Voces Oral History Center

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

05/08/2026

In this week’s VOTA:

In the course of a war that brought sweeping changes, religion served as the greatest constant for a woman whose down-to-earth lifestyle would eventually center on a career, a family with three children and a long-lasting marriage. Born in Austin, Mary Resendez dropped out of school after the fifth grade and helped her mother raise Mary’s five younger siblings. At 16, she started her first job at Austin Laundry. She would then meet her husband, Frank, a WWII veteran, and raise three children together. Resendez emphasizes the importance of education and faith in her life.
https://bit.ly/4ub9udF

When Tony Reyna arrived at Normandy Beach on June 9, 1944, three days after the D-Day launch, he couldn't believe his eyes. He went from working on his father's farm as a teenager to serving in one of the most important military offensive of all time. Post-war, he met his wife, Connie, and raised six children together. He emphasizes the importance of education, respecting your parents and following laws.
https://bit.ly/4u8aYFK

05/02/2026

🧡🎉

05/01/2026

In this week’s VOTA:

WWII Army veteran, Jose Angel Ramirez, recalls seeing hard work all his life. He first began selling newspapers in McAllen, TX at eight years of age. His father was a renowned carpenter. His mother sewed all of their clothes. At 21, struggling to find a job, Ramirez left Texas for Washington, D.C. where he was hired at a government agency. Less than a year later, he was drafted. Ramirez reflects on his family history, the principles his dad taught him and his family’s strong work ethic.
https://bit.ly/4enZLMc

WWII Army veteran, Jose Ramirez Jr., recounts his family’s story with pride. Ramirez served in the armed forces right after WWII ended, but he experienced the aftermath of the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He also honors his two older brothers’ intense war experiences. Upon his return, Ramirez followed his father’s footsteps and became a farmer. He recalls facing discrimination and emphasized the importance of education.
https://bit.ly/4w1E1Mk

Tune in on Friday’s as we share never-before-seen, audio-remastered interviews from the very beginning of the Voces archives. 🎞️

04/25/2026

In this week’s VOTA:

At just 8 years old, Jose Ramirez got his first job selling newspapers in San Diego, CA. He’d continue to work all through his youth until graduating high school. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 and served as a fighter pilot with the 15th Air Force, mainly in Italy. Post-war, Ramirez would come home with a renewed outlook on life, recalling the poverty and depression he had seen abroad. He married Estreberta "Rachel" Gastelum and had two children. He also used the GI Bill to graduate from San Diego State University. Ramirez highlights the transformation of the Mexican American community and emphasizes the importance of education and opportunity.
https://bit.ly/4cynCY4

Tune in on Friday’s as we share never-before-seen, audio-remastered interviews from the very beginning of the Voces archives. 🎞️

04/18/2026

In this week’s VOTA:

WWII Army veteran, Pete Prado, recounts his experiences during the war following a childhood of work. Orphaned at 14, Prado was forced to quit the 7th grade and worked selling produce and newspapers. He was drafted at 19 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Prado experienced both equal, respectful treatment and prejudice from fellow servicemen and defended his culture on several occasions. Post-war, Prado used the GI Bill to go to electrical wiring school. He emphasizes the importance of family, education, and his pride in being Mexican American.
https://bit.ly/4cSe4XS

WWII Army veteran, Carlos Quintana, recalls the wounds he suffered in battle that left him hardly able to speak or eat properly for six years. Born in El Paso, TX, Quintana could read and write by the age of four. Excelling at school, he attended the University of Mexico but returned to El Paso when his father fell ill. Called into service in 1941, he remembers the horrors of war. Post-WWII, he devoted himself to educating and supporting youth and became part of the founding group for the Barrio Station, a youth center that strives to keep kids off the streets in San Diego.
https://bit.ly/4tV5w8C

Born in El Paso in 1919, Abel Ortega’s parents fled the violence of the Mexican Revolution from Chihuahua, Mexico. The family then moved to Austin. He dreamed of traveling to the Far East of the world. A WWII prisoner of war and Korean War Army veteran, his experience would be far different from what he’d imagined. He spent 38 days imprisoned on a ship and describes harsh conditions. Ortega emphasizes the importance of prayer for his survival. Post-war, Ortega worked for Kelly Cleaners in Austin, married his wife, Naomi, and raised seven children together.
https://bit.ly/41H5ll5

Tune in on Friday’s as we share never-before-seen, audio-remastered interviews from the very beginning of the Voces archives. 🎞️