Mexican American Women in the Home Front in World War II

Mexican American Women in the Home Front in WWII Richard: Not only men were called to roll up their sleeves in war time, but women, mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, their work largely confined to the home front, in defense factories, and civil defense. Henrietta Lopez Rivas lived near a strategic air base: Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas. She spoke both English and Spanish so was snapped up by the Civil Defense corps. Henrietta Lopez Rivas: They asked, "How many languages do you speak? Do you speak fluently, and do you read and write, and so on." And I said, "Of course I do." So the next thing I knew I was called to be an interpreter. Richard: Like many young Mexican-American women, Henrietta didn't stop there. She displayed a certain mechanical acumen that earned her a good-paying job at the local air base. Henrietta Lopez Rivas: They sent me to school. I think it was over three months, and I qualified for instrument repair, which is very delicate you know. You have to work with microscopes and tiny, tiny screws. Rosa Ramirez Guerrero: I remember the victory gardens we used to have, and I remember the rationing of the food, sugar, meat and gasoline. Richard: In World War II everyone pulled together with a sense of pride and shared sacrifice. People who had never picked up a shovel began growing some of their own food in victory gardens. They sold war bonds to raise money for military operations. Even children did their part. Little Rosa Ramirez Guerrero, who says she was born dancing, entertained soldiers in El Paso, Texas. Rosa Ramirez Guerrero: We were like the Mexican American Bob Hope show. We would bring up the morale of our troops. El Paso and Fort Bliss had the largest military base in the world here in the Second World War. People don't remember that, but I do. And I remember all the soldiers coming downtown, and all you could see is khaki-khaki. And on Saturday nights, this big bus, an army-colored bus, would pick us up, and it was a thrill for us to go dance for them. Brother: Here she is, selling poppies. Christine Marin: Mothers and wives of servicemen did the lion's share of boosting troop morale. In Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona La Asociacion Hispano-Americana de Madres y Esposas published a newsletter called Chisme or Chatter that kept GI's up to date on news from home. And they sold bonds - lots of them. They raised over a million dollars in war bonds. This was in Tucson. That's a lot of money for the war effort. Richard: Local churches stepped up to the plate - the collection plate - raising money for the troops and holding prayer vigils for their safe return. In Sacramento, California, a mother from Mexico named Enriqueta Andazola with several sons and a son-in-law in uniform, recruited women to support servicemen from the central valley. She started an organization called The Mexican War Mothers. They tended to wounded soldiers in local hospitals, sent care packages overseas, and gave visiting GI's a welcome taste of home. Diana Salgado-Zuniga: I remember going with my mother and my grandmother to the USO here in Sacramento. And they would actually cook Mexican meals there at the USO so the men could have good Mexican food. Richard: But the greatest legacy of the Mexican War Mothers is this: a silent sentinel modeled after a soldier, Diana's Uncle Joe, standing guard near the capitol in downtown Sacramento. The statue really does honor the boy that died, that’s really the significance of the statue to honor the Mexican young men that died in the Second World War.