On Monday, November 11, Veterans Day was celebrated in the United States. This day focuses on honoring military veterans that were/are a part of the United States Armed Forces. One of the important differences between Veterans Day and Memorial Day is that Memorial Day (observed in May) focuses on veterans who died during military service. Though my family has been American citizens for quite some time now, many of my ancestors did not serve in wars.
It was only recently that I learned that I had an ancestor was a soldier in the Spanish Army in Puerto Rico and that my 2nd great-grandfather served during World War I. So for most of my life these just felt like typical American holidays. However, as I got older I learned that my grandfather served during the Vietnam War and I became fortunate to inherit many of his belongings.
Carlos M. Correa Miranda
Source: Carlos Correa photos ca. 1966 (Fort Gordon – Augusta, Georgia); privately held by Luis Rivera [Address for private use,] Bronx, New York; Digital image, created 27 March 2010 by Luis Rivera and currently held by author, [Address for private use,] Bronx, New York.
My maternal grandfather was born on 27 January 1944 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of Manuel Correa Rivera and Ernesta Miranda Rivera. He spent much of his childhood in the capital and occasionally would visit extended family in the south. This extended family has been quite a mystery to me, my grandfather said it was paternal family that lived in Guayama and Ponce; however, my grandfather did not grow up with his father, who himself was technically orphaned by the age of 13. My great-grandfather moved to San Juan as a teen to grow up with his aunt there, so I do not know which family in the south my grandfather would have visited. It is very possible, but I know that Manuel and Ernesta did not marry so I am not sure how many of these summers he spent down there before my great-grandparents split.
I knew my grandfather served during the Vietnam War and though we spoke briefly about it before his passing – there are so many questions that are unanswered. Why did my grandfather serve in the army? Was he drafted? How did he feel living on the mainland as a Puerto Rican in the 1960s especially during the Civil Rights Era and as an Afro-Boricua? How did serving in the military change him as a person?
There is a whole timeline of my grandfather’s life that only documents can now tell me. I am hoping to order some records regarding his time in the Army to learn more.
Fort Gordon -
Augusta, Georgia
Based on on my grandfather’s graduation yearbook, I know he spent his time stationed in Fort Gordon (now known as Fort Eisenhower) in Augusta, Georgia. I would have to dig through my grandfather’s files ago to figure out when he enlisted because I honestly have no idea and I don’t have it saved on my family tree. I would imagine he enlisted around 1965 seeing as how by 1966-1967 he was already at Fort Gordon.
I know that my grandfather sent his mother post cards from there and I know he liked to take photos so I am lucky to have a bunch of photos of himself of his time on the base. I also have a few letters from people he exchanged correspondence with either after they left the base or after he returned home. It seems that my grandfather had a pretty good grasp of English since he was able to communicate with others who were not Puerto Rican.
I am even luckily to have some memorabilia and things like his yearbook from when he graduated in the army. Below are some of the photos!
Above, you can see my grandfather pictured on the fourth row! Interestingly, on the third row there is a man surnamed Correa Andino in his brigade. Correa is not so popular of a surname so I was surprised to see another Correa in the same brigade as him! And evidently my grandfather to some degree was friends with him!
At some point I will need to dedicate time to the people my grandfather met and knew in the army since I have various photos of those people which are now in my possession that I am not sure who they are and whether they are alive or have passed.
I am also lucky to have a few of his belongings from his time there such as a badge with his surname, a green hat, the emblem from his army hat, and interestingly a armband that says “MP”. I am not sure if my grandfather was a part of military police, something I hope to learn from his files. I also have some medals as well! Again, I am not sure if all of them were his or if it was common to trade with other people but I have these as well.
I do have a photo of my grandfather posing on a military police tank which is interesting as well seeing as how I have that MP armband. Based on the insignia my grandfather had the rank of a private and I know he was listed as “SP5” on his tombstone which is a rank no longer in use.
Below are my probably my favorite photos of my grandfather. The first one I imagine was taken shortly after his first buzzcut while the second photo is him having a drink – such a normal activity while he’s in his uniform. I didn’t get to talk much to my grandfather about his time in the military, so it is nice to see him smiling in many of the photos and to get a glimpse of his time at Fort Gordon.
My grandfather passed away in 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic, and honestly, it was quite hectic to bury him given the restricts of flights, travel, etc. Fortunately, my mom and I were able to fly to Puerto Rico to have him buried in the National Cemetery located in Bayamón for veterans. The photo below is from a recent visit that my family took to Puerto Rico. I am hoping to pay a visit to his grave in the near future.
I still have a lot to explore about my grandfather, his time at Fort Gordon, and his service in the military. Similarly, I will have to go through the photos I have and see how many of the men I can identify from my grandfather’s time in Fort Gordon. It will be interesting if I am able to learn more about abuelo Carlos through these men or their families.