Voces Oral History Center

06/06/2026

06/06/2026

"We were about 30 or 40 soldiers in each LST, and they hit as close to the beach as possible. My [battalion] and I landed [between Utah Beach and] Omaha Beach at 7:10 in the morning, and the rest of the troops arrived five minutes after. There was a lot of commotion -- it seems like it was fog, but really it was [gun] powder smoke." Augustin Lucio, (Army) WWII

In July Lucio was wounded in the leg as he led his platoon to capture Hill 192. "It was not something serious," Lucio said. "The next day I got back to combat." Mr. Lucia was Interviewed by Denise Chávarri, February, 2003. http://bit.ly/AugustinLucio_Voces

06/06/2026

"I took part in D-Day, the longest day in history, they call it," Luis Martinez said. "It was June the 6th. I don't forget that. It was my wife's birthday, too."

Martinez remembers the sound of the bombs from the American forces across the English Channel, but says he was frightened more by the bombs dropped on London by the Germans in the months before.

Mr. Martinez was interviewed by Nicole Cruz in 2002 for the Voces Oral History Center collection. https://bit.ly/Martinez_Voces

05/25/2026

05/25/2026

Florentino Cantú Jr., one of 11 children, had dreams of being a scientist.

05/25/2026

Today, we honor and remember the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.

Who are you remembering today?

📸 Elizabeth Fraser

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we remember and honor those who gave their lives serving our country in the US Armed Forces. In this image from our Digital Collections, the 85th Division regiment honors its fallen comrades in a Memorial Day ceremony in Belluno, Italy. 1945.

Join us online or in person today at 11:00 a.m. CT for our annual Memorial Day commemoration, and hear remarks from Gold Star Family member Terry Savage, whose son Brian "Alex" Vaughn was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tune in here: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/events-programs/events/137979-memorial-day-commemoration

05/15/2026

In this week’s VOTA:

WWII Army veteran Ramon Martín Rivas recounts his life experiences in an interview conducted by his daughter, Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez. Raised by his siblings after his parents’ death when he was just 4 years old, Rivas recalls farming crops of cotton and corn on their farm in Charlotte, TX. To make more money, he enlisted in the Army in 1941 and was shipped to the Aleutian Islands. Post-war, Rivas returned to Texas and married Henrietta Lopez, a girl he had met while on furlough in San Antonio. They married in 1942 and had one son and six daughters. He later took over a barbershop in Devine, where he charged 50 cents a haircut. When the barbers association tried to pressure its members to raise prices to $1.25, he refused because of the hardship the higher prices would mean for his customers. Rivas emphasizes treating people dignity, the importance of education, and patriotism.
https://bit.ly/3PK0yNl

Born in San Antonio in 1924, Henrietta Lopez Rivas recounts the hardships of her life with pride. When she was only 15, Rivas headed north with her family to earn a living as migrant farm workers, spending the next several years in the tomato and sugar beet fields of Indiana and Michigan, where she remembers working from dawn until dusk for little pay. Then, upon returning to San Antonio in 1942, she found herself with employment opportunities that previously had been closed to her. The Civil Defense Department was in need of Spanish-speaking interpreters. Rivas went from making $1.50 a week to $90 a month. In 1945, she married Ramon Martín Rivas and had seven children. She emphasizes the importance of self-reliance, independence, work ethic, and pride.
https://bit.ly/49xez7O