The McAllen Heritage Center honored the Valley’s military veterans with a special tribute that museum officials believe will be an important part of Texas history.
On July 27, area veterans were invited to a special event honoring their service to their nation during war and peace.
Elva Cerda, Executive Director at the McAllen Heritage Center, has a special place in her heart for the veterans in her community. She has always hoped that there was a way she could document and preserve the real-life stories of local veterans.
“Several years ago, I began looking for a way to really honor our veterans,” she said.
Cerda began to search nearby counties for ideas when she read about a photographer in Cameron County – Brownsville native Martin Buitron – who’d launched the RGV Veteran’s Photo Project. Martin, the son of a U.S. Marine veteran who served during the Korean conflict, was on a mission to photograph veterans to honor their service.
Cerda loved the idea and called Martin, asking him to provide this service to veterans in McAllen and surrounding counties through the McAllen Heritage Center.
“We did three sessions with the photographer and at some point we realized we wanted to continue doing this as a service of the McAllen Heritage Center,” she said.
In 2024, the program at the McAllen Heritage Center was rebranded “Veterans Then & Now” and is offered the last weekend of July.
Through the program, area veterans are invited to participate in a professional photo shoot that captures the strength and dignity of every veteran.
The veteran receives a free 8×10 photograph of themselves holding their boot camp photo, which is a valuable keepsake for the veterans and their families.
Larger photographs of each local veteran will ultimately become part of a revolving tribute honoring their service. They will be displayed at the McAllen Heritage Center and a traveling exhibit that can be shared at other area museums or appropriate venues during patriotic events in the community.
Veterans who came to the event could also share their personal stories from their military service.
“We are also conducting video interviews with our veterans, and we are hoping to produce a series of interviews in the form of a documentary,” Cerda said. “Because of the deep emotions of their war experience, some veterans are hesitant to speak about their war experience, but we have captured some very compelling video.”
Gabe Elizondo, marketing assistant for the McAllen Heritage Center, is responsible for creating the content for the “Veteran’s Then & Now” project, said these events can be very emotional for the veteran and their families.
“We have about three or four hours of footage, and it’s very emotional,” he said. “We have a lot to work with, and we are going to build on that.”
Francisco Gonzalez is a Vietnam veteran who shared his story of service. He served in the United States Air Force as an aircraft loadmaster for the KC-130 Hercules from 1965 to 1969. He was based in Taipei, Taiwan, and routinely flew missions to Vietnam and bases in Thailand.
The KC-130 Hercules was a workhorse of the Vietnam War because it could land almost anywhere and transport troops and heavy cargo to support the war effort.
“I was honored to serve on that aircraft. I felt like I was never in harms way, but I did lose some fellow teammates; other load masters who were in my squadron,” he said. “Their names are on that Wall – the Vietnam War Memorial.”
Gonzalez recalled one incident when the North Vietnamese Army attacked the base at Cam Rhan Bay in Vietnam and targeted the aircraft on the tarmac.
The veterans who returned from the war in Vietnam were not celebrated or welcomed home. Instead, most were shunned and ridiculed as they returned home, and even now, Gonzalez feels the pain of that rejection.
“That just doesn’t sit well with me, and it never will because of the way we were treated,” he said. “Now, people are coming around and honoring our Vietnam veterans, and we should have had this when we came back home. I wanted to say so much, but when I sat in front of that camera, I wasn’t ready. I was in awe. I am humbled to have served my country.”
To learn more about “Veterans Then & Now”, visit mcallenheritagecenter.com or call the museum at (956) 681-2860.
