Arizona's Hispanic Flyboys 1941-1945

By Rudolph C. Villarreal

Book Overview

World War II remains probably the most significant historical event of the 20th Century. It has been well documented in print and film over the last sixty years. Not much, however, has been written... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595257178
• ISBN13: 9780595257171
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A TESTAMENT TO THE BRAVERY AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF LATINOS WHO FOUGHT IN WW II

As I was browsing at Williams' Book Store in San Pedro recently, I came upon a book with a title that caught my eye: Arizona's Hispanic Flyboys 1941-1945 (Writers Club Press, 2002) by Rudolph C. Villarreal. I flipped through its pages and immediately knew that I had to buy it. The first thought that went through my mind was: Ken Burns should have read this book. La Bloga has extensively covered the controversy over Burns' initial failure to include any interviews - whatsoever - with Latino veterans of World War II for his PBS documentary, The War. Only after much public outcry did he relent and add a couple of interviews. Then we learned from Gus Chavez of Defend the Honor Campaign that in the book version of the documentary, other than one reference to Mexicans when describing the population of Sacramento, Burns excludes any reference to the Latinos who served in our armed forces. Burns should have read Villarreal's book before moving forward with his version of history. Though Villarreal limits his book to Latinos from Arizona who flew or supported flight crews, he was able to tell the story of 77 - yes, 77 - Latinos who served this country during WW II. Each "flyboy" receives a chapter that begins with the basics: a photo (if available), hometown, branch served, rank, duty (i.e., bombardier, pilot, engineer, gunner, etc.), medals won and where they did battle. Villarreal offers a narrative of each life, often footnoted, and sometimes he includes newspaper clippings with such headlines as "Sgt. Estrada Dies in Action," or "Five Yuma Fliers Killed in Crash" or "Missing: Mesa Fighter Pilot." These are heartbreaking accounts that are personalized by Villarreal's extensive research. Sometimes Villarreal has nothing more than one newspaper clipping to offer; even these short entries are moving and enlightening. Other times, he has enough information to write extensively on a flyboy's education, family and acts of valor. Sometimes we read letters from a flyboy to his loved ones. Flyboys from Arizona with names like Sosa, Gallegos, Ochoa and Campos fill these pages with their brave acts and dedication. If Villarreal could tell the stories of 77 Latino flyboys from one state, how is it that Burns failed so miserably in his attempt to tell the "real" story of those who fought in WW II? In sum, Villarreal has written a gripping and indispensable testament to the bravery and contributions of Latinos who fought in World War II. [The full version of this review first appeared in La Bloga.]

Hispanic Aviators - Some Great Stories about some Great Men!

Author Rudolph C. Villarreal has chronicled some of the most interesting WWII aviators, who all just happen to be Hispanic and from Arizona. In his book "Arizona Hispanic Flyboys 1941-1945", he gives us a series of short bios on some real American heroes. His book not only preserves a slice of WWII history with never before told tales but he also honors the Hispanic culture of Arizona with his tributes to these old warriors. What brings this all together and makes it such a reader friendly book is that the author presents each man's story with some local information like what high school or college the men attended or graduated from. He paints an honest portrait of real human beings who did heroic things in his brief bios. He lists what military medals each man was awarded and where they fought and for what unit. There were some men that I wanted to learn more about like what happened to Corporal Oscar Gallegos after he was released after being a POW in Europe. What was his life like? What did that imprisonment do to him? Where is he now? We may never know. Some of those profiled have lots of information such as First Lieutenant Gilbert F. Gonzales a pilot of a P-38 fighter lane. The author follows his life right up to his death in 1994. He was part of a squadron that had shot down 179 planes in the Pacific. The book must make fascinating and inspirational reading for those families who have a father, or grandfather featured within these hollowed pages. The author has truly honored these men and their memories. It is a worthy effort and a well researched book. If you love stories about real men and war this is a good book to read.

A moving tribute to a remarkable group of men

In his introduction to "Arizona's Hispanic Flyboys 1941-1945," author Rudolph C. Villarreal says this about the book: "This is a documentary of Hispanic boys from my home state of Arizona who served as pilots and aircrew in our armed forces during the war." The book contains entries on seventy-seven "flyboys" from both the Army and Naval air services. The book is structured like a reference work; the seventy-seven entries are alphabetically organized and follow a standard format. Each entry includes the man's name, rank, hometown, combat decorations, and other material. The flyboys include pilots, gunners, navigators, flight engineers, radio operators, and those in other jobs. Both enlisted men and officers are included. The book contains reproductions of many materials from the era covered. There are photographs of newspaper articles from the _Phoenix Gazette_, _Tempe Daily News_, _Arizona Republic_, and other newspapers, as well as reproductions of such historic documents as a commendatory letter to a flyboy from the governor of Arizona. Although some of these reproduced documents are difficult to read, overall they are a great feature. The book is also full of photographs showing the flyboys and the crews they served with; many photos show the men together with the aircraft of their era. Villareal notes that his primary sources of information were wartime newspapers. His footnotes give further insights into his research methods. Included in the entries are some remarkable stories of courage and survival. Quite a number of the flyboys survived time as POWs. Villareal also tells of many of the men's lives after the war; there are some noteworthy accounts of achievement in both military and civilian careers. It's clear that this book was a labor of love for the author. This is both a valuable reference work and a moving tribute to this group of World War II veterans.

A crucial historical document

Villarreal has done a marvellous job researching the lives and exploits of heretofore unrecognized men. We all owe a tremendous debt to the daring Arizona Hispanic flyboys who fought for us during World War II. This book should be required reading in all Hispanic Studies classes and is an absolute necessity for WW II buffs.