Arizona's Hispanic Flyboys 1941-1945 [Paperback]

Rudolph Villarreal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2002

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 about Hispanics who served in uniform from 1941 through 1945. This is especially true of those who served in the so-called "glamorous" air corps of the US Army and Navy. This is documentary of Hispanic young men from Arizona who served as pilots, navigators, bombardiers, flight engineers, gunners, and radio operators. Hispanics make up the largest ethnic minority in Arizona. Many of Arizona's Hispanics served valiantly in ground and sea forces during WWII, and today, in the Hispanic community as elsewhere, their service is remembered proudly. Less well known, however, is the contribution made by those young men in the elite volunteer services that fought the war from above.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rudy Villarreal is a native of Morenci, Arizona. A graduate of Northrop Institute of Technology, he is retired after 30 years in the aerospace industry, having worked for Douglas, Lockheed and Allied Signal. He served in the US ARMY from 1964 to 1966. Rudy and his wife Mary Ellen live in Tempe, Arizona.COVER DESIGNDavid Villarreal, nephew of the author, designed the book cover. He is a graduate of The Art Center Design College in Tucson, Arizona. Shown on the front cover are shoulder insignia for each Air Force unit in the US Army Air Corps during WWII.

Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (November 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595257178
• ISBN-13: 978-0595257171
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,117,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A crucial historical document, April 7, 2003

By 

Phil Villarreal "Phil Villarreal, Arizona Dai... (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Arizona's Hispanic Flyboys 1941-1945 (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving tribute to a remarkable group of men, June 1, 2005

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Arizona's Hispanic Flyboys 1941-1945 (Hardcover)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars A TESTAMENT TO THE BRAVERY AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF LATINOS WHO FOUGHT IN WW II, December 7, 2007

By 

Daniel Olivas (West Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Arizona's Hispanic Flyboys 1941-1945 (Hardcover)

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.]