The purpose of this research guide is to provide a brief overview of archival and historical resources available at the University Library relating to veterans of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Primary sources include oral history interviews, photographs, manuscripts, and more. The guide also links to secondary sources and published works.
UTRGV Special Collections & Archives presents an annual poster exhibit honoring the service and sacrifice of military service veterans of the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. This year's digital poster exhibit features profiles of valley veterans, including alumni, library staff, the "Border Angel", veterinarian Joseph Coulter, and the Maldonado and Tanamachi brothers, who served during WWII.
A PDF of the posters is also available for download: http://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/librarydisplayposters/76
To learn more about digital resources related to Valley Veterans, including interviews, photos, and more visit the Veterans of War Curated Collection | Special Collections and Archives | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (utrgv.edu).
Annual poster exhibit honoring military service veterans. This year's digital poster exhibit features information about the historical changes in the U.S. armed forces as well as profiles for valley veterans, including Richard E. Cavazos, Dr. Eloisa Tamez, Pedro Cano, Maria Osorio, Ruth M. Abney, Eugene Gutierrez, Angela Burton, Herbert Pike, and Edgar Hernandez.
A PDF of the posters is also available for download https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/librarydisplayposters/48/
To learn more about digital resources related to Valley Veterans, including interviews, photos, and more visit the Veterans of War Curated Collection | Special Collections and Archives | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (utrgv.edu).
The research guides compiled by UTRGV staff and students are intended to assist patrons who are embarking upon new research endeavors. Our goal is to expand their knowledge of the types of resources available on a given topic, including books, archival materials, and websites. In so doing, our compilers have taken care to include collections, digital items, and resources that may be accessed not only through UTRGV but also via other institutions, repositories, and websites.
We wholeheartedly respect the research interests of others. Therefore, please contact us if you wish to submit a resource for consideration, or if you have a question about or an issue with a specific cited resource.
Heroes of Our Time by
Heroes of Our Time contains all 239 Medal of Honor citations such as this excerpt: ...His rifle ammunition expended, he seized two grenades and, in an act of unsurpassed heroism, charged toward the entrenched enemy weapon. Hit again in the leg, this time with a tracer round which set fire to his clothing, Sgt. Robinson ripped the burning clothing from his body and staggered indomitably through the enemy fire, now solely concentrated on him, to within grenade range of the enemy position. Sustaining two additional chest wounds, he marshalled his fleeting physical strength and hurled the two grenades, thus destroying the enemy position, as he fell dead upon the battlefield... Along with the citations are newspaper accounts of various battles. Heroes of Our Time is a look at the courage of American soldiers in Vietnam.
Marine Sergeant Freddy Gonzalez, Vietnam War Hero, Rev. Ed by
At the age of 21, Marine Sergeant Freddy Gonzalez was killed during the Tet Offensive in Hue City, Vietnam. For his actions defending his platoon that day, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Later, in 1996, in honor of his actions a U.S. Navy warship, the USS Gonzalez, was named after him. This biography, an outgrowth of the author's 2006 book, When the River Dreams, covers Gonzalez's birth in 1946 to a 16-year-old single mother; his youth, when he worked with his mother as a water boy to the farm workers in the vast fields of South Texas; his high school years when he played football as an all-district 160-pound lineman; and his enlistment, deployment and death in Vietnam. Utilizing many interviews with his family, friends and fellow Marines, this biography thoroughly chronicles the life of a hero.
The center assists students in certifying education benefits, advocating for services, developing projects to unite the university with our local community, providing counseling services specifically for veterans, and promoting student involvement through the Student Veterans of America National Organization.
Maximize your time and effort. Let our staff assist you with finding and accessing resources online.
We also invite you to schedule an appointment to meet one-on-one with a member of our Special Collections & Archives staff. Schedule an on-campus research visit or choose to meet online (video chat).
