News
Family tradition: Rudy Ramirez is youngest of 5 Willcox brothers in WWII
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| Willcox native Rudy Ramirez, a Navy veteran, is one of five brothers who served in World War II. He is shown here with his wife Stella and a photo of himself in his World War II uniform. The photo was taken when Ramirez was 17 years old. (Carol Broeder/ARN) |
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
Like many young men of his day, Rudolph Rodriguez Ramirez of Willcox joined the Navy at the tender age of 17.
Asked if he "fibbed" about his age, Rudy Ramirez grins and says, "Well, my Dad signed me in. I think he was glad to get rid of me."
His mother, on the other hand, did not want him to go.
Not a surprise, considering she had four other sons already serving in World War II at the same time.
"My mother cried a lot," Ramirez told the Range News. "Her eyes went dry and the doctor had to give her some drops."
Eldest brother Martin was one of the first "jungle trained soldiers," said Ramirez, explaining that he was trained at the Panama Canal.
The next in line, James, had the great misfortune to be a Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) in Germany.
"Jim got out of the P.O.W. camp when the war ended, but he had nothing but stomach trouble after that," Ramirez said.
Brothers Marcelino and Cruz were in the service, as well.
"The only one who didn't go was Lalo, because he had flat feet," he said.
"We had five in World War II. There was nobody around here that could beat that," Ramirez said about this family of Willcox natives.
Later, two younger brothers followed suit - with Carlos serving in Korea and Robert serving in Vietnam.
"My uncle - my Dad's brother - was the one who started it all," said Ramirez, referring to Francisco "Pancho" Ramirez, who served in World War I.
But in World War II, it was a young Rudy who joined the Navy on March 11, 1944.
"I call him a Yankee Doodle Dandy," says Stella, his wife of nearly 60 years.
"He was only 17 and there he was in the war."
"It was a very serious war," she told the Range News. "They went through a lot.
"Imagine these boys who grew up in Willcox and never went past Tucson, and all of a sudden they were being shot at and shelled at."
Rudy left the Southern Arizona desert for boot camp in San Diego.
There, he ran into fellow Willcox resident Pete Bidegain.
"I met him in San Diego while we were marching on the beach," he said.
"I was in one group and he was in another, and we passed each other."
From basic training in San Diego, Ramirez was sent to Honolulu in what was then the Territory of Hawaii.
After that, he ended up at Midway Island in the Pacific, the site of a battle widely regarded as one of the most important of the Pacific Campaign on World War II.
"That happened before I got there," Ramirez states simply.
Not that his own service lacked its scary moments.
Ironically, Ramirez was at Midway at the same time as fellow Willcox residents Joe Hines and Robert Rutledge, who was a pilot.
"I was standing talking to Rutledge and here comes one of the planes," he said. "It exploded close to us. I had never seen anything like that before."
And while the plane that exploded was one of our own, Japanese planes at times menaced them.
"Their planes were 'strafing' us," said Ramirez, explaining, "they would shoot at us and then take off. It only happened a few times - but it was scary. It was as if it was their last hurrah."
Yet another new experience for this desert son was deep sea diving.
"They picked us younger guys," Ramirez said with a grin. "I didn't like it. I was kind of talked into that."
"We were searching for anything that could be dangerous, like floating explosives - mines and stuff."
"That deep-sea diving equipment is heavy," said Ramirez, adding, "You look up and all you see is water. I wanted no part of that."
He was honorably discharged on April 26, 1946 at the rank of Seaman Second Class.
Ramirez resumed his life in Willcox, graduating from Willcox High School that same year.
He also met and later married Stella, herself a Willcox native, on April 14, 1950.
"I was 15 when I met him and he was 19," she told the Range News.
"He was going to work at the lumberyard," Stella said. "He stopped the truck and looked at me and I looked at him. I went home and told my mother, 'I just saw the guy I'm going to marry.'"
"If I had known that, I would have never stopped my truck," Ramirez interjects with a grin.
Her mother had replied, "What? You don't even know him," she said.
Stella learned later that it was Rudy. She had gone through school with his younger brother, Carlos.
"Sixty three years we've known each other," she said.
Asked what they would want Range News readers to know about their era, Stella replied,
"We were all very patriotic back then. Nowadays the flag goes by and nobody salutes."
"We were all very patriotic and proud of our men."
Ramirez just wants people today to know that those men were perhaps more concerned about those they left behind than about themselves.
"A lot of guys in the service were worried about the people at home," said Ramirez, explaining that many things were being rationed at the time, such as tires, gasoline, and sugar.
"'They're having problems,' the men would say. 'They can't buy this. They can't buy that.'"
Along with marriage, raising a family, and 35 years as an employee at Sulphur Springs Valley Cooperative (SSVEC), Ramirez is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and has served as its Post Commander.
Seems that he has answered his country's call at least twice in his life.
The second call was issued by President Harry S. Truman to the veterans of that day.
"To you who answered the call of your country and served in its Armed Forces to bring about the total defeat of the enemy, I extend the heartfelt thanks of a grateful nation.
As one of the Nation's finest, you undertook the most severe task one can be called upon to perform," he said in a letter addressed to Ramirez.
"Because you demonstrated the fortitude, resourcefulness, and calm judgment necessary to carry out that task, we now look to you for leadership and example in further exalting our country in peace," Truman said.
Asked if he "fibbed" about his age, Rudy Ramirez grins and says, "Well, my Dad signed me in. I think he was glad to get rid of me."
His mother, on the other hand, did not want him to go.
Not a surprise, considering she had four other sons already serving in World War II at the same time.
"My mother cried a lot," Ramirez told the Range News. "Her eyes went dry and the doctor had to give her some drops."
Eldest brother Martin was one of the first "jungle trained soldiers," said Ramirez, explaining that he was trained at the Panama Canal.
The next in line, James, had the great misfortune to be a Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) in Germany.
"Jim got out of the P.O.W. camp when the war ended, but he had nothing but stomach trouble after that," Ramirez said.
Brothers Marcelino and Cruz were in the service, as well.
"The only one who didn't go was Lalo, because he had flat feet," he said.
"We had five in World War II. There was nobody around here that could beat that," Ramirez said about this family of Willcox natives.
Later, two younger brothers followed suit - with Carlos serving in Korea and Robert serving in Vietnam.
"My uncle - my Dad's brother - was the one who started it all," said Ramirez, referring to Francisco "Pancho" Ramirez, who served in World War I.
But in World War II, it was a young Rudy who joined the Navy on March 11, 1944.
"I call him a Yankee Doodle Dandy," says Stella, his wife of nearly 60 years.
"He was only 17 and there he was in the war."
"It was a very serious war," she told the Range News. "They went through a lot.
"Imagine these boys who grew up in Willcox and never went past Tucson, and all of a sudden they were being shot at and shelled at."
Rudy left the Southern Arizona desert for boot camp in San Diego.
There, he ran into fellow Willcox resident Pete Bidegain.
"I met him in San Diego while we were marching on the beach," he said.
"I was in one group and he was in another, and we passed each other."
From basic training in San Diego, Ramirez was sent to Honolulu in what was then the Territory of Hawaii.
After that, he ended up at Midway Island in the Pacific, the site of a battle widely regarded as one of the most important of the Pacific Campaign on World War II.
"That happened before I got there," Ramirez states simply.
Not that his own service lacked its scary moments.
Ironically, Ramirez was at Midway at the same time as fellow Willcox residents Joe Hines and Robert Rutledge, who was a pilot.
"I was standing talking to Rutledge and here comes one of the planes," he said. "It exploded close to us. I had never seen anything like that before."
And while the plane that exploded was one of our own, Japanese planes at times menaced them.
"Their planes were 'strafing' us," said Ramirez, explaining, "they would shoot at us and then take off. It only happened a few times - but it was scary. It was as if it was their last hurrah."
Yet another new experience for this desert son was deep sea diving.
"They picked us younger guys," Ramirez said with a grin. "I didn't like it. I was kind of talked into that."
"We were searching for anything that could be dangerous, like floating explosives - mines and stuff."
"That deep-sea diving equipment is heavy," said Ramirez, adding, "You look up and all you see is water. I wanted no part of that."
He was honorably discharged on April 26, 1946 at the rank of Seaman Second Class.
Ramirez resumed his life in Willcox, graduating from Willcox High School that same year.
He also met and later married Stella, herself a Willcox native, on April 14, 1950.
"I was 15 when I met him and he was 19," she told the Range News.
"He was going to work at the lumberyard," Stella said. "He stopped the truck and looked at me and I looked at him. I went home and told my mother, 'I just saw the guy I'm going to marry.'"
"If I had known that, I would have never stopped my truck," Ramirez interjects with a grin.
Her mother had replied, "What? You don't even know him," she said.
Stella learned later that it was Rudy. She had gone through school with his younger brother, Carlos.
"Sixty three years we've known each other," she said.
Asked what they would want Range News readers to know about their era, Stella replied,
"We were all very patriotic back then. Nowadays the flag goes by and nobody salutes."
"We were all very patriotic and proud of our men."
Ramirez just wants people today to know that those men were perhaps more concerned about those they left behind than about themselves.
"A lot of guys in the service were worried about the people at home," said Ramirez, explaining that many things were being rationed at the time, such as tires, gasoline, and sugar.
"'They're having problems,' the men would say. 'They can't buy this. They can't buy that.'"
Along with marriage, raising a family, and 35 years as an employee at Sulphur Springs Valley Cooperative (SSVEC), Ramirez is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and has served as its Post Commander.
Seems that he has answered his country's call at least twice in his life.
The second call was issued by President Harry S. Truman to the veterans of that day.
"To you who answered the call of your country and served in its Armed Forces to bring about the total defeat of the enemy, I extend the heartfelt thanks of a grateful nation.
As one of the Nation's finest, you undertook the most severe task one can be called upon to perform," he said in a letter addressed to Ramirez.
"Because you demonstrated the fortitude, resourcefulness, and calm judgment necessary to carry out that task, we now look to you for leadership and example in further exalting our country in peace," Truman said.
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