AUSTIN, Texas— Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is proud to introduce the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB's Voices of Veterans oral history program. This week, we highlight the service of Sergeant (Sgt) Rafael Gonzales, who served in the United States Marines.
Gonzales said his father served in the United States Army as a military policeman, serving in Okinawa, and he remembered his dad brought him back a Japanese surrender rifle as a souvenir. "Though there are parts missing, I’m missing the bayonet, and I believe I’m also missing a ramrod that goes with it, but it still looks good. I have it here right behind me. Every now and then, I take a look and handle it."
Gonzales joined the United States Marines in May 1968, volunteering for service instead of being drafted. He said he was inspired by, of all things, television news. He said he remembers "ABC News doing a story about a Marine Corps unit called Charlie Company" and telling his brother that that's what he wanted to do.
Gonzales called boot camp in San Diego, California "a shocking experience like he'd never had before," but one that made a difference and that he hasn't forgotten.
"I can remember that we weren’t allowed to look to the left or to the right of us. We had to have our eyes right in front or right behind that man’s head, you know. And we went through a lot of heck," Gonzales said. "I always tell my sons, especially those that are going to join the Marines, that the best thing that ever happened to you is go through all the hell you can withstand in boot camp because that right there will help you pull through some of the tough moments when you’re in battle."
While Gonzales spent considerable time in Vietnam, before that, he said, "I volunteered [...] also trained to become battalion recon" and he ended up going to Okinawa, Japan, which was a staging area as an Alpha 1-1. When he finally made it to Vietnam, the plane was loaded with battalion recon, and his half of the recon ended up in an infantry unit. He vividly recalled what it was like in those early days.
"I can remember being on the convoy going toward Da Nang [...] I think I spent like one night there. That one night, that was next to this one Black Marine. His name was Pitchfork. We were laying on this slope there looking out, and in the distance we could see tracer rounds and could hear machine gun fire after that. And then every now and then you’ll see the flashes of these explosions around us," Gonzales said, adding this was all happening as they got to know each other better. "All of a sudden, not known to us, we had these 175 tanks about maybe a couple of hundred yards away from us, and they cut loose two rounds [...] I actually felt myself go up in the air for about a foot, and then I said to my friend, 'Welcome to Vietnam.'
Gonzales said he pretty much hit the ground running and remembers that things changed from the first couple months while in Vietnam. He mentioned that ended up as a radio operator because after the previous radioman was killed, "nobody wanted to volunteer to carry that extra weight [...] you're the first guy they're trying to knock out."
To listen to Sgt. Rafael Gonzales tell his story, click the button below:
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Veterans can email VoicesofVeterans@glo.texas.gov to tell their stories. Please note that the Veteran must be a resident of Texas at the time of their interview.
Voices of Veterans is a state agency's first Veteran oral history program. It records the stories of Texas Veterans through their time in service and after returning home from combat.
The VLB records interviews with Veterans over the phone or in person. Their interviews are then permanently archived in the Office of Veterans Records at the GLO, where they join the historical documents of other Texas heroes such as Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis.
Veterans' interviews are also available to researchers, historians, genealogists, and the public. These precious records inspire future generations and remind us of our Veterans' sacrifices.
To listen to the over 500 archived stories of Veterans documented through the GLO's Voices of Veterans oral history program, click the button below:
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Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., brings a lifetime of experience to the Texas General Land Office (GLO). In 2016, she became the first Republican elected to the Texas State Senate from Travis County and the first woman to represent Texas Senate District 24. She made history again in 2022, winning a statewide election to become our state’s first female Land Commissioner.