything that they had or used they grew, in other words he notes the self-sufficiency that he and his family practiced outside of the canned goods. As he said they had everything from tobacco to coffee. He also mentions that he had a dog that used to follow him around even to school which was 2 miles away. He had gotten this dog about two years before coming to the United States himself. Pets ; Self-Sufficiency 319 New Life: Coming to Ohio So, when I had to leave Puerto Rico it was hard. I didn’t want to come. Since Mr. Rodriguez had such a connection not just to the people in Puerto Rico but also the land and animals it was hard for him to leave when it came time. He migrated in February 1956 to Ohio where his father came to work in the Steel Mills in Youngstown. He had extended family spread around Ohio but ended up arriving in Lorain and not Youngstown with his father. His mother decided to go to Lorain because her brother was in Lorain as well as some other close family members. His father not only worked at the Steel Mill but also as a cook at the railroad. His father worked from Sunday evenings until Friday’s which made it difficult for their introduction and settling in the United States because his mother did not speak English. They had arrived in the East Side of Lorain but then moved to the West Side in 3rd grade (1958). Since getting to the United States his mother had four new siblings, three brothers and one sister. On the West Side they lived on 14th Street in an apartment building with other Puerto Rican families. He reminisces on the constant moving around that he experienced. Railroad ; Steel Mills ; Youngstown 532 Religion: Attending Catholic School My dad put us in Catholic School here. I remember we used to clean the church After coming to Lorain he was put into Catholic school by his father where he cleaned the church. The church and the school were in the same building and by cleaning the church they would help pay for their tuition. All three of his brothers, the older siblings, would partake in the cleaning. Catholic School ; Jobs 568 Father’s Job: Painter My father used to paint houses on the side. His father also used to paint houses on the side to maintain his family. It would not only be his father but also Mr. Rodriguez’s brothers and his uncle at times. They would start on Friday and by Sunday the house would be finished. Family ; Family and Labor 582 Religion: Early Involvement While we lived there, I was pretty much involved in the church Mr. Rodriguez reflects on his involvement with the church. He was a catechist at 18 years old to students that were only 13-15 years old at Old St. Peters on 17th Street. His father and mother were always close to the people and priests at church. His father didn’t drive so to get to church there would be a gentleman that would drive around in a Station Wagon or a Van to pick them up. Catechist ; Old St. Peters, Catholic Church 642 Friendships and Adolescence I had some really close friends. Jose Gonzalez, who used to live on 9th street, was one of many close friends in Lorain. He was the oldest of 13 and Mr. Rodriguez was the oldest of seven so they would always be watching kids. They became really close friends and to this day they are friends. He graduated from 8th grade from St. Josephs, the church school, he went to Lorain High. He was way ahead when he got into Lorain High so he breezed through with all A’s. He went there for another year, where he then decided to transfer to Admiral King because they had an electrical program. After deciding he didn’t like it he transferred back to Lorain High. He also did it for his girlfriend at the time, girlfriend since 8th grade until graduation where they broke up since she was going to college. Admiral King High ; Friendships ; Lorain High School ; St. Joseph Middle School 761 Getting Drafted That’s when I got drafted. When I graduated in 1966 in June, by September I had been drafted and I was on my way to Columbus, Georgia. Once he graduated in June 1966 he was quickly drafted by September. He was sent to Columbus, Georgia with a group of 90 more boys from Lorain County that were also going to Georgia for basic training. After going through several programs and training the military wanted him to go to OCS [Officer Candidate School] which he thought was good until he realized he needed to enlist for another 9 months. He was sent to Virginia in hopes he would be interested in OCS there. Columbus, Georgia ; Draft ; Officer Candidate School ; Virginia 855 Community and Mentorship It seems like the move from Puerto Rico to Lorain or Youngstown was a bit difficult because of the loss of community but the church served as that community built here. It sounds like you were a role model to the younger kids and the community, being the oldest. Were there some friends, mentors, or role models in your life you haven’t discussed yet His dad’s best friend, Alfonso Rodriguez, was thought to be his father’s brother because of the shared last name and since they spent so much time together. Alfonso and his wife had no children themselves but they were really close to his dad and his family. Since his father did not drive Alfonso would drive them around, everyone would be in the car. They would go to Youngstown quite a bit with them. Alfonso was a good man who Mr. Rodriguez never heard say any bad word. He would often give him consejos, or advice. His godfather lived in Youngstown, where he would often go, always had a room for him. His godfather would also give him a lot of consejos. His father was crude and rough with them since he ruled with an iron fist. He gave his kids a strict curfew where he would be forced to sleep outside if he was late. He also gave him a lot of girl advice although he was always working. This meant his mother did a lot of the policing because his father was not around too much. She was a great cook and there would always be people and friends over. One of those close friends was Celestino Rivera, his brother’s best friend. Celestino was very smart, everyone thought he would be a priest. Celestino Rivera ; Family Friend ; Mentorship 1101 Church: Building Programs and Defining Relationships I was really involved in the church. As a matter of fact, I was the vice president of the Parish Council when I was only 26. As a young adult, Mr. Rodriguez was once again very involved with the church, more specifically Sacred Heart. He became the vice president of the Parish Council at only 26 years old which is a position he held for 8 years. Mr. Rodriguez became close to Father Bruce and all of the other priests that moved through the church. Together with his wife, they became involved with the church by starting new programs that are still being used. One of those programs were godparent classes which godparents, especially for baptism, needed to take before becoming godparents. Another program that he created was the Crusillo Essay for the Sacred Heart Church which is an intense three week retreat at the age of 23. His development allowed for the Crusillo movement to expand across the country. Marriage Encounters, another weekend retreat for couples, was one other program that he helped create to help build communication between relationships. The main thing that he did was making sure that talks for Marriage Encounters were translated from English to Spanish. He also talks about the impact that COVID had on his interactions and even his celebration of 50 years of marriage. Cursillo Program ; Marriage ; Parish Council ; Sacred Heart Catholic Chapel 1594 Dealing with Health The thing with that is that while all that was going on, I was dealing with depression and anxiety. Mr. Rodriguez discusses that while he was the program coordinator and such a critical part of the church community, he was also dealing with depression and PTSD. At the time, he did not know about PTSD and in fact was not diagnosed with it until 1998.He notes that in 1970 he had gone to the VA Medical Center but instead of getting a diagnosis he was just given the runaround. As a coping mechanism he became a workaholic, while working at the Steel Mills as an electrician he was also working as an exterminator on the side. He was a people person which was aided by his jobs which moved him all over Ohio to do work. Mr. Rodriguez shares that in 1999 and 2001 he had two major back surgeries which put him out of work for a year. He had been advised by his doctor to not go back to work and instead ask for disability pension in 2002. He left his Steel Mill job but kept his small business going since his brothers also relied on it as their sustenance. He is reminiscent of the period of time he would go on walks with an old friend for 6 years. Disability ; Mental Health ; PTSD ; Steel Mill ; Surgeries 1795 Family: Father Figure and Marriage After a while, I had to quit the walks. We did it for about 6 years. Because I had to deal with the kids. Mr. Rodriguez discusses what it was like helping his daughter raise her three children after and even before she divorced her husband. He explains that he had become a father figure to his grandchildren, especially his granddaughter Sofia. He then goes on to explain his connection with his wife even as children. He explains that he knew his wife from their First Communion especially because she was his friend’s little sister . He is three years older than her, meaning that they met when he was 13 and she was 10. He remembers that she was his brother’s girlfriend first, before he was drafted to Vietnam. One of his memories is picking up girls after coming up from Vietnam. He later became engaged to his wife in 1969 and they were married by 1970. Father Figure ; Spouse 1983 Back from Vietnam and Thoughts I came back...When I came from Vietnam, instead of going home, I went to Puerto Rico. Mr. Rodriguez explains that after he came back from Vietnam he went to Puerto Rico to visit his grandparents instead of coming home. He wasn’t aware at the time, but when he came back from Vietnam his brother was drafted which caused his mother to have a nervous breakdown. It was a highly tense time in Lorain, his neighbor’s husband had actually passed away in Vietnam. His mother’s godson was also killed in Vietnam. He went back to Fort Bragg since he still had four months of service to finish and then went to New York to visit his aunt and uncle for a month before finally returning to Lorain. This is when he found out that his mother had been put in a psychiatric ward after the news about his brother’s draft. He describes his feelings after serving as being rattled and having to deal with the anxiety of post war life. Through all of this he explains that the person that should be getting the recognition or a purple heart should be his wife that stood by him. Mr. Rodriguez had always thought that he would be going to college or at least a form of school after highschool. What actually happened was that he was so used to working he didn’t enroll and was suddenly drafted into the Vietnam war. He hadn’t even thought of the military until then since he didn’t think he would be drafted. Having no preconceived notions other than the handful of people in his family and friends that had served. He remembers once going to Fort Knox to visit his uncle that worked as an instructor on tanks for 30 years. Draft ; Fort Bragg ; Fort Knox ; New York ; Puerto Rico ; Purple Heart ; Vietnam 2237 Getting Help I think what happened was I wanted to forget it all. Mr. Rodriguez talks about all Vietnam Veterans that he knew would try to forget their service just like he did. He mentioned that he had been going to group counseling with other veterans which was interrupted by the pandemic. One of the things he discovered was that the same kids that he went to school with and grew up with went to Vietnam and served but it was never discussed afterwards. Mr. Rodriguez didn’t even know who had gone and who hadn’t and it wasn’t until group counseling that he was beginning to have answers. Edwin Lopez, his godson, was the one who encouraged and ultimately convinced him to go to these meetings and it was after discovering that he had also been to Vietnam. Mr. Rodriguez also discusses that divorce was a huge side effect from veterans. Almost everyone that he knew got divorced, and he feels like one of the lucky ones because his wife hung in there with him. From his observations, veterans often turned to drugs and alcohol, they had anger issues, became unhoused, and would find themselves in trouble with the law. He confesses that he was also drinking while working and program coordinating to lessen the anxiety that he felt, in his words a functioning drinker. He sympathizes, and explains that these veterans were simply looking for relief because it seemed like no one wanted to deal with them. The counseling group was actually started by Vietnam Veterans for Vietnam Veterans. He explains that he didn’t wear his hat for over 45 years because of how Vietnam Veterans were viewed and received. The only thing they had has to rely on each other since they were the only ones to understand their experiences. For a long time he didn’t think he needed any help since he was already going to therapy. He emphasizes that the Vet Center in Cleveland became a resource to him and that after so many years he was finally able to talk about Vietnam without getting worked up. Group Counseling ; Pandemic ; Substances ; Veterans Helping Veterans 2767 Experiences and Lessons So I think it would be really interesting, and I know that you were saying it's been difficult to talk about your service. Would you want to speak more about any connections or challenges with the service? Mr. Rodriguez compares his experiences to that of his younger brother. He talks about how his brother went to service and came back worse than Mr. Rodriguez. He explains that unfortunately he recently passed and he never had the chance or opportunity to talk with him about his service. Mainly because his brother did not want to talk about it. He explains that trauma plays a big role in how they feel and act. Since divorce is a huge symptom of veterans the creation of broken homes was inevitable. He explains that broken homes and divorces can also lead to affecting the kids. Personally he found that navigating life with religion was a way to find comfort. He reveals that he found serving one another was the purpose of life. He questions how people can live without faith. He also shares that he learned that the people that you know are the people that can hurt you the most. Divorce ; Family ; Trauma ; Vietnam 3159 Thoughts Towards the Military and Message for the Future Has your service, with the military and connections with other veterans, impacted your feelings about war or military in general? Mr. Rodriguez discusses how serving has given him an insight into politics and the government. He sees what is going on in the government and the country and how Democrats and Republicans are enemies that just want power. He mentions that some of the ways they do this is by preventing voting through so many measures. After serving it is easier to deal with and notice knowing what war is and what it is fought for. Contrary to what history writes, he doesn’t think that Vietnam is a useless war because he knows they were fighting communism. He mentions the idea of American Amnesia since not much is said about what happened to the Vietnamese people after the US left. He explains that unfortunately in order to kill it was encouraged to see them as not human, but he never saw them as anything other than humans. Mr. Rodriguez wants anyone watching to understand that the people who are fighting the wars are being trained to kill and learning to survive. They are taught that the people who they are fighting against want to hurt them, want to hurt your community, or want to take something away from them. At the end of the day it is people killing people. He believes that this is a situation of the worst in us trying to protect the best in us. He also wishes Vietnam never happened and that there would be no wars. He does understand that the United States has more freedoms than any other country and they were gained because of the wars. He finishes his story by reiterating that the spouses need much more recognition. Government ; Spousal Recognition ; Vietnam In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rodriguez_Jose.xml LL_Rodriguez_Jose.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0022 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Jose L Rodriguez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/777c88d88fbc3a67bfb2443d27adf0f4.PNG a7c6d9b05597bb9f24f482fafa36b287 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Ava Carubia Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Rico Reveron OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Reveron_Rico.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Rico Reveron Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Rico Reveron Ava Carubia 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/hh63sv894 Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Rico Reveron&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/2b88qc22m/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction So I'm Ava Carubia, and I am interviewing Rico Reveron to talk about his life as part of the Latino Veterans Oral History Project. Thank you, Mr. Reveron, for agreeing to be interviewed. Can you please briefly state your name and birthdate? Interviewer and Reveron introduce themselves and establish that the interview is part of the Latino Lorain Veterans Oral History Project. Reveron begins to share some details from his early life in Santurce, Puerto Rico and Cleveland, Ohio. 67 Early Life in Humacao, Puerto Rico and Cleveland, Ohio So you just talked a little bit about your early life and I have some more questions about that. Can you tell me a little more about your parents, like what kind of jobs they had, and just growing up with your family? Mr. Reveron discusses his early life growing up in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Born in 1944, Mr. Reveron moved to Cleveland when he was 10 years old in October of 1954. Mr. Reveron recalls the distinctly clean smell of the Ohio air as he stepped off the plane. Upon his arrival in Cleveland, Mr. Reveron enrolled in Dunham Elementary School, where he was able to continue his 5th year of education training. Addison Junior High School ; Cleveland East High School ; Draft ; Dunham Elementary School ; Humacao, Puerto Rico ; Migration ; Punta Santiago ; Republic Steel ; Steel Mills ; U.S Air Force ; Vietnam War 484 Basic Training And what was it like there, in San Antonio, during basic training? After enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1965, Mr. Reveron was sent to San Antonio, Texas to complete his basic training. Mr. Reveron recalls that it was his discipline that allowed him to make it through the training with minimal problems. Upon completion of his basic training, Mr. Reveron was assigned to a medical squadron with the Air Force and was sent to Gunter Air Base in Montgomery, Alabama, to train as a medic. Gunter Air Force Base ; Montgomery, Alabama ; San Antonio, Texas ; Sheppard Air Force Base ; U.S Air Force ; Wichita Falls 694 Introduction to Wife And then during that time you had met...well she wasn't your wife yet... Mr. Reveron recalls meeting his wife, Mrs. Judy Reveron, in Cleveland in 1964, just before his departure to San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Reveron proposed to Mrs. Reveron in 1966, and the two later married in 1967. Air Force Hospital ; Montreal, Canada ; Utuado, Puerto Rico ; Wichita Falls 937 Military Life So what was life like on the base? I mean, you were not married for some of that time, right? After getting married in 1967, Mr. Reveron and Mrs Reveron moved to Wichita Falls, Texas so that Mr. Reveron could continue his military service. Shortly after moving to Texas as a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Reveron gave birth to their first born daughter, Anna, in 1968. Mr. Reveron recalls how his wife had a difficult time acclimating to life on the military base. Discharge ; Sergeant 1078 Positive Memories of the Air Force And then out of all your service, what was the best thing about being in the military? Mr. Reveron shares his favorite parts about military life, citing free meals, medical treatment, and on-site support as his favorite military benefits. Although Mr. Reveron enjoyed his military benefits, he chose to not re-enlist, as Mrs. Reveron did not like military life. Dallas, Texas ; Denton University ; Denton, Texas ; San Antonio, Texas ; The Red River ; Wichita Mountains 1157 Experiences with Racism What was the most challenging thing about your service? Mr. Reveron recalls the racism he faced while training as a medic in Montgomery, Alabama. After spending the evening at the Airman's Officer Club, Mr. Reveron hailed a taxi cab with his fellow Airman, who was white. Mr. Reveron recalls how the white taxi driver refused to give Mr. Reveron a ride. The taxi driver said to Mr. Reveron, “I'll tell you what. I'll take you (Mr. Reveron’s white friend), but I'm not gonna take you cuz you're brown.” Alabama ; Discrimination ; Non-Enlisted Airman's Club ; Racism 1300 Military Service Comes to an End I know when you ended your service, your wife was relieved, but how did, how did you feel? I felt good, and I felt bad at the same time. I really liked military life...the instructional part and...the order and everything. I had just gotten promoted to sergeant before I got discharged, so I was happy that I had three stripes. Mr. Reveron discusses his initial disappointment at the end of his military service as well as his disappointment upon finally seeing The Alamo, a historic Spanish mission turned museum in San Antonio, Texas. Children ; Discharge ; San Antonio, Texas ; Sergeant ; The Alamo 1469 Lessons from Military Service and Retirement What's something you learned from your military service? I think I learned a lot about the rigidness of being in the service. We were taught how to fold our clothes in one way, how to hang them in a certain way, how to be diligent in the morning or the evenings, and how to pay attention to a lot of details - that has stayed with me throughout my life. Mr. Reveron shares how his time in the military taught him personal discipline, a trait that he later carried into his post-service life. Specifically, Mr. Reveron recalls how upon first leaving the military, he still continued to fold his clothing in the same ways taught to him in basic training. After retiring, Mr. Reveron decided to become a part-time usher for Cleveland sports teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland, Ohio ; Marriage ; Retirement 1775 Feelings about the Military How did your military service impact your feelings about the military in general? At every baseball game and every sporting event, we say the pledge of allegiance. And every time we play the pledge of allegiance, we take our hats off, and we stand our attention, and then we put our hands over our heart and fold the left hand behind us, and we listen to the national anthem and say the pledge of allegiance - that makes me feel proud. Mr. Reveron discusses the pride he feels when he hears the United States' Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem during public sporting events. He describes other instances where he feels proud to be a veteran. Discharge ; National Anthem ; National Pride 1970 Responsibilities while stationed on Military Bases What were your responsibilities at the base? Basically, a lot of medical processing. As I mentioned earlier, Sheppard Air Base was known as a Psychiatric center. We used to get a lot of psychiatric patients. My job back then was mostly paperwork. We also interview and help with the administration. And, I'm meeting patients. I didn't do any psychiatric evaluations or anything like that. It was not a difficult job, but I got used to it. I remember one time, a patient was run over by the heat in front of the hospital, and we had to run outside and give first aid. Mr. Reveron recalls his main responsibilities while working at the Sheppard Air Force Base. Mr. Reveron assisted at the psychiatric facility and assisted the administration with processing paperwork. Medical care ; Psychiatric care ; Sheppard Air Force Base 2046 Message for Future Generations What message would you like to leave for future generations? Please, please get in touch with your congressman, senators and President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Write letters, make phone calls and urge them to support the effort of Puerto Rico being the 51st state of the United States. I, my community, and now my grandchildren are all in college except one high school. And I urged them all to continue their effort to help Puerto Rico become the next state. Mr. Reveron shares his lifelong work to advocate for the civic inclusion of Puerto Rico and urges viewers to call their congress people to support Puerto Rico in its efforts to become the 51st State of America. Mr. Reveron details the history of Puerto Rican immigration into the United States via the Jones Act of 1920 as well as the hypocrisy that Puerto Ricans can serve in the United States military, but are unable to vote in federal elections. Mr. Reveron highlights how Puerto Rico is predominantly affiliated with the Democrat Party, while those in congress opposing the inclusion of Puerto Rico as the 51st State of America are predominantly affiliated with the Republican Party. Jones Act ; Migration ; Puerto Rico ; Statehood 2565 Personal Documents, Photos, and Artifacts I was wondering if you wanted to share some of your documents? This picture was taken in the spring of 1967 at the Shepherd Air Force Base flight line. This was a training airplane. It was an F-104. And the plane was ready to scramble. I was not a pilot, but I was allowed to go on the flight line. My friends and I used to take our cameras and just roam around the Air Force base. A lot of people didn't know this, but Shepherd Air Force Base back then was a tactical air training base. When you train the German Air Force or the Iranian Air Force, they used to come to Shepherd Air Force Bay to be trained as helicopter pilots and as jet pilots. The base constantly had helicopters flying all over the time and jets playing, taking off and coming back because it was a training base. Mr. Reveron shares personal photos, artifacts, and documents from his time in the military, as well as of his early life in Lorain. These photos, artifacts, and documents include military vaccination records, military dischargement certificates, wedding photos, and more. 65th Infantry of Puerto Rico ; Marriage ; Sheppard Air Force Base In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Reveron_Rico.xml LL_Reveron_Rico.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0018 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rico Reveron Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/05d93bbcebc9b1c0f8aed564cc3ec324.PNG c3508d84de0b0c334ac48e547f6c44d6 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Becky Trigo Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Judy Reveron OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Reveron_Judy.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Judy Reveron Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Judy Reveron Becky Trigo 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/2b88qc21b Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Judy Reveron&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/j67313813/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to interview with Judy Reveron (LEDE) 56 Early Life ; Family in Puerto Rico Can you begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up? I was born in Puerto Rico and I came here when I was 17 years old. Growing up, Judy Reveron’s family worked on fields harvesting sugar cane and coffee. Her community in Puerto Rico was mostly made up of family members, noting that most of her friends were her cousins. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 17, leaving her family in Puerto Rico. family ; farm work ; Puerto Rico 177 Moving to Lorain and Meeting her Husband I moved to the United States when I was 17 years old. I came for a vacation and I stayed. And where did you stay? I stayed with my brother, my oldest brother... he lived here with his family so I came to live with his family. When she came to the United States in 1962, Mrs.Reveron stayed with her brother in Lorain, Ohio. She worked in a factory at 18 years old. Coming to the United States she could only speak Spanish, leading her to the Spanish-speaking, Puerto Rican community of Lorain where she received some guidance. She met her husband at her work in Cleveland through mutual friends. Cleveland ; community ; Factory ; Spanish ; spouse 279 Husband enters military ; Moving to Texas Did you have any concerns about him going into the military? Oh, yes. Because it was the Vietnam era. We were thinking of getting married but it was like ; How about if you get sent to Vietnam? At the time her husband was being drafted they had begun discussing getting married. After he did his basic training and went to medical school, Mrs.Reveron joined her husband on base in Wichita Falls, Texas. They got married in 1967 and she reflects on her lack of English as continuing to isolate her in this new community. She was able to make friends with the other couples on the Sheppard air force base. The church across the street from where they lived was used for both Protestant and Catholic services. She remembers the difficulty of seeing young men returning from Vietnam, suffering from trauma induced mental health issues. catholicism ; church ; community ; Draft ; family ; friendship ; marriage ; mental health ; military base ; Vietnam 570 Family in Military Was there anybody else, like did you have any other friends in the military or also siblings... that served? My brother was also in the service, in Germany, but it was a totally different time... Mrs.Reveron’s brother served in the military in Germany, however she notes that the experience was different and that she was always in communication with her family. Germany ; military family ; service 602 Community and Life in Texas She made many friends from various different states who were all young families. They would celebrate holidays together, stating that the community was only close with each other though now, she says, they’ve lost touch. While her husband worked, Mrs.Reveron worked as a stay-at-home mother. She hated living in Texas ; it was too flat for her liking and the weather was strange. She remembers having to translate arguments between her neighbors children where one child only knew English and the other only knew Spanish. After 3 and a half years of her husband working in Texas, she was delighted to hear that he had received early leave. The time she spent in Texas was very lonely. Children ; Community ; holidays ; language ; loneliness ; Wichita falls 892 Returning to Ohio Mrs.Reveron moved back to Cleveland with her husband since they were already familiar with the area. She states that she didn’t like Cleveland either, saying that it was “too busy” for her. The move was easier because she was close to her mother-in-law and could travel to visit her family in Lorain. Cleveland ; Family ; Lorain 958 Culture of Military Families She recounts a New Years Eve celebration with her husband and other soldiers, feeling pity for them because they didn’t have loved ones to celebrate with. This prompted her husband to decide not to re-enlist in the military. Mrs.Reveron reflects on her feelings of military service. Her husband's service within the military brought them closer together, feeling more secure that he could at least come home. family ; reenlistment ; respect ; soldiers ; solidarity 1136 Message for Future Generations Mrs.Reveron hopes to leave a message of self-respect, dedication, and family. She reflects that neither her nor her husband knew what to expect when entering military life. Being far away from family was an aspect of what made their lifestyle difficult and lonely. Enlistment ; family ; respect ; strength In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Reveron_Judy.xml LL_Reveron_Judy.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0017 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Judy Reveron Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b72dd6823c5dd9da205ecd9a9523d82b.PNG 48629657b8396bd237326f9cf7ea957d Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Trevor Balsely Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Vic Ortiz OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Ortiz_Vic.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Vic Ortiz Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Vic Ortiz Trevor Balsely 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/2j62s492k Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Vic Ortiz&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/2v23vt362/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Early Life I’m Trevor Balsley I’m here today with Vic Ortiz to talk about his life as a part of the Latino Veterans Oral History project. Thank you Vic for being here and for agreeing to be interviewed. Born in Puerto Rico, Vic and his family moved to the Bronx in New York when he was two years old. Shortly thereafter, they relocated five years later to Lorain, Ohio, due to the rise in industry jobs. Growing up in South Lorain, Vic came to meet his wife at a young age. He attended South View High School, which is when he made up his mind to join the military. Bronx ; industry jobs ; Puerto Rico 161 Vic’s Home Life Growing Up Could you tell me a little bit about your home and sisters, and brothers and what the environment was like for you at home? With his family facing financial difficulties, his family moved out to metropolitan housing, a change from his previous way of living. Growing up, Vic talks about the various activities he was involved in such as sports and different part-time jobs. Growing up, he found himself very involved with the Catholic church. Alongside three of his siblings, they would often help their dad with mowing lawns, cleaning the church, and working the grounds. Catholic church ; children ; El Centro ; family ; Financial struggles ; siblings ; Sports 501 Military and How He Started Thinking About It How did you first start to consider the military when you were in high school? Were you thinking that was a place you wanted to be or a future you wanted for yourself? Vic began his military journey after his brother, who was enlisted, talked to him about joining. Prior to this, Vic attended LCCC and unfortunately failed out of school. Left feeling lost, he found himself talking with a recruiter after speaking with his brother. Shortly thereafter, he was sent off and began his work as a fire technician. ASVAB ; enlistment ; Fire technician ; Lorain County Community College (LCCC) ; military ; Nuclear program 700 Family and Friends How did your family react to that? Your parents? The rest of your siblings? After Vic broke the news to his family and friends, they were all surprised since they knew Vic as someone who had problems with authority. However, Vic realized he needed direction in his life and needed to be disciplined. authority ; discipline ; enlistment ; Family 813 Bootcamp Could you tell me about those few days, weeks, months, in boot camp? What were your initial moments in the military and that was for you, especially with what you were saying about discipline? Carded off from the Cleveland MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) station, he talks about his initial experience at bootcamp and arriving at the barracks. Growing up, Vic was pretty aggressive when it came to sports and would often find himself in fights. This led to conflict during his beginning weeks as he wasn’t fond of power structures. Vic is thankful for the two guys he met there as they were able to keep him level headed and guided him. authority ; barracks ; bootcamp ; friends ; MEPS 1094 Outside Communication Did you have any contact with your family or? I’m interested in your relationship with your wife, then girlfriend, during this whole process. What was that like? During his time at bootcamp, he received top secret security clearance as he was a part of SIOP (Single Integrated Operational Plan). This granted him access to communicate with people back home. Since he had to make frequent calls, he was able to keep in touch with his family and wife. Only a select few had that type of clearance. bootcamp ; clearance ; communication ; family ; SIOP 1186 After Basic Training Could you tell me about after basic training, the process of coming into the military and where you were first stationed? After basic training, Vic went to submarine school in Groton, Connecticut for a few months. Frank, one of his good friends he met at bootcamp, went on to attend the same school. Rey, who was another good friend of his, would often visit them in Connecticut. Their relationship stayed strong and would eventually become even more fortified during their time in Virginia. Vic went down to Virginia to complete A and 2 C schools. While Frank stayed in Connecticut to finish his schooling, he would end up being stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Rey, who went into the reserves and became an x-ray technician, would end up also being stationed in Virginia. This rare circumstance would lead them to form a lifetime bond still present in Vic’s life today. Vic would go on to marry his wife in Virginia and moved in together by Oceana Naval Base. Charleston, North Carolina ; friends ; Groton, Connecticut ; Norfolk, Virgina ; Oceana Naval Base ; Spouse ; submarine ; U.S. Navy 1725 Time On The Submarine At Sea My first submarine I was one was the USS Francis Scott Key. Vic talks about being stationed on the Francis Scott Key, which was stationed out of Charleston South Carolina, and made patrols out of Kings-bay Georgia. Vic was stationed on boomer submarines that carried Inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) ; the only submarines he was allowed to work on because of his job. Typically he would be out to sea for about 3 months at a time, though this time would often get extended. During his time on the submarine Vic recalls not seeing the sun, not getting phone calls, and not knowing what was going on. He was on an 18 hour clock, standing watch for 6 hours and then being off for 12 hours, which often changed based on the job and tasks required. “Going out to sea is not a lot of fun” Vic says. He notes that at this time there were only men on submarines which was very different from the navy where men and women interacted together. Men on submarines were able to just “be guys” and not worry about things like sexual harassment without the presence of women. Vic says that after being done with a job at sea, he would come back to the port and get about 3 months off. At this point, Vic would only have to check in with his division officer every 72 hours via phone, which allowed him to travel back to Lorain to visit family, or drive to Connecticut to visit friends. Overall, Vic acknowledges that though there were downsides to being in the military, it was an overall good experience. Family ; Submarine ; U.S. Navy 2035 Getting the job of Fire Technician on the West Coast So when I was on the East Coast on the Francis Scott Key I was only there for one patrol. Vic served on the Francis Scott Key on the East coast for one patrol before finding out that the submarine would be decommissioned. He told a career counselor that he would prefer to stay on the East Coast, but instead he was sent out to the West Coast to be a fire technician. In order to work on the submarine on the West Coast, the counselor advised Vic to become qualified, which entailed knowing all parts of a submarine. The qualification process usually took a year, but Vic did the entire qualification process in 3.5 months. This process wore him out greatly. During this time he didn’t sleep or eat, and he only focused on getting qualified. Getting qualified was probably the hardest thing he’s done, but he states that it was completely worth it. Vic says that when you get qualified, “you get treated different, like you belong kind of.” Fire Technician ; Submarine 2260 Navigating Marriage During Time at Sea on the West Coast When I moved out to the West Coast the reason I did not want to go out there was because I didn't know anybody out there and I didn't have any friends. Vic had multiple concerns when moving to the West Coast about how he did not know anyone there and that he did not have any friends there. His biggest concern however was that he would have to leave his wife alone while he was out at sea. He thought he would have three months to get settled with her when they first moved to the West Coast, but instead he found out that he would be sent out on a different submarine within a week of first moving there. In the midst of starting his job on the USS Michigan submarine, Vic would leave the submarine at night and return home to help his wife find somewhere to live. They ended up finding an apartment and getting a dog for his wife as a companion. Vic talks about how he always knew he would never have kids while being in the military. He witnessed children not recognizing their fathers who were in the military, wives leaving their military husbands, and the high divorce rates for military spouses. Comparatively, he says that he took his marriage vows seriously. Despite the stress of being away, Vic liked his actual job at sea. On the submarine they were often busy, and did not have a lot of down time. Vic says “You didn't have time to get lonely or miss anybody back home.” Though he could not call home on the submarine, he was able to get family grams from loved ones. His wife would write about every week or every other week. You could only write so many words, so Vic says that men on submarines had to set up a code before they went out to sea, which allowed loved ones to communicate important matters with them. The submarines that Vic was on allowed them to make port visits, where he could get letters and packages from his wife. On a port visit in San Francisco, Vic and the other men were able to see their wives. Vic notes that this was different from the experience of an older generation of military members who went many years without seeing their spouses. Family ; Marriage ; Pets ; Port Visits ; Spouse 2724 Vic’s Decision to Leave the Navy I’d like to move to your final months in the military, your final station, and also your transition out of service, what that was like and how you decided to leave. Before Vic went to the service he did not really have a direction, but he knew he never wanted to work in a factory, or anything like that. He thought that he would do 20 years of military service and then retire. He had plans to go through the enlisted ranks and finish his degree, and then go into the officer ranks. However, he had a horrible experience on the submarine he was attached to on the West Coast. The senior enlisted person on the submarine, or chief of the boat, was a racist person who made life difficult for Vic. Vic says the chief of the boat “had it in for him”, and that he was one of the reasons Vic ultimately left the military. When Vic enlisted, he enlisted for 6 years because of all of his schooling, and then enlisted for 2 more years on the Francis Scott Key, giving him a total of 8 years of enlistment. He was almost halfway to retirement, which was his original plan. However, at the time President Clinton was doing military drawbacks and they were decommissioning some submarines. They said that some people on Vic’s submarine could leave early, in what was called early-out. Vic applied and got out after 4.5 years, so he did just half of the enlistment he signed up for. His reason for doing early-out was the chief of the boat’s treatment towards Vic. When Vic got on the USS Michigan he made E-5 rank after 21 months which was a fast time to make that rank. E-5 rank is not senior enlistment, but is kind of “middle of the road”, which gave Vic a little bit of respect. The new service members would be at E-1 or E-2 when they arrived, and often had to do service tasks because of their rank. The chief of the boat had Vic do those kinds of chores despite his rank, which caused Vic to have to involve the higher ups. Overall, Vic did not want to be in that situation anymore, which is why he left. Career ; Leaving the military ; Racism ; Rank ; Retirement Plan 2990 Finding a New Job After the Military So I got out of the navy and I came back home, kind of undecided about what I wanted to do. After being in the navy, Vic returned back home. He gave himself a year to figure out what he would do, and if he found nothing in that time, his plan was to re-enlist. He first got a job in engineering at a Lorain factory called Lorain products that made telecommunications equipment. In school he had been in pre-engineering and wanted to be an electrical engineer, but he had not finished his degree. When he interviewed at Lorain products, they said they would pay for the rest of his schooling, and he got a job with them as a field service engineer. However, he hated working at the factory and stayed only for 3 months or less. His backup plan was law enforcement, so at this point he decided to pursue being a police officer and he took the police exam in multiple cities. He ended up getting hired as a police officer in Oberlin. He took the test in November or December, after having gotten out of the navy on January 17th of that year. If Vic did not have a concrete plan by January 17th of the following year, he would have gone back to the military recruiter. A few days before that date, the police chief called Vic to inform him that he did very well on the exam, and offered Vic an interview, and ultimately a job. Vic recalled feeling complicated emotions when he left the military, what he described as feeling bittersweet. He was thankful for the skills he learned in the military like discipline, detail orientation, and organization. He also witnessed a lot of racism and classism which ultimately influenced his decision to leave. Career ; Classism ; Law Enforcement ; Racism 3196 How Vic’s Military Experience Influenced Him as a Police Officer How do you think your experience in the military changed you, how has it influenced the rest of your life after service. Vic recalls growing up in Lorain, a very diverse city. He lived in metropolitan housing when he was young, where he recalls diverse populations that included Hispanic, African American, and Hungarian people. Vic thought that it was the norm to see people from all over. In the military, the diversity of people was magnified, and Vic recalls the different types of people in the military including a British person, impoverished people, well-off people, those from the East Coast, and those from the West Coast. If racism had been prevalent when he was growing up in Lorain, he does not remember seeing it. But he saw and felt it in the military. The racism and classism he witnessed in the military ultimately influenced him in his position as a police officer. His military service made him feel as though as a police officer, it was important to him to treat others the way he wants to be treated, regardless of race, class, etc. He says “It did not escape me the fact that certain people get treated a certain way by police officers”, and he sought to not be like those police officers. He formed bonds and connections with members of the Oberlin community because of this commitment to mutual respect. Vic recalls days as a police officer when he would stop at the park to take his gear off and play with the kids. He would patrol neighborhoods and walk and sit on front porches with people. Vic was aware that these sorts of actions might label other police officers as weak or lesser than, but he did what he thought was the right thing to do as a police officer. A lot of these values came from his time in the navy. He saw how he was treated and how others were treated and he did not want to treat others that way. He talks about teaching kids lessons about law enforcement because he wanted to put them on a better path, almost like being their mentor. He says he wanted to be the opposite of the way he was treated in the navy. Classism ; Diversity ; Racism 3480 Concluding Thoughts About Vic’s Time in the Service Is there anything you'd like to add to this interview, is there anything that feels missing. Vic says that sometimes when he talks about the military he paints it as being bad, but he believes that the military was good to him. He still gets involved in veteran things, and is part of the Ohio Hispanic Veterans Memorial, which is in part due to his involvement with El Centro. He looks back on his time in the military fondly, because if he had not joined it, he does not know where he would be now. Vic grew up in what he says were bad areas, in the Bronx, New York, and the projects in Lorain. He used to think living to 35 was a good number. Growing up he remembers his friends being killed and using drugs. The navy opened Vic’s eyes to a different possibility. Overall, he looks back on his time in the military fondly, saying “there’s the good the bad, what you do with it is what you make of it”. He was glad to have had his time in the service, and to not have put much thought into joining it, or he may have backed out. Overall, he would not change his military service. El Centro ; New York ; Ohio Hispanic Veterans Memorial ; The Bronx In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Ortiz_Vic.xml LL_Ortiz_Vic.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0016 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vic Ortiz Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/e4f70869fc3e56f48230cf2ce067791d.PNG e3b61e9c76a39d77cad8ec90b3018bd8 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Hannah Behroozi Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Cindy Ortiz OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Ortiz_Cindy.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Cindy Ortiz Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Cindy Ortiz Hannah Behroozi 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/6682x3973 Avalon Https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Cindy Ortiz&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/hd76s0082/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 25 Family History and Growing up in Lorain, Ohio Let's start with some questions about your early life. Can you begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up? Mrs. Ortiz was born in Lorain, Ohio, and lived there until she got married. Both sets of her grandparents were from Puerto Rico and moved to New York, but they moved back to Puerto Rico when they found that the mainland wasn't what they were hoping for. Both of her grandfathers then found jobs at Ford and moved to Lorain, where they sent for their families. It was then that Mrs. Ortiz's parents met. Her parents were married in Lorain, where they raised Cindy and her younger sister. Much of Cindy's life revolved around her Catholic faith and Puerto Rican identity. Catholicism ; culture ; faith ; grandparents ; music ; parents ; Puerto Rico ; role models 381 Meeting Victor and Early Marriage So, kind of turning to your family then, can you talk about how and when you met your husband? Cindy and her future husband, Victor, went to the same church with their families when they were growing up. They started dating in high school, when their two-year age gap wasn't as significant. Victor joined the Navy and left for boot camp the day after Cindy graduated from high school. Once the two got married, they lived in Virginia Beach while Victor was finishing submarine school. They then moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where Victor was stationed. Later, they lived in Washington for the remainder of Victor's military service. Charleston, South Carolina ; Desert Storm ; U.S. Navy ; Virginia Beach 761 Early Military Service So when you were in Virginia Beach, was that the first time you lived someplace different from where you grew up? Although she was a little homesick, Cindy enjoyed living in Virginia Beach. She loved getting to explore the places where Victor was stationed. Since they drove from place to place instead of flying, Cindy got to see parts of the country that were new to her. diversity ; homesickness ; travel 939 Life During Deployment What were some of the most challenging things about being a military wife? While Victor was away, Cindy worked retail jobs to pass the time and make some money. While she was working, Cindy often met other military wives. She always got especially excited when she got to work with someone who was Hispanic because she found that she didn't encounter many other Puerto Ricans once she left Lorain. friends ; military wives ; time apart ; work 1040 Moving on from the Military and Coming Back to Lorain Do you recall when you and your husband decided not to continue with the military service? When the military was downsizing and offered Victor the opportunity to leave with honorable discharge and benefits, he and Cindy decided to move on to a new chapter in their lives. They returned to Lorain to be closer to their parents and family. Once they were back in Lorain, they bought a house and began to have children. Cindy started working in the billing department at The LCADA Way, a nonprofit that helps people who struggle with substance abuse. children ; home ; honorable discharge ; work 1150 Family Vacations and Puerto Rican Heritage How did your experiences in general as a military wife (and family) change you? Cindy's experiences while Victor was in the service made her want to show her kids that there are so many places to explore outside of Lorain. She took her kids on a family vacation each summer, and they went to Puerto Rico a couple of times. As she got older, Cindy realized how much of her family's life was based on Puerto Rican culture, and she shared those traditions with her kids. culture ; family ; motherhood ; Puerto Rico 1257 Service: in the Military and Beyond How has your husband's military service impacted your feelings about war and the military in general? Cindy sees the military as a positive force in her and her family's lives. She knows that many people take the military for granted, but she recognizes that it provides Americans with many freedoms. Cindy also sees service as something not limited to the military but accessible to all. She and her family do volunteer work and group activities in their community to help others. Catholicism ; faith ; freedom ; law enforcement ; service ; volunteer 1472 Closing Thoughts and Looking Back Is there anything we haven't spoken about that you would like to talk about? It can be in relation to military service or just your life in general. Cindy fondly looks back on the time Victor spent in the military as an amazing experience. She and Victor now encourage their kids to go on adventures and find their own way just as they did. Although neither of their older kids had been interested in military service, Cindy and Victor would have encouraged them if they had considered it. adventure ; children ; travel In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Ortiz_Cindy.xml LL_Ortiz_Cindy.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0015 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cindy Ortiz Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/3d2524ab05cd4ab547436a9b3f060065.PNG 0c47e7c56eda596ea623d85dc91641ef Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Jonathan Bruzon Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Marty Martinez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Martinez_Marty.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Marty Martinez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Marty Martinez Jonathan Bruzon 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/tb09j569g Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Marty Martinez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/mk61rg95s/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to Interview with Marty Martinez 29 Early Life in Lorain &quot ; So could you first begin by telling me a little a bit about where you were born and where you grew up?&quot ; &quot ; I was born and raised in Ohio and uh, I'm an Italian-Mexican so I lived in the Italian section for the first five years, and then we were some of the first to move to Homewood in South Lorain...&quot ; Marty Martinez was born and raised in Lorain in the mid-1940s, first born in the Italian section of Lorain and then moving to Homewood in South Lorain. He discusses his education path, particularly noting his time at junior high as being very influential for being a tough school. He graduated high school and pursued night classes before enlisting in the military. He also details his family, introducing his Mexican father, Italian mother, and younger sister. He emphasizes that all his decisions were made with family in mind, noting his grandfather on his mother's side as being his biggest role-model, with the Lorain community also helping to raise him as well. Education ; Family ; Role-Model 487 Enlistment and Family Reactions &quot ; So talking about decisions and family, you kinda talked already about how you decided to enlist in the military, so when did you start thinking about military service as something you wanted to do?&quot ; &quot ; I started thinking about it in December of that year cause I was lost. I went to night school for computers. I couldn't afford college ; I didn't have the grades to get the scholarships, but I was just lost from the time I graduated, and I just wanted to get it over with cause I knew I was gonna get drafted.&quot ; After graduating high school, Marty pursued night school as he could not afford college at the time. Claiming to feel lost, he decided to enlist in the military mainly since he knew he was going to be drafted anyways and did not want to delay the inevitable. His main reasoning for joining the Air Force was his constant mentality of &quot ; what can I do to survive,&quot ; joining as he knew the odds of surviving there were greater than that of the Army. He also joined the Air Force knowing that his grandfather once served there. He notes that while his mother was angry with him for enlisting and the rest of his family distraught, they knew that he had to go serve. Enlistment ; Survival ; U.S. Air Force 672 Military Service and Experiences in the U.S. Air Force &quot ; What was your most vivid memory that you can remember either in training or in school?&quot ; &quot ; I went to basic training like everybody, and while I was doing guard duty I bumped into a guy I grew up with. It's a small world. And then after basic training, I was transferred to outside Montgomery, Alabama for medical school cause I was in the medics...&quot ; Marty began his service with basic training and guard duty, then being transferred to Alabama for medical school to serve as a patient care medic. He notes that he was there during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s, having to be cautious because of prejudice and racism there. He then transferred to Tennessee for tactical air command, serving in supply transportation. He was then ordered to a station in the Dominican Republic, serving as a night guard assigned to take care of the labor force. He found his time there to be especially difficult due to the hot weather and dark nights, and even mentioned never being told who the &quot ; enemy&quot ; was. He was then transferred back to Tennessee until 1966, when he was ordered to go to France and then England, and mentions his time in Europe as being his most fond memory of his service. He then ends his description of his service by admitting that he did not wish to come back home once his service was over. Dominican Republic ; Europe ; Medics ; Tactical Air Command 1164 Post-Service: Occupations and Struggles &quot ; I was in England and I stayed 6 months in England because I didn't wanna come home. I would've stayed but I survived the war, it's all about survival. I survived in the first place, why would I wanna stay in when this time I'd go for sure. So I ended up coming home and the only reason I came home was cause of my grandfather Ragnoni, I just loved him dearly...&quot ; Marty reflects on his feelings of not wishing to come home after service, noting that the biggest reason he returned was to see his grandfather, who he ended up staying with when he first returned. He emphasizes the feeling of betrayal he experienced upon his return, noting that veterans are often thanked now upon the basis that the military is now volunteer-based, but he was never given any gratitude at the time of his return. He then goes on to discuss his post-service education and occupations, beginning with his studies at Lorain Community College in computer science while working at Standard Oil of Ohio (SOHIO) in marketing. He then went on to major in business at Baldwin Wallace University while making a living. He recounts the many occupations he's had, including a traveling insurance company, Cleveland Clinic, and multiple banks. He found out very difficult and discouraging to navigate through these, mentioning that despite his hard work he was treated poorly and almost never rewarded with any raises, bonuses, or promotions. He even brings up the psychological troubles he has faced because of these struggles, and he began to question whether his efforts were worth it. Betrayal ; Corporate America ; Higher Education ; Mental Health ; Occupations 2186 Starting a Family: Holding Family as a Core Value &quot ; I met my wife in 1972. I was on a drinking spree, I was at a bar. I met her at Beaver Park, and she was the most beautiful thing I ever saw, and we started dating...&quot ; Marty recounts first meeting his spouse at Beaver Park in Lorain, Ohio, and then marrying her in 1973, also mentioning his two sons who were born in 1974 and 1977. One of their challenges with starting a family involved debt, with his spouse receiving an operation without insurance before they were married, and then giving birth to their first son still without insurance. He shares his admiration and respect for his spouse, claiming both that she and his grandfather were the two most important people in his life. He is grateful of his spouse for having helped him through his toughest times during his life after service. He once again emphasizes that his reasoning behind all his decisions is based around family, and what he can best do to protect them. Debt ; Family ; Spouse 2473 Community and Camaraderie &quot ; What we've learned growing up in South Lorain, we learned to understand you right away, cause I had to know when you come at me, are you gonna stick me, beat the heck out of me, or be nice to me? We all had to learn that...&quot ; Reflecting on the values and lessons his upbringing in Lorain taught him, Marty mentions the importance of helping one another in the community and knowing as many people as possible. He also recalls his time spent in the old neighborhood house and new neighborhood house (modern-day El Centro de Servicios Sociales) for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Chicanos clubs, as well as the work that social workers in Lorain provided him with. He also touches upon the sense of camaraderie during his service, mentioning that has units felt like family to him. He recalls times spent with his friends in military service and the difficulties they would help each other through. Despite the unpleasant conditions during his time in the Dominican Republic, he is very thankful for his officers and comrades, and claims to have been treated very well. Community ; Connection ; Friendship 2912 Coping With Prejudice &quot ; What was that sense of coping with prejudice for you like, if you don't mind me asking?&quot ; &quot ; Growing up in Elyria- Lorain I mean, I was protected a lot but I had to watch myself.&quot ; Marty emphasizes the importance of watching where you went in Lorain, recalling the times where he was kicked out of a past partner's house by her father, and another where his group, the Chicanos, were almost kicked out of a bar by patrons. He also notes how important his association with his family name, the Chicanos, and the VFW all helped him by bringing in a factor of intimidation, emphasizing the importance of intimidation and association as survival tactics at that time. Chicanos ; Prejudice ; Survival ; Veterans of Foreign Wars 3117 Messages for Future Generations and Closing Thoughts &quot ; Are there any other messages that you want future generations to hear from you personally?&quot ; &quot ; Yeah and I brought them up off and on: I'm not used to 'it's all about me,' that's not our generation. And what they need to know, and what I'm seeing it as is they don't know who they are. They need to know who they are, where they come from, and they need to understand our history.&quot ; When asked what messages he would leave with future generations, Marty advises them to be selfless and realize the importance of histories, both their own and those of others. He asserts that the issues we face today are a result of people not learning our understanding our past history, pointing out U.S. history in particular as an example of this. He states that doing so will help people be more understanding of one another and the cultures they bring with them. He also advises future generations to listen to his generation's stories, emphasizing the men who were lost in the war as true martyrs. He closes off by emphasizing how thankful he is to have survived, and that he continues to think positive and give back to the community as much as he can. Advice ; Martyr ; Selfless ; Storytelling In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Martinez_Marty.xml LL_Martinez_Marty.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0013 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b4c7501007f42a321027d5ee8eba87dc.PNG e35dbf9a0066fd9b81657ea267b37194 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Stephanie Shugert Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Alicia Marquez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Marquez_Alicia.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Alicia Marquez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Alicia Marquez Stephanie Shugert 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/mw22v549p Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Alicia Marquez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/kw52j810t/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; English 0 Introduction &amp ; Welcome I am Stephanie Shugert and I am interviewing Ms. Marquez to talk about her life as part of the Latino Lorain Veteran Historical Project. Thank you Ms. Marquez for agreeing to be interviewed today. Can you please state your name and birthday? Shugert introduces Alicia Marquez who is being interviewed for the Latino Lorain Veteran History Project, which is a collaboration between the Lorain Historical Society and Oberlin College. The interview takes place in the Lorain Historical Society. 30 Family Background Can you tell me a little bit about where you were born and where you grew up? Marquez discusses where she grew up in Lorain. She talks about her parent's background and how they moved to Lorain from Puerto Rico when her father was recruited to work for the steel mills in 1948. Her mother was a seamstress and worked in a factory in Cleveland. Marquez shares that she has four siblings and reflects on how she is the only surviving member of her family, and how diabetes played a role in her family's health. diabetes ; family ; Puerto Rico ; seamstress ; steel mill 249 Growing up in Lorain Can you talk a little bit about, well you already talked about how you can't complain about your childhood. Did you have any mentors or friends or role models that stand out to you in your childhood or throughout your life? Marquez talks about growing up in the projects and how she became close with her neighbors. She discusses how the racial diversity of the projects made the projects a multicultural space where food, recipes, and music were shared. She describes Lorain at the time as a &quot ; hustle and bustle&quot ; city that was very vibrant. Marquez also explains the importance of Sacred Heart Chapel for the Puerto Rican community as it was a space where people bonded and culture was preserved. Charleston School ; community ; culture ; Ford ; projects ; racial diversity ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; steel mills 466 Sharing Memories of Brothers as Musicians Can you talk a little bit about what you would consider your proudest moment or maybe a fond memory you have from growing up in Lorain? Marquez shares how her brothers started learning to play instruments, ultimately leading her two older brothers to start a band. They would practice on their front lawn in the projects, and the lawn turned into a dance floor as people from the neighborhood joined in and would dance along to the music. Marquez's brother Willie wrote the lyrics for the song &quot ; Lady Lorain,&quot ; and she considers this one of her proudest moments. bass guitar ; dance ; Lady Lorain ; Los Nombres ; music ; musicians ; pride ; projects 569 The Challenging Part of Interpreting for Parents Kinda going in the opposite direction here, but were there any challenges....you faced, either personally or your family, or just in your community in general, while growing up in Lorain? Marquez discusses how she would be a translator for her parents as a young child when they would have doctor visits and other important appointments. She expresses how this was challenging for her and her siblings as they feared they would not properly translate the documents for her parents. challenge ; doctor's office ; education ; interpreter ; legal documents ; paperwork ; Puerto Rico ; Spanish 707 Sharing Memories of Army Veteran Brothers I kinda want to get into your brother's experiences, specifically those who were army veterans. So can you tell me a little bit about them, and I know you mentioned some of your brother's names, but who are the ones who ended up going? Marquez shares how her oldest brother Johnny struggled with school and decided to drop out when he was 16 years old. He decided to join the army and lied about his age to enlist. He ended up doing two tours in Vietnam and caught malaria during his service. Marquez also discusses how her family would try to keep in touch with him while he was away and also when he returned. She describes how her brother never talked about the difficulties he was experiencing, and she says he returned as a different person. His drug addiction heavily impacted Marquez and their family, and she reflects on how she wished she could have supported him more. Her other brother Willie joined the army when he graduated high school, but he only worked as a recruiter and never saw any action. She shares how he followed in Johnny's footsteps and also how becoming a young father and husband influenced his decision to enlist. She also discusses how Willie was a bright person and how her family had high hopes for him in terms of pursuing a successful career. addiction ; army ; Cleveland ; family ; Oberlin College ; PTSD ; recruiting ; substances ; Vietnam War ; youth program 1050 Family Reactions to Brother Joining Army Do you remember your family's or parent's reactions were to (I think especially your brother Johnny) when he decided to go? Marquez discusses how shocked her parents were when Johnny joined the army as her father wanted him to pursue an education. She remembers how emotional and upset her family was initially. Once he was serving in the Vietnam War, Marquez's family would often put out a rosary for him and prayed for him often to come home. This was exacerbated by the fact that Lorain lost many young Latinos in the war, some of which were close friends and neighbors. Marquez says that her family was proud of Johnny, but also they were nervous about how controversial the Vietnam War was. fear ; loss ; praying ; pride ; rosary ; shock ; Vietnam War 1283 Role of Religion in Brother's Army Service You already talked a bit about how he was...when he did come home. You talked a bit earlier about the role of the Sacred Heart Chapel and religion in your family's lives. Do you think your brother Johnny, do you think religion played an influence in his service or how close was he to the church and that religious aspect? Marquez discusses how the church played a crucial in all of her family's lives. Her brother Johnny followed the church's guidance and strongly believed in his Catholic faith. Catholicism ; religion ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; service ; survival ; U.S. Army 1362 Formation of Los Nombres I want to transition into talking a little bit about your brother who was a musician. Can you remind which brother that was again? Marquez shares how her three brothers formed the band Los Nombres. Johnny played the bass guitar, Willie was the singer, and her younger brother Nelson was the drummer. They taught themselves how to play and piano and other instruments. They composed songs and were mostly self-taught overall. Their band was usually hired to perform for the Southerner's Club, a group of guys who would get together and host parties. The band would also perform in churches and host dances to raise money. This was an integral part of Lorain's social scene. music ; parties ; performances ; projects ; raising money ; self-taught ; singing ; social life ; Southerner's Club 1638 How Lady Lorain was Born I want to go back to when you talked about how your brother wrote the lyrics for &quot ; Lady Lorain.&quot ; Do you remember when he did that and the reactions from the community, or when did the song become popular? Marquez remembers how the Lorain International Festival was looking for a song to be featured during the pageant portion of the event. Willie was very excited and proud that he was asked to work on the song, and his parents also were very proud as it revealed their family's contributions to the community. city council ; international ; Los Nombres ; pageant ; pride ; vocals 1758 How Lorain Influenced Ms. Marquez So to reflect on what we talked about, how would you say your experiences growing up in Lorain influence who you are today and your memories of your family? Marquez shares how Lorain's diversity helped her get along with different types of people. She reflects fondly on Lorain and reiterates how safe it was for her. diversity ; family ; multi-cultural city ; Puerto Rico ; race ; safe 1877 Feelings about War &amp ; Military Going back to your brothers, did their military service affect your feelings about war or military in general? Marquez discusses her personal thoughts and feelings about the Vietnam War. She shares how the neglect of veterans makes her not support the military. She believes that although the Vietnam War was controversial and many people did not believe it should have occurred, those people should have nonetheless respected the men serving in it. addiction ; lack of veteran support ; malaria ; Vietnam War 2059 Concluding Thoughts What message would you like to leave for future generations who will view or hear this interview? Marquez discusses how people, specifically Latinos, should take pride in their culture and heritage and talk to their elders to preserve knowledge. She shares how she wishes people would get together more to keep their traditions going for future generations. elders ; ghost town ; home ; Latin culture ; parandas ; self-pride In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Marquez_Alicia.xml LL_Marquez_Alicia.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0012 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alicia Marquez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/53dfdad0d36a150c767463a1247ea93b.PNG 0f91cb36ce81de62da18a907d130e17d Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Miriam Entin-Bell Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Ed Garza OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garza_Ed.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Ed Garza Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Ed Garza Miriam Entin-Bell 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/0g354f27r Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Garza, Ed&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/2b88qc23w/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 31 Early life in Lorain: Childhood, Family Values, Adolescence I was born in Mansfield Ohio, uh, August 18th 1950, and we lived there about a year or so and then moved up here directly, to Lorain, and that's where I was raised. Mainly in South Lorain area, then the West Side, then all over Lorain, what are you gonna do... Mr. Garza speaks about his early life in Lorain, gives background on his parents and siblings, and describes some of the family values imparted on him. His parents are both from Texas, his father working on railroads in Pennsylvania and in shipyards, and his mother cooking and at one point owning a restaurant in South Lorain. He describes his siblings, five brothers and two sisters, and reflects on his early life and how they were raised. Mr. Garza recounts first jobs at a carwash and doing neighborhood errands, and talks about his father's value of hard work to earn a living. He mentions his parents' divorce and how it affected him as a young adult, citing this as one reason he made the decision to go into military service. Finally, he speaks about his first girlfriend, framing it as a formative moment in his life. Family ; Girlfriend ; Railroad ; South Lorain ; Texas Coming of Age ; Family Values ; First Jobs ; Work 351 Pressure to Enlist, Fatherhood, First Love Next thing I know [sigh] I went and told my mom about that, she just stood there, sat there looking at me... she said what you need to do is go into service and take care of business. Mr. Garza describes the situation of his first girlfriend's pregnancy and the reactions of those around him, mainly his mother. He speaks about how she told him to go into service to 'take care of business.&quot ; He briefly describes his path into service, basic training, and returning to Lorain on leave. He explains that on leave, he attempted to see his girlfriend, but she was no longer living in Lorain and had put their son up for adoption. He then tells a more current story about reconnecting with both his first girlfriend and son. Finally he speaks on a few pastimes, such as playing sports, learning guitar, and swimming in Oakwood Park, that were memorable in his early life. Fort Knox ; Oakwood Park ; Uniform Adoption ; Basic Training ; Fatherhood ; Guitar ; Service ; Sports 555 Formative Moments, Mentors, and Friends I never knew anything about well he's different, she's different, or this and that, it didn't even enter my mind. I spoke to whoever I wanted to, got along good, you know just I started seeing the world changing when I came back from 'Nam. We knew about the protests going on, we would hear it on the radio... Mr. Garza talks about what life was like before and after he was stationed in Vietnam. He tells a story about anti-war protesters in Lorain, and a conflict he had with them while in uniform after his return. He then speaks about several friends and role models in his early life including Chief Rivera, his father, and many friends from his time in service. He then tells a story about a good friend who was killed during training at Fort Knox. He reflects on his fathers values towards work and family and how he has realized those values in his life. Finally he lists some jobs he had after returning from Vietnam including police and security work, being a bounty hunter, and working at the courthouse in Elyria. Bootcamp ; Chief Rivera ; Fort Knox ; San Fransisco ; Vietnam Change ; Family Life ; Father ; Protest ; School ; Work 878 Process of Enlisting and Relationship to Military Service My older brother Al, he was in the Air Force for six and a half years, you know. Matter of fact we were in service at the same time together, but he was in the Air Force and I was in the Army, the Army wears green, the Air Force wears blue. And uh, then there was my brother Ernest, he was in Marine Corps, there was my brother Rich, Richie, he passed away a month after he retired, he was in the Marine Corps, my brother Gill he was in the Army, and my brother Henry also. Mr. Garza explains his family's history with military service and lists the branches his brothers were involved in. After saying a little about each of his brothers, he talks about the role of military service in his community, the draft, and his path towards enlistment. Calling back to the initial story about his first girlfriend's pregnancy, he describes his mother's reaction to his request that she sign his enlistment papers, due to him being a minor at the time. U.S. Air Force ; U.S. Army ; U.S. Marines Brothers ; Draft ; Recruiting 1057 Experiences with Basic Training and Combat Oh yeah, back then 'cause you know, we're talking the late 60s, middle 60s... and by the time '69 rolled around I was already combat coming back home. Didn't take long did it. It takes one day to get killed, you know that, and one second. Mr. Garza recounts his experiences with training and combat during his time in the military. Topics include his relationship with his platoon, reactions after combat, the challenges they faced, and his feelings against war. He then goes into more detail about his training at Fort Knox, mentioning some friends and pictures from that time, and learning new military technology during the war. He concludes with discussing the reality of combat compared to training. Fort Knox ; Glory ; M16 ; Patrol ; Platoon ; Vietnam Combat ; War 1345 Leaving Home Well I would go to Texas, you know, when I was younger, fifteen, sixteen. I used to drive down there, when I was sixteen, I couldn't do it now though, too long. Two and a half days to get there right, to Texas, you think? Mr. Garza speaks about trips to Texas when he was younger, before he went into service. He details his family connections to Texas, saying that he has family that fought in the Alamo. He tells a story about his great-great grandfather who was a captain in a cavalry unit, the history of his surname, and his ancestor deserting his post due to ideological differences with President Santa Anna. He then talks about recent trips to Texas, where he met his oldest son and other relatives. Alamo ; Son ; Texas Family History 1549 Assignments During Service, Reunion I guess my scores came out pretty good, where I could work specialist, a finance specialist. At fort Benjamin Harrison I would take care of all the military's paychecks. So nobody wanted to bother me back then, because I hold your paycheck up. Mr. Garza describes his path during service, his M.O., and a chance reunion between him and his brother. He explains the role of Finance Specialist, saying that his main duties involved dealing with other soldier's paychecks at Fort Benjamin Harrison. He then states that he was moved to Fort Lewis, in Washington state, where he dealt with in-processing of soldiers returning from Vietnam. He recalls them looking unshaven, tired, angry, and disgusted, and that at the time he did not understand why. He then tells the story of a chance reunion with his brother Al, who was in the Air Force stationed in Alaska, and highlights a night out after they were finished with work. Finance Specialist ; Fort Benjamin Harrison ; Fort Lewis, Washington ; Incoming Troops Processing Brother ; M.O. ; Reunion 1757 Receiving Orders of Deployment to Vietnam I think, when I was stationed in Fort Lewis, I got orders to go to 'Nam. I was t'ed off that day, I was mad...I got pictures of me when I was standing on the porch of my uh, barrack where I was at, and my buddies said 'Hey Garza' and took a picture of me. 'You look like you're mad' and I showed him what I had... 'Oh man you're going to 'Nam?' and I said 'Yep, I got my orders.' Mr. Garza describes receiving his orders for deployment in Vietnam, returning to Lorain on leave, the process of traveling to Vietnam, and briefly speaks about what life was like while he was stationed there. He explains how he reacted when he received his orders, and how he was allowed 2-3 weeks of leave before his assignment in Vietnam began. During this time, he returned to Lorain and visited his mother, who was extremely upset to find out about Garza's deployment. He then describes the process of arriving in Vietnam, giving descriptions of the flight and the ground transportation it took to arrive in the rural Cu Chi Province. He then recounts a few pastimes he had while he was not on patrol or in combat, such as listening to music and admiring the scenery. However, he describes the majority of his time in Vietnam as challenging, and had few positive memories about the experience. Agent Orange ; Cam Rahn Bay ; Cu Chi Province Home ; Leave ; Music ; Orders ; Travel ; Uniforms 2050 Challenging Parts of Service and Career Influence &quot ; When you're in combat getting shot at everyday how are you going to have time to write home? Even if they give us half a day, we're too tired to write home.&quot ; &quot ; I learned a lot from the military. I liked looking sharp...combat is not good for anybody. I'll tell you right now the reason this stuff goes on is because the politicians. That's no lie, I'm just telling you like it is.&quot ; Mr. Garza says hand to hand was the most challenging part of service. He didn't want to kill people, but he had to otherwise he &quot ; wouldn't be here&quot ; . He didn't have time to write home during service, but he learned about the &quot ; gig line&quot ; --keeping his uniform buttons, shirt, and belt buckle aligned. Mr. Garza enjoyed having a straight gig line and attributes this to going on to work for security, the court, and the police. Career ; Combat ; Law Enforcement ; Writing Home 2278 Vietnam Discharge and Tunnel Rat Interviewer: &quot ; Do you remember the day that you came home?&quot ; Mr. Garza: &quot ; I felt like a tired old man.&quot ; &quot ; Not just me but anybody, even you ladies, if you were being shot at every day for 365 days, that's no good. It messes your mind up, your body, your feelings, your health, everything.&quot ; Mr. Garza left Vietnam in 1969. He remembers being in the field and having lost three or four friends and getting mad at his platoon leader and saying he wanted to go home. It was complicated to leave friends in the service behind when he left. When he got to Bien Moi airbase on his way home he was offered cash if he re-enlisted. Mr. Garza talks about how being shot at everyday for two years messes up your body, mind, and health. He recalls being a tunnel rat--being tied to a rope and lowered into tunnels in the ground for two and a half weeks and looking for Vietnamese soldiers--as a particularly terrible experience. Mr. Garza realizes that this interview is taking place exactly 53 years after he came home from Vietnam. Bien Moi Air Base ; Discharge ; Mental Health ; Physical Health ; Renlisting ; Tunnel Rat ; Vietnam War 2697 Veteran Discrimination and Experiences in Lorain &quot ; I remember coming home in my class As, that's the uniform itself and I had my duffel bag...waiting for the cab I was sitting in the corner, I see one coming over the hill, he saw me and kept going. You know why he kept going? The uniform, he didn't want no part of me.&quot ; &quot ; As I got older I realized he's just some guy that wants to protest the war. Don't take it out on me. I was just doing my job. Like a cop, like anybody else. If you do your job too good sometimes they don't like it. It's not my fault I made it back alive. God brought me home, I didn't. I was scared every day.&quot ; Mr. Garza talks about returning to Lorain after service and being treated badly because of status as a Vietnam veteran. He was not picked up by a cab at the bus station because he was wearing his Class A uniform. He visited his buddies in his uniform and they were trying to hassle him. They called him names: doper, rapist, murderer, baby killer. He remembers going to his mom's restaurant when he was home in Lorain and drinking. She was a &quot ; short lady&quot ; who worked all her life. When Mr. Garza was 21, he took a trip to California and played with Carlos Santana. Discrimination ; Drinking ; Uniform ; Vietnam War 3018 Discipline and Racial Segregation in Service &quot ; When we go back to main branch we would go back in there and wash up and shower up and relax until you go back out on patrol again. But when we're there everybody individually they stick to their own corners. Mexicans here, Latinos here, Italians here, whites over here, negros here. I don't know why but then when it's time to go back in combat again we marinate real good. You got to otherwise you won't make it. You leave your own self thoughts behind in combat. You either work as a unit or you're not going to make it. Go all Americans.&quot ; Mr. Garza talks about how the military taught him about discipline and how to stand up for himself. He says everyone has their individual likes and dislikes and explains how different racial and cultural groups self-segregated at the military base when not on patrol, but came together across racial and other differences in identity to fight together in combat. Mr. Garza says that politicians these days need to come together in this way and &quot ; go all American.&quot ; He learned to survive in the military--be quiet when you got to and speak up when you got to. Combat ; Discipline ; Politicans ; Politics ; Racism ; Segregation 3237 Reflections on the Politics of War &quot ; Can you imagine what the kids nowadays they see going on they think it's okay for them to be out there when they get older it's no good. if this keeps up we're not going to have no more world. Why not? because these morons from different countries are going to blow it up. We got to put a stop to it. This is why we are a great country--because we don't take no crap from nobody.&quot ; Mr. Garza says that the USA lost a lot of wars, and got beat in Vietnam because of politics. He says that we, as Americans, have got to stay together as a strong unit or else we will fall apart. Talks about being an altar boy with his brother at the original Sacred Heart chapel on Vine Avenue and getting caught sneaking wine from the Priest's office. He offers a message from his experience in the military: be kind to each other. Mr. Garza critiques the United States Government for being run by politicians who think about themselves instead of &quot ; us&quot ; . He hopes for a world better for the youth for his granddaughter and for the interviewer. Altar Boy ; Drinking ; Politicans ; Politics ; Sacred Heart Chapel 3577 Reflectings on Peace, Politics, and Faith &quot ; I pray for God to keep our country intact. Keep everything in peace. Enough of this nonsense already--beating each other up, mugging the old folks, you know putting their lives out. There's no need for that. Who wants to go to war? I came back when I was nineteen years old and I already felt like a tired old man.&quot ; Mr. Garza urges everyone to take care of themselves in terms of their health, keep the faith if you believe in God, keep the peace. When asked if by peace he means no war he says, &quot ; yeah, who wants to go to war?&quot ; He was nineteen years old when he came back from war and he felt like a tired old man. He came back from the service and slept all day because he was so tired. He urges everyone to be who you are, what you are, but don't push around nobody else. You don't have to rob nobody, don't hurt nobody. Anti War Movement ; Faith ; Mental Health ; Politicans ; Politics In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garza_Ed.xml LL_Garza_Ed.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0010 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ed Garza Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/cd15b7da225aefb19b1dddc601c5f393.PNG cd1bdbae6e47372fa5d1eea1b35d651c Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Cecelia Blake Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Katie Garcia OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Katie.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Katie Garcia Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Katie Garcia Cecelia Blake 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/76537136c Avalon Https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Katie Garcia&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/b2773v73c/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 33 Questions about Early Life/Childhood Where were you born and where did you grow up? So I was born in Oberlin and I grew up in Lorain, born and raised. When I was 19, that's when I went to the Marine Corps. My Father is from down South, a small town called Whitfield Alabama. Katie begins by talking about where she was born and raised and where he parent's were born and raised as well. She is a one of five siblings, which she not always enjoyed growing up but now appreciates the fact that everyone in her family has remained close. Katie's mother was her primary role model. She explains how her mother always put her children first despite any of the challenges she endured, which was very inspiring to Katie growing up and further allowed her to feel supported to succeed. Family ; Hometown ; Parents ; Siblings 297 Introduction to Military Service How did you first begin to think about military service? I never really thought about the military until she went. And so when I decided to go into the military like you know what I'm going to do the Marine Corps. And I also did it because everyone said I couldn't do it. Katie was first introduced to the military by her sister, who was a part of JROTC and also served in the Marine Corps. Katie explains that when her sister was discharged, she always spoke highly of her experiences which is what initially piqued Katie's interest. Katie also talks about her decision to pick the Marine Corps as the branch of the military that she wanted to join, and says that it was largely attributed to the fact that people said she could not do since people in the Marine Corps needed to be &quot ; butch&quot ; or &quot ; buff&quot ; . Gender ; Reactions ; Sister ; USMC 357 Basic Training Where did you do your basic training? My basic training was in the Marine Corps recruit depot Parris Island. Theres two basic training for the Marine Corps. If you live East of the Mississippi River you go to South Caroline, Parris Island, If you live West of the Mississippi River you go to San Diego. But if you are female, all females go to Parris Island. In this segment Katie talks about her basic training on Parris Island in South Carolina, where all female marine had to complete their training. She was very nervous, although it was not her first time away from home. Her first memory is rushing off the bus, knowing a little bit of what to expect from her sister's experience, but when she went to meet her drill instructors she was greeted by three beautiful women. She initially thought to herself &quot ; oh, it couldnt be that bad&quot ; , however she explains that the minute they closed the door &quot ; hell unleashed&quot ; . Katie also adds that &quot ; these beautiful women are so different from what they look. It was so unexpected.&quot ; Family ; First Memory ; Gender ; Parris Island ; Yellow Footprints 510 After Training Where did you go after your training? After my training I went home to do recruiting assistance, and from there I went to Marine Corps combat training in North Carolina. Katie talks about how everything is earned in bootcamp, &quot ; They strip you down and they build you back up.&quot ; Katie felt confident in boot camp, like a new person and on top of the world. Being a female marine was especially meaningful to her, and she had a set goal for herself to be the best woman that she could be and more, the best woman marine that she could be. She felt that she represented an elite group wearing a uniform and seeing the expressions on peoples' faces. Combat ; Confidence ; Rank ; Representation ; Role Model ; Stability ; Training ; Transformation 694 Meeting Hector Garcia How did you meet your husband? I met my husband at my first duty station, Okinawa, Japan. We worked together and we were friends first, really good friends. Katie talks about meeting her husband in Japan, while on duty for six months traveling different parts of East Asia. East Asia ; Husband ; Japan ; Okinawa ; Travel 743 Challenges of Service/Maintaining an Image What was the most challenging part of your serve? The most challenging part of my service, I think, was the way female Marines were treated. Katie talks about the challenges she faced being a female marine and the treatment she achieved for being a woman. It wasn't always equal and she was often looked at as a detriment. She did not need to be equal with her male marine counterparts, but she wanted the respect that she felt she as well as all female marines deserved. She was trained to be strong but also lady-like, and her drill instructors were very inspiring for her while active duty as she tried to up-hold her image. Discrimination ; Expectations ; Gender ; Inequalities ; Respect ; USMC 1013 International Experiences What were some of your experiences in Japan? It was awesome. It was really cool it was, you know, I had traveled outside the country prior to joining the Marine Corps and that initially made me realize that the world is so much bigger. Katie says that traveling prior to Germany prior joining the Marine Corps had a major influence on her decision to join in the first place. She cried at first going to Okinawa because the she would have to be there for twelve months, although she then ended up staying there for three years. She said at first it was a culture shock, but she got to learn about herself while being there as well. She explains that it was an amazing learning experience and she took advantage of a lot of the things that it had to offer such as tutoring Japanese kids. Culture ; Leaving Home ; Relocating ; Travel 1107 Relocating Where did you go after your service? So I met my husband in Okinawa, we worked together and then started dating for a year, year and a half. Then we got married and I began pregnant with my first son. Katie explains how when she got pregnant with her first son, the rule was changed so that women were only non-deployable for six months now rather than a full year. She talks about how it was a big possibility that she had to go to war in Iraq and give up custody of her son, which terrified. She decided to &quot ; get out&quot ; and only do her four years, which she realized is what she wanted to do with the support of her family because she could not see herself leaving her baby. Children ; Custody ; Deployment ; Family ; Husband ; Iraq War ; Military Wife ; Pregnancy 1230 Transitioning Post Discharge What was the transition like after you were discharged? Katie completed her four years of enlistment, was honorably discharged, and became a military wife. Her husband became a recruiter in New York, so they all moved to New York together. She described that it was a big transition, and that the military felt like a security blanket. She wasn't especially career driven at the time but she was driven to be a mom and was thankful that she was able to raise her son while her husband was deployed in Iraq. She was very happy. Discharge ; Education ; Motherhood ; Security ; Transition ; Wife 1298 Reflecting on Military Experiences/Final Message What are some of your reflections on your time in the military? How did it change your view of military in general and war? My own personal view to be honest... I think its good that women are in the military, but I don't think it's good necessarily that women are in combat. Katie talks about how she feels it is a conflict in war, so to speak, that a man's initial instinct is to protect a woman in a lot of different ways. She explains that it is a man's human nature to protect In emotional physical, as well as sexual ways, and that can sometimes be challenging for women who are trying to accomplish themselves in the military. However, she is so grateful for the second chance and new paths the military gave her and the fact that it instilled so much confident and poise in her, as well as allowing her to become a mother. A final message she leaves for future generations would ultimately be &quot ; don't be afraid to think outside the box. If you have a desire to achieve something or do something, then go for it.&quot ; Challenge ; Education ; Gender ; Military vs. Combat ; Opportunity ; Service ; Women In Copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Katie.xml LL_Garcia_Katie.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0009 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Katie Garcia Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/8067329ceef155e2bb79bd5ced00ece5.PNG 6988b74cd5fedb34de19e79b910db480 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Becky Trigo Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Hector Garcia OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Hector.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Hector Garcia Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Hector Garcia Becky Trigo 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/gq67jr188 Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Hector Garcia&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/g445cd164/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to interview with Hector Garcia (LEDE) 30 Early Life ; Family, Friends, and Opportunity Can you begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up? Yeah, so, I was born in the South Bronx, in New York. From there I lived pretty much up until about '92. Then I moved out with my dad down to Brooklyn. Growing up in the 80s in the South Bronx was a little rough... Hector Garcia grew up in the South Bronx in the 1980s. He did not graduate from high school, nor did he think about the military growing up. Instead, his decision to join the military came as a method of survival. Hector dropped out of High School in 9th grade and was placed in a Brooklyn Detention Center. While at the center, a military recruiter approached him and gave him the opportunity to enlist in the military. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and started boot camp in January 2001. He was only 17 at the time, and thus his father had to sign for him. He did boot camp in South Carolina, which he felt like the detention center prepared him for. Bootcamp ; enlistment ; High School ; Juvenile Detention ; opportunity ; Puerto Rico ; Recruitment 652 Going into Training and Military Service Where did you go do your training? Do you have any specific memories from this time? Yeah. Paris Island, South Carolina, Yellow Footprint, you know? That was a... like I said, god moves you and prepares you for a lot of things, right? Me going through that detention home program kind of helped ease the transition because I was already used to having the little correction officers yell at us and treat us in that kind of a manner... During boot camp in South Carolina, he felt like the detention center prepared him for. After boot camp he became a field radio operator in California, and then he was deployed in Okinawa Japan. He states that traveling to Japan changed his life. There, he met his wife, they traveled together in what he says was similar to “free vacations” and they were deployed together. The most challenging part of military service to him was adjustment. He had to adjust to a different work ethic and way of life. He believes that his military service saved his life by getting him out of New York Basic Training ; family ; North Carolina ; service ; travel ; wife 1169 Re-Enlistment Is that when you re-enlisted? After I re-enlisted, we left Okinawa and I got stationed with 1st Battalion 8th Marines in North Carolina. From there I deployed to different parts... Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq... Hector then re-enlisted in North Carolina. After re-enlistment, he traveled around the world to Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq (etc). Through his travels, he got to experience different cultures, which made him more humble, and look at life differently. These experiences made him understand the value of his humanitarian work in the Marine Corps. After his experiences growing up, as well as being exposed to different kinds of social inequalities globally, he understood the importance of making a difference in people’s lives, and giving back to less fortunate people. He was in North Carolina for a total of 4.5 years, where he and his wife had 2 children. Marines ; Social Work ; U.S. Marines ; USMC 1397 Becoming a Recruiter and Establishing a Family after Enlistment ... I'm gonna harp on that a little bit. It was a crazy conversation. So, as a recruiter back in New York City, at home in Queens ; I'm in my office and we have this list of high schools. We call seniors and talk to them to try and give them information on the Corp, right? So I talked to this one kid and he said, &quot ; Y'know, I had thought about it.&quot ; And as a recruiter you like... Man, let me go ahead and jump on that. So, and I said, &quot ; What made you think about it?&quot ; And he said, &quot ; When I was a kid... Me and my family were in Lebanon...&quot ; After his time in North Carolina, he became a recruiter in Queens, New York. He worked non-stop as a recruiter, from Sunday to Sunday. In New York, he and his wife had 2 more children. At this point, he wanted to leave the service in order to be a good husband and father to his family. Family ; New York City ; Recruitment ; Relationships ; Transition 2090 Attending the Marine Corp Ball and Reflecting on Friends in the Military Hector reflects on the Marine Corps Ball. This ball gives Marine Corps members a chance to reflect on who they are, what they have accomplished, and feel pride to be part of history and tradition. He remains in touch with some of the kids he has recruited, and he has gotten the opportunity to watch them grow up. Some have joined the military and are still enlisted, while others have gone on to attend college. Celebration ; Marine Corp Ball ; pride ; reflection ; tradition 2477 Going into Social Work Thats what made me want to get my degree in social work... Which I did. I don't want to skip any of your history, as now you work at Lorain Community College, so do you want to talk about how you went into that? Yeah, so, one of the transitions of getting out of the service was, &quot ; Whats the next step? How do Veterans adapt to the civilian life?&quot ; After his service ended, Hector used the benefits from the post 9/11 military to go to school. He received a degree from Youngstown in social work. Veteran programming within Lorain Community College. Civilian life ; GI Bill ; Lorain ; Lorain Community College ; Post 9/11 ; Social Work ; Youngstown 2824 Self-Reflection on experience serving How did your experiences in the military change you? Overall, he believes that his military service changed him for the good, and he is now a better person because of what the military did for him. Speaking about race, he said that he did not see race in the Marine Corps until after getting out. It wasn’t until he got out and went to college that he saw the importance of the Hispanic contribution to the U.S.. He then saw the importance of representation and the importance of Latinos receiving equality. Change ; Future ; Hispanic ; Service ; strength ; War In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Hector.xml LL_Garcia_Hector.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0008 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hector Garcia Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b171fc100a11dfb696a113f859a28008.PNG fca81fbf1af1579828e1f47641ba3a6a Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Minerva Macarrulla Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Erica Baez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Baez_Erica.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Erica Baez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Erica Baez Minerva Macarrulla 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/rr171x25z Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Erica Baez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/rx913p922/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 400&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction, Early Life and Family Can you please state your name and date of birth? Erica Baez introduces herself and talks about her early life in Puerto Rico, her relationship with her sister, and her parents' jobs. She then gives an overview of how her family came to Northeast Ohio, beginning with her father coming to his family in Cleveland and then sending for them. Childhood ; Cleveland ; Early life ; Family ; Migration ; Puerto Rico ; Secretary 227 High School JROTC, Meeting Antonio Baez, Military Outlook Could you talk about how and when you met your husband? Erica discusses meeting her husband, Antonio, through her high school JROTC class. Erica's father was a big influence on her outlook towards the military because he always emphasized the advantages of working for it. She didn't have any concerns about the idea of being in the military growing up. Coming from a strict household made for an easy transition into the structured JROTC environment. Antonio Baez ; High school ; JROTC ; South Lorain School ; Spouse ; U.S. Navy 623 Living with Antonio's Parents While he was enlisted, did you stay here? What was that like for you? Erica recounts how she lived with Antonio's parents at the start of his military service. At the time, she wanted more independence. Family ; Housing 712 Emotional Pressures of Antonio's Service How long was he in the military for? Erica discusses the emotional pressures of having an active duty military spouse, emphasizing the anguish of not being able to hear from her husband and having to explain where he was to her kids. Bootcamp ; Children ; Deployment ; Rank ; U.S. Army Reserves ; U.S. Marines ; U.S. National Guard 1071 Antonio's Second Chance, Accepting Military Hardships Were there any positives of being a military wife? Erica explains how Antonio was seen as a troublemaker in high school and how people didn't expect him to be &quot ; successful,&quot ; but the military gave him a second chance to commit to his job, travel, and achieve more financial stability. Erica expresses acceptance of the ways that the military &quot ; breaks them down to create US marines.&quot ; Bootcamp ; High school ; Travel ; U.S. Marines 1245 Becoming a Military Mother Now, I'm not just a marine corps wife ; I'm a marine corps mother. Erica talks about the journey that her son took entering the marine corps after high school. Children ; Family ; Georgia ; Recruitment ; U.S. Marines 1413 Life &amp ; Raising Kids During Antonio's Military Service While your husband was enlisted for those seven years, what was your life like and how did you spend most of your time? Erica remembers her time living off-base with Antonio as he was stationed in North Carolina and Maryland. Her oldest son had a hard time being separated from his grandfather, but she's also grateful that her kids got to see so many places and sights. Friendship ; Living off-base ; Maryland ; North Carolina ; Station 1748 Nursing School, Home Health Job And what did you say you went to school for? Erica mentions that she completed nursing school and worked as a home health aid for a few months while Antonio was in bootcamp. Career ; Employment ; Healthcare ; Nursing school 1791 Friendships with Other Military Wives You mentioned living in North Carolina and Maryland and spending time with other families on base— what were those friendships like? Erica remembers her friendships with other women in North Carolina and Maryland who were also military spouses. Alcohol ; Friendship ; Substances 2019 Letting Go of Her Own Military Aspirations After you had your son, did you ever reconsider going into the military? Erica says that once she had her children, military service was off the table for her. She wanted to make sure that someone was always there for her children. Career ; Children 2055 Antonio Ending His Service, Cherishing Elders Do you remember when Antonio decided not to continue his military service? Erica tells the story of Antonio ending his active duty military service because of Erica's concern for their viejitos, who had begun to pass away more often and needed to be cared for. Caring for elders ; Death ; Elders 2320 Transition Back to Lorain, Antonio's Service Changing Erica What was life like when you got back here? Erica describes what it was like to get back to Lorain having been changed by her experiences in North Carolina and Maryland. Friendship ; Military families ; Respect 2540 Advice for Military Families, Changing Family Structure What message would you want to leave for future generations who could hear this interview? Erica emphasizes that people should have more respect for military families. She discusses how being a military family changes family structure and creates trauma. Advice ; Children ; Family structure ; PTSD ; Trauma 2823 Erica's Career I remember you said that you went to nursing school. Have you become a nurse since then? Erica discusses her home health job that she had after she went to nursing school. She stopped working as a home health aid when she left Ohio with Antonio, but found out later that she could have continued. She also speaks affectionately of Antonio's grandmother. She then describes her current job with Clearview District Schools, where she translates for Spanish-speaking parents. Career ; Clearview District Schools ; Elders ; Employment ; Lorain City Schools ; Nursing 3144 Outro Is there anything we haven't spoken about that you'd like to speak about? We close out the interview by thanking one another. In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Baez_Erica.xml LL_Baez_Erica.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0003 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Erica Baez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/217bbefcf67ab8c90538d29c6394e424.PNG 249ad611bbb93407ee1a11714aefea59 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Baez_Antonio.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Unknown Date Antonio Baez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/r781wg04p Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Antonio Baez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/3r074t937/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 31 Birthplace and Early Life Please begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up. So I was born here, in the city of Lorain Ohio, born in St. Josephs, 1984, to Maria and Jose Baez. Antonio Baez speaks about his childhood and early life in Lorain Ohio, recalling memories of his family, neighborhood and childhood friends. Family ; Financial struggles ; Neighborhood 471 High School and Young Adulthood Could you tell me a little bit about your time in high school, and then also when did you start thinking about the military or when did that become an option for you. So high school was pretty interesting, in all of school I was, every grade I was kicked out of school. Antonio Baez speaks about his teenage years and time in high school in Lorain. He recalls getting in trouble with law enforcement, problems with drugs and alcohol, and a short time in a juvenile detention center. He talks about meeting his girlfriend in high school, getting pregnant with their first child, and their decision to keep the baby and get married. Drugs and Alcohol ; Juvenile Detention ; Marriage ; Pregnancy 874 Military Enlistment Reverse a little bit, what caused me to join the military is my brother was in the military. I didn't really want to do it but after I had my son, I was like, you know, this would be a good chance for me to get out of this environment. Antonio Baez talks about the process of his enlistment and his decision making process. He describes the long hours he worked at the Elyria Foundry while completing his high school diploma. He talks about his decision to join the military, his experiences with recruiters, and consulting his brothers in the military for advice along with his wife and mother. Delayed Entry Program ; Elyria Foundry ; Enlistment ; Family in Military ; Recruiter ; Steel Mill 1319 Entrance into the Marines and Basic Training Well I'd love to hear about your initial moments in the military and these decisions that you made, the advice of your brother, how that helped you entering. Yeah, so, with his advice in mind, we were all pretty extroverted in terms of we never really cared about other people's decisions or opinions of us because of how we grew up. You know, everyone was always pointing their fingers, so all of us built this tolerance and reactive responses to stuff like that. So what that means, and I'm trying to explain it, is when I went to the recruiter, they did exactly what he told me they were going to try to do, like &quot ; hey, yeah, you can just do this, and because of your record you're not going to be able to do this.&quot ; And I'd already heard it from him, so I'm like, well that's not going to happen, this is what I want. That's more of that attitude, I'm going to do this, or I'm not going to do it, so if you want me there it is, other than that I gotta be at work at two. Antonio Baez recalls his first days in the military at basic training and the hardships that he endured. He talks about the environment and culture of boot camp and the ways enlisted members of the military are broken down so that they can be reformed into soldiers. Boot camp ; Cleveland MEPS ; Discrimination ; Drill Sergeant ; Military police ; Parris Island ; U.S. Marines 1981 Transition into the Military and First Base Assignment Well I'd love to move on to after basic training, what were your, where did you go first after you graduated basic training? So I graduated basic training, you have to go through and infantry school that teaches every marine how to be, just like we were talking about, every marine how to be an infantry person. So it doesn't matter if you're a book person, an accountant in the marine corp, you learn how to shoot your weapon, you learn battle drills, how to respond and attack enemy forces, how to move, how to low crawl, how to go through rooms, how to go through tunnels, how to use different weapon systems, and how to just be a marine. Every marine is a rifleman, that's their quote. Antonio Baez talks about his life after graduation from basic training ; in infantry school and as a military police officer on his first base assignment. He talks about his experiences responding to calls and incidents on base. He discusses the effects of PTSD that he observed in soldiers returning from combat and their families that remained on base. Camp Johnson ; Camp Lejeune ; Deployment ; Infantry School ; Military families ; Military police ; PTSD ; U.S. Marines 2552 Deployment to Kuwait and Iraq So when I finally get the opportunity to deploy, it was uneasy because I have children, I already had my son. So I'm like, man, what am I going to do with, where do I send her, does she go back with my parents? Because we moved to North Carolina together, do I send her home? Does she stay here? and then she becomes like all these other parents that have lost their mind because their husbands are gone. Antonio Baez speaks about his time in Kuwait and Iraq while deployed with the Marine Corp and his experiences in combat. He describes his interactions with locals and how he was taught to hate the local civilians by the military. Combat ; Deployment ; Iraq ; Kuwait ; Mental Health 2931 Position at the Pentagon So fast forward, returning home I was provided an opportunity. I'd seen an email come across on my military email that said they were looking for infantry or an MP to go work in DC for the office of legislative affairs. And that job entailed working for a one star general. And I was like, that will get me out of this grind the same thing all the time. Antonio Baez speaks about the time he spent working at the Pentagon for the office of legislative affairs and how he was offered this opportunity. He talks about the the generals and other officers he worked with and the levels of security clearance he was granted which made him privy to a great deal of classified information and conversations. Office of Legislative Affairs ; Return from deployment ; Separation from family ; Washington DC 3453 Life After Active Service Fast forward we decide to call it quits and move back home, and when I moved back home I had a void so I decided to join the reserves, the Marine Corp had just got hit, Brook Park had just got hit with a bad, while they were deployed they lost a lot of guys, a lot of guys were killed in that unit so the moral was... Antonio Baez speaks about his time in the reserves after leaving active service, and reflects on the impacts of military service on the rest of his life. 82nd Airborne Division ; Discipline ; Respect ; Service ; Suicide ; U.S. Army Reserves In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Baez_Antonio.xml LL_Baez_Antonio.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0002 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Antonio Baez Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/56f649ba710fa71cfb905185e0e057a4.jpg 83ea96116f05aa8d26ca7527634134dc Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez's Military service from December 1964-May 1969 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez