In Their Own Words: Mexican American Vietnam Era Veterans
November 1, 2025
Located in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, the American Legion Post 213, also known as The Eagles Nest, has been a gathering place for generations of Mexican American veterans and the community as well. Sitting in the corner of The Eagles Nest, surrounded by veterans photos and memorabilia, Rodolfo “Rudy” Mesa reflected on his family’s legacy of service. “We come from a military family. My dad was in the Second World War in India, and he helped on the Burma Road. I had an uncle that was in the Korean War… and then me and my brother Bob [were] in Vietnam,” said Mesa, a U.S. Army Vietnam era veteran. “A lot of Hispanic people, they’re very, very patriotic. A lot of service members went in and a lot of them died.”
Mesa’s story was one of 13 stories of Mexican American Vietnam era veterans and family – and one World War II veteran – recorded by the American Legion Post 213 in Kansas City, Kansas, as part of Kansas Stories of the Vietnam War (KSVW), a Humanities Kansas (HK) initiative to document and preserve the stories and experiences of veterans for future generations. His story, and the stories of 98 other statewide, will be archived locally and at the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka and the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
HK worked with 11 communities statewide for KSVW. The project provided training to Kansas nonprofits in working with veterans in their community, writing questions, and conducting interviews. “The project taught us that many Vietnam-era veterans were willing to share their stories of the war,” observed Gene Chávez, project director. “Some of the participants in our project initially felt that their stories were not important because they were not directly in combat. Yet their stories illustrated that their willingness to serve in supportive roles during the war was important.”
The American Legion’s interviews were recorded and edited into a short film by the Johnson County Community College (JCCC). JCCC honored the veterans on Thursday, November 6 with a ceremony, panel discussion, and debut of the short film “In Their Own Words: Mexican American Vietnam Era Veterans.”
Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, it’s estimated that 500 veterans are lost each day, giving KSVW a sense of urgency. Many veterans stories and experiences have been left untold and communities want to honor them and the sacrifices they made for our country.
“Veterans, heroes are not dead, unless you forget their names,” said Jose M. Puentes, whose brother Miguel Ramirez Puentes (U.S. Army) is Missing in Action. “You’ve got to keep saying their names over and over again because…they gave the ultimate sacrifice to this beautiful country and we need to honor that.”
Kansas Stories of the Vietnam War is supported by the David Woods Kemper Veterans Foundation.
Join the Movement of Ideas
- Read about a Kansas Stories of the Vietnam War project in Cherryvale on the Kansas Stories blog.
- Listen to Gene Chávez and Army veteran Frank Hernandez talk about Kansas Stories of the Vietnam War on KCUR’s Up To Date.
- Visit the Mexican American World War II Veterans memorial in Emporia.
- Watch a video about the first phase of the Kansas Stories of the Vietnam War project in 2018.
Photo credit: Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3