Puerto Rican Centenarian Is One Of Last Wwii Veterans — And He's Telling His Story

LUQUILLO, Puerto Rico — Nestled betwixt El Yunque National Forest and nan shores of nan water lives Andrés González Vega, 1 of nan past remaining World War II veterans.

Don Andrés, aliases “Dede,” arsenic he's affectionately known successful his hometown, is 101 years aged and 1 of nan astir 16.4 cardinal soldiers who fought successful nan warfare from 1941 to 1945 arsenic portion of nan U.S. military.

Eighty years aft nan extremity of nan war, little than 1% of each World War II veterans still live. Don Andrés, who is penning a memoir, is 1 of them.

Andrés González Vega, 101, smiles arsenic he shows a image of him successful subject azygous while he served during World War II. Courtesy Wesley J. Pérez Vidal

With nan thief of his daughter, Julia González, Don Andrés is penning a book to archive astir a period of life.

González Vega, who still retains nan lucidity and representation of a historian, recalls successful item really astatine property 18 he had to study to Fort Buchanan, successful San Juan. After a week of aesculapian and beingness evaluations, his sanction echoed complete nan camp’s loudspeaker.

“I was waiting for that call,” González Vega proudly remarked successful his autochthonal Spanish. Lined up alongside each nan different young Puerto Ricans, González Vega handed successful his shoes, socks, pants, underwear and garment earlier he near nan campy to conflict successful nan war.

Having luncheon pinch her begetter astatine his home, González said it has been a situation for her begetter to constitute his memoir because Don Andrés “always likes to talk astir nan bully things," though life has some ups and downs, she said.

Don Andrés, astatine his location adjacent to his daughter, Julia González, look astatine nan galore news clippings published astir his life and work.Courtesy Wesley J. Pérez Vidal

But González Vega, known arsenic a defender and promoter of Puerto Rican culture, is besides acknowledging past struggles and challenges arsenic he talks astir his life.

Both he and his girl retrieve stepping down nan streets of New York, wherever they lived for galore years, and seeing signs reading, “Puerto Ricans Go Home.” They besides recalled nan dozens of times they had to overgarment complete their location aft it was tagged pinch group slurs for illustration “Spic Go Home.”

The memoir will archive Don Andrés’ clip successful nan war, his experiences successful New York arsenic one of nan founders of nan iconic National Puerto Rican Day Parade and his accomplishments successful Puerto Rico arsenic nan creator of nan Coconut Festival successful Luquillo and a show coordinator astatine nan Institute of Puerto Rican Culture.

Don Andrés conserves and organizes nan sashes he's received from nan National Puerto Rican Day Parades successful New York and Chicago successful grant of his contributions. Courtesy Wesley J. Pérez Vidal

Eating his favourite chickenhearted wings pinch tostones, aliases fried plantains, Don Andrés nostalgically reminisced astir nan days erstwhile astir Puerto Ricans walked barefoot done nan countryside and fetched h2o from a well.

González Vega, who was calved connected nan Puerto Rican land of Vieques connected May 30, 1924, said that arsenic a child, he would transverse a stream connected his measurement to schoolhouse and harvest nan bananas and avocados he loved to eat pinch cod.

Despite having lived extracurricular Puerto Rico for 29 years, González Vega still considers himself a “jíbaro,” a agrarian Puerto Rican who successful caller years has go a awesome of Puerto Rican folklore.

Known for wearing a unique straw chapeau called “la pava,” "jíbaros" historically were group who lived successful agrarian Puerto Rico and worked connected farms. Today, artists for illustration Bad Bunny, pinch his latest album, “DeBÍ TIRAR MáS FOToS,” activity to highlight images and scenes depicting jíbaros for illustration Don Andrés.

Going to war

Upon completing his subject training successful nan municipality of Gurabo, González Vega received an order: “Pack everything up, we’re going to leave,” he recalled. Dozens of trucks began picking up nan Puerto Rican soldiers and transporting them to San Juan. There, they each boarded a gigantic vessel — he had ne'er been connected 1 before. At night, arsenic they group sail, each they could spot were nan lights of nan superior city.

“Goodbye, my beloved Borinquen, goodbye, my onshore of nan sea, I’m leaving, but 1 time I’ll return,” he repeated melancholically, similar to nan lyrics of nan iconic opus “En Mi Viejo San Juan,” arsenic he recalled nan time he near Puerto Rico for nan first time.

González Vega, alongside thousands of different soldiers, arrived astatine nan Guantánamo Bay subject guidelines successful Cuba. They stayed location for respective days until a naval escort took them to their last destination — Panama, arsenic he recalled nan travel there.

With nan thief of paper, Don Andrés describes wherever New York City's Puerto Rican neighborhoods were, arsenic he marks nan city's avenues pinch precision.Courtesy Wesley J. Pérez Vidal

“Sometimes nan sirens sounded, and they had to move disconnected each nan lights, and everyone had to spell down to their cabins and beryllium quiet. Then, they told america location was a German submarine surrounding nan ship. We had astir 3 scares successful Cuba, not knowing wherever we were going,” González Vega said. “I don’t cognize really galore days, because nan vessel was coasting, until we reached Panama.”

Upon his presence successful nan metropolis of Balboa, successful Panama, a group of U.S. soldiers amazed him pinch java and caller beverage aft an arduous travel pinch scarce food.

Knowing only a fewer words of English — which he learned from a celebrated Puerto Rican children’s opus from nan 1930s created by a bilingual coach — González Vega crossed nan Panamanian jungle to scope his assigned station.

Shortly aft he arrived, González Vega was promoted to backstage first people and later to sergeant, overseeing a group of Puerto Rican soldiers.

González Vega said that 1 of his astir difficult moments was erstwhile his mother, María Vega, was hospitalized pinch asthma in Puerto Rico. One day astatine nan Panama Canal, he was moving connected an aggravated target believe session, truthful hopeless to beryllium pinch his mother that his caput hurt, he said. Minutes later, he was told he had to study to nan subject airdrome and was taken to Puerto Rico connected nan message plane.

Don Andrés cared for his mother until she recovered. Fifteen days later, he returned to nan Panama Canal until nan extremity of nan war.

For his service, Don Andrés received nan American Theater Service Medal, nan Good Conduct Medal and nan World War II Victory Medal.

Facing racism and challenges

In 1947, González Vega was portion of a activity of Puerto Ricans who migrated to New York for economical reasons.

In nan city, he unexpectedly ran into 1 of his friends from Panama. Together, they remembered erstwhile World War II colleagues, galore of whom later died serving successful nan Korean War.

“Maybe that [death] would person happened to me, too,” González Vega said.

González Vega raised his daughter, Julia, pinch his woman successful nan Big Apple.

One of his daughter’s puerility memories is erstwhile she returned from schoolhouse 1 time and saw her begetter coating portion of nan location aft personification had tagged it pinch an insult: “Spics Go Home,” they some recounted.

At that time, number groups successful nan United States faced nan group tensions of nan segregation era and nan struggle for civilian rights. That profoundly affected Don Andrés, who saw really a Black personification could beryllium sitting successful 1 spot and, if a achromatic personification arrived, would person to springiness up nan spot immediately, nan seasoned said.

To transmission his indignation, González Vega was portion of nan founding group creating nan National Puerto Rican Parade successful New York. He remembers really nan group pressured nan mayor, Robert Wagner, to assistance them entree to nan celebrated Fifth Avenue for nan parade.

“They went to Wagner, ‘If you want our vote, we want to march connected Fifth Avenue,’” González Vega recalled, who besides remembered nan galore Puerto Ricans who fought to besides person elector registration forms successful Spanish. "From there, Puerto Rican authorities began, pinch galore emerging leaders moving for office, and today, you spot that," he said.

Making crafts, signaling memories

Don Andrés later returned to Puerto Rico, wherever he completed his bachelor’s grade successful business management and worked arsenic a show coordinator astatine nan Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and founded nan Coconut Festival successful Luquillo.

The begetter and girl unrecorded 50 feet from each other, successful actual houses surrounded by plants that turn avocados, pigeon peas and plantains. González calls her begetter each greeting to spell complete nan day’s errands. After their chat, Don Andrés goes down 12 steps from nan 2nd level of his location to beryllium successful nan eating room for breakfast: a solid of basking beverage pinch bananas and oranges.

He makes handmade crafts, including accepted Puerto Rican philharmonic instruments for illustration his signature güiros and maracas.

Don Andrés shows nan cardinal to nan metropolis of Luquillo, Puerto Rico he received for his taste and civic contributions. Courtesy Wesley J. Pérez Vidal

When González Vega visits El Yunque to waste his work, he sometimes wonders whether he should stop, arsenic his girl is nan 1 who helps him transportation nan dense array and group up his shop pinch his handmade instruments.

“I don’t want you to stop. I want you to continue,” González said pinch awesome emotion.

González, who dreams of creating a spot that offers Puerto Rican crafts, java and wine, said that while she has to make a database to effort to retrieve nan things she has to accomplish, "my dada has everything successful his mind. I want to proceed to do everything successful nan measurement he has ever done them.”

Don Andrés said, “I convey God for giving maine a girl for illustration Julia, who intends everything to me.”

Asked whether he has told his full story, he replied pinch a smile: “I haven’t told you thing yet.”

González Vega continues his days reminiscing astir his memories and enjoying nan clip he has pinch his girl while singing his ain type of Bad Bunny’s deed “Café Con Ron,” which rhymes successful Spanish and loosely translates to “Coffee successful nan morning, and successful nan day ham (jamón), we bask everything sitting successful nan balcony” (balcón).

An earlier type of this communicative was first published successful The Latino Reporter, a news website sponsored by nan National Association of Hispanic Journalists and produced by student members, who screen nan statement and its yearly conference.