The family of a Marine killed in Vietnam is working on one last way to honor his legacy

From the Voces Oral History Center:

In 1966, a young Marine from Harlingen, Texas, was killed in Vietnam just days before returning home.

Rudolfo M. Gonzalez’s family took steps to preserve his memory, including naming four of his nephews after him.

“Just the thought that we’re named after him, too, is a great honor for us,” said Rudy Gonzalez, one of those nephews. “Part of our legacy as a family is to honor his memory and the sacrifice he made for us — also for the United States, for America. I mean, my uncle wasn’t even a U.S. citizen at the time he volunteered.”

Rudy M. Gonzalez was nine when his family moved to the United States from Mexico, and when he died in Vietnam at age 22, he was a Mexican citizen.

He graduated from Harlingen High School in 1964 and joined the Navy. From there he was shipped to Vietnam.

His sister, Frances Garza, remembers those final days with her brother.

“He took me to the movies, he took me out to dinner and we talked, you know, and he told me to stay focused, to be careful and not to disappoint mom and dad,” Garza said. “I remember him talking to me, and now that I think about it, he talked to me like I was never going to see him again.”

Rudy M. Gonzalez was only days away from returning home. His sister recalls that the family had already begun receiving his belongings when they got the news that he had been killed. His nephew Jerry Gonzalez recalls that his grandparents did not give up hope that he would return.

“Every knock on the door, they thought, ‘Could it be? Could it be?'” Jerry said. “Every knock on the door was a moment of fear. A moment of ‘Could it be? Is it possible he could come through that door?’ Until their last breath, they never accepted his death.”

Jerry Gonzalez is working on the paperwork to grant his uncle posthumous U.S. citizenship. All he is missing is his discharge papers – his DD214.

He says it would mean a lot to the family if his uncle finally received this award, and it would also be an honor to his uncle’s legacy.

“I think it’s important to recognize that he was totally dedicated to this country,” Jerry Gonzalez said. “It meant a lot to him, it meant a lot to my family, and it means a lot to me.”

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