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Introduction:
The Sons of Guadalupe project is an original investigation of the experiences of the Vietnam Era veterans from Guadalupe, California, a small agricultural town in northern Santa Barbara County. Included is an informal history of the region, the town, the multiple ethnic migrations into the city and other matters related to the town's current socio-economic dynamic. From this small town of 2,500 residents in the middle 1960s, 145 men were drafted or volunteered for military service between 1965-1970. Three men were killed-in-action: Michael Peter Pagaling, Arturo Carrasco and Phillip Hernandez. But virtually all of the veterans that saw military action in Vietnam have suffered for decades from physical afflictions brought on by their exposure to Agent Orange and psychological problems caused by their exposure to the madness and violence of war. I encourage you to read their testimonials which reveal the various maladies associated with the war some forty years ago. The resources of the project are arranged in three categories: first, original and informal histories of the region as you see below, next Guadalupe's Vietnam Veteran Testimonials and third the photo gallery of all of the participants and additional photographic resources related to the town, the region and the experiences of the veterans in the war. Juan's King Falafel is an introduction into the region and is named for a small take-out restaurant of this name that is run by a local Chicano, presumably serving Mediterranean food. It is one of the many examples of the ethnic elasticity of the town since its founding in the 1840s. Also includes the following sections: El Rincon del Mundo, The Skinny Bear, The Dune That Never Moves, Cantinflas was Here, and The Hanging Tree. Don't Eat the Bear is a summary of the region and its unusual location in the middle of the Santa Maria Valley, surrounded by agricultural enterprises as far as the eye can see. Also includes: The United Nations, No Japs Allowed, On Sundays After Mass, The Cardena Rising Sun Club, Authentic Spanish Food and Bud Wong's Exotic Cuisine. Soldiers Without Guns is a summary of the major economic and political pull and push factors that contributed to the enormous growth of the Mexican-origin population of the town. Most of the parents of the Sons of Guadalupe arrived during this recent wave of Mexicanization that surged with the Bracero Program in the 1940s. The town today, as a result of this latest wave of migrations, is now 87% Latino. Also includes the following sections: The Mexicans are Coming, Soldados Desembrazados: The Legend of Arturo Ortiz, Stealing from the Poor and 11 Mexican Restaurants.
We don't need no stinkin' forks We don't need no stinkin' forks is a summary of the California State Advisory panel of the 1972 Civil Rights Commission which investigated the school district when charges of excessive and persistent charges of corporal punishment became known. Originally charges were made by El Comite, a local Latino organization in town, and brought to the California Rural Legal Assistance organization. This began one of the most controversial investigations of any school in California, resulting in countless allegations of physical abuse of children as well as revelations on the scandalous state of education in the district. Also includes the following sections: Una Caballeriza, We Want Mexican Teachers and the Guadalupe Seven, No Forks Allowed, The Mean and Pugnacious Swinburne, Cruel and Unusual Punishment and Developmental Dyslexia. The Sons of Guadalupe is a summary of the Vietnam veterans and their life before the Vietnam War and since, with a focus on their experiences in the school, their life before the war and the effects of the war on their psychological and physical condition since. You will find transcribed interviews with many of the veterans as they discuss their war experiences and their life since then. These interviews were conducted at various locations in California including Guadalupe, Nipomo Mesa, Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, Monterey, Moorpark, San Francisco and other locations. Also includes: From Varela to Caņez, Barely 100 Pounds, Number 7, El Gordito, At 4 a.m., Talent-less Blondes, Erroneous Induction, The Short-Timer, Charley Owned the Night, The Black Cloud, 9 Per Day, The Heart of America. The Sons of Guadalupe also includes testimonials from the following Guadalupe Vietnam era veterans: Henry Alfaro Rudy Alfaro Bobby Castillo Jimmy Castillo Ysidro DeLeon Jimmy Inguito Henry Leon Jr. Richard Noriega Manuel Razo Rudy Razo Sal Rodriguez Mike Rosas Santos Rosas Henry Ruiz David "Gordo" Sanchez Richard Segovia Ernie Serrano John Varela Chris Zarate
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