The legacy of a Vietnam War hero scrubbed from a government webpage remains strong in the southernmost part of Texas
By Amanda Jackson, CNN | Photographs by Gabriel V. Cárdenas for CNN
Edinburg, Texas (CNN) — Patriotism runs deep in this South Texas town nestled just along the border with Mexico. American flags fly outside many businesses. Pictures of veterans adorn light poles and traffic signal boxes. And a giant mural inside a popular grocery store depicts a hero you can’t help but notice: Alfredo “Freddy” González.
González was a United States Marine Corps sergeant from Edinburg, Texas, who joined the military in the late 1960s and was killed in action during the Vietnam War. In this southernmost region of Texas, known as the Rio Grande Valley, he is the namesake of a main thoroughfare, a park and an elementary school. Outside this area, his name has graced a US Navy warship for 30 years and, until recently, he had been featured among Hispanic veterans on the Naval History and Heritage Command website.
Like González’s contributions, those made by women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color and historical figures are at the center of the Trump administration’s purge of diversity, equity and inclusion-related content from government websites.
Some content on the Naval History and Heritage Command website has been “moved to align with Department of Defense guidance and recent Executive Orders,” a spokesperson for the command told CNN earlier this month.
“This is a grave disrespect to Sgt. González’s memory and a punch to the gut for South Texas and all of our service members. Has the President no shame?,” Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas said in a statement last month about Gonzalez’s removal from a section on the website highlighting Hispanic veterans.
While González’s name and contributions may have been removed from some digital realms, in the physical world – most importantly in Edinburg – community members inspired by his mother, fellow veterans and students are keeping his legacy alive.
A soldier thrust into the Vietnam War
González was born in Edinburg in 1946. During his teenage years, he played football and worked in the fields picking cotton.
“He was probably the smallest lineman, offensive lineman, in the football team but he probably was the toughest,” his childhood friend Pete Vela said in a 2023 documentary.
When González graduated high school in 1965, he joined the US Marine Corps and served two tours fighting in Vietnam. He often corresponded with his mother during his time overseas, checking in on her and wanting to know how his friends and family in Edinburg were doing.
He served his country as well as those around him. In Vietnam, González risked his life to bring an injured Marine to safety, and later stepped in the line of fire to direct enemy troops away from his platoon.
A letter dated January 24, 1968 to González’s mother offers a glimpse of how the soldier chose to live a life of service. In his missive, González wrote about a friend who was killed and how he hoped people understood what the loss meant.
“Mother, I was shocked to hear that Victor got killed, but it’s things that will happen in war,” González wrote.
“I hope all the people back home remember Victor, cause he didn’t give his life for nothing. It was in the line of duty. His life was given willing, rather than taken. That’s the way I want you to think,” González added.
Many believe he was preparing his mother for what would likely become his fate.
González died 11 days later on February 4, 1968 after he was wounded trying to save his fellow Marines during the Battle of Hue, a major clash at the old imperial capital that was considered one of the Vietnam War’s defining moments.
In his final act of heroism, González moved fearlessly from numerous firing positions as his unit was pinned down by intense incoming fire to destroy an enemy rocket position and successfully suppressed hostile bombardment — actions that protected his fellow Marines but left him fatally wounded. He was 21 years old.
His mother, Dolia González, turned her grief into a life’s mission, becoming the keeper and teller of her son’s story. When you go around Edinburg asking about González, everyone quickly brings her up.
“It was the love and the memory of her son that was Dolia’s identity, and it was enduring,” said Francisco Guajardo, CEO of the Museum of South Texas History, which has a permanent exhibit dedicated to González featuring his uniform and posthumous decorations and medals, including a Purple Heart and the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Dolia González was “almost like the mother of the community,” Guajardo said, noting that she helped numerous families cope and heal after losing children in the Vietnam War.
More than 50 years since his passing, Freddy González’s voice echoes throughout the Museum of South Texas History with words for his mom who waited for him in his beloved hometown.
“My mother is Dolia González,” the sergeant said, adding his full address.
“Is there anything you would like to say to her this Christmas time?” a man is heard asking him.
“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,” González replies as loud noises are heard in the background.
The audio was recorded in December of 1967, weeks before González was killed. The other man is a DJ from a local radio station who traveled to Vietnam to meet soldiers and recorded their holiday messages.
González penned more than 150 letters for his mother and even asked her to listen to the radio station for a surprise.
At bedtime, Dolia González read and cherished those letters, Guajardo said, until one day she donated them to the museum.
“It is what has kept me alive,” Guajardo recalled her saying in 2020 when she handed him the letters. “…But I’m all out of tears, and I’m afraid that the letters are going to get lost, so you take them.”
He’s inspired generations of students
About 3 miles southwest from the museum is Freddy Gonzalez Elementary. Inside the single-story building, many children have learned about González’s bravery and the importance of serving in the military.
“Sgt. Alfredo Gonzalez is a true role model the students can look up to,” said Naida N. Torres, the school’s principal. “He exemplified bravery, honor, duty and sacrifice.”
There are about 525 students enrolled at the school and the majority of them are Hispanic, according to the latest data released by the National Center for Education Statistics.
For the 50th anniversary of González’s death, students stood outside of the school wearing red, white or blue T-shirts to form an American flag. They sang “God Bless the USA” when some of the military’s top brass filled the school’s gymnasium in 2019 to present González’s mother with the Congressional Medal of Honor flag. And they’ve met some of the veterans who served with González.
“‘First, we don’t know him as Freddy, he is Sgt. Alfredo Gonzalez and second, I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him’,” Torres recalled the veterans told students after a 2018 ceremony marking the 50th death anniversary of González.
González’s presence and relevance in the school goes beyond simply being a namesake or having a memorial in the office with his uniform, military flag and certificates of recognition.
Instead of having an animal as a mascot, students see the USS Gonzalez, the Navy destroyer homeported more than 1,600 miles away in Virginia and named after the sergeant, as the symbol unifying their school community.
The bond between the elementary school and the battleship is so unique that the ship’s crew has traveled to Edinburg to meet with students and have a Texas flag from the school on display at the USS Gonzalez.
Before being sent to its new home, the flag was raised next to the school’s memorial garden that features a large marble stone with the names of soldiers from Edinburg who “gave their lives for our country,” Torres said.
“Over 500 students and staff surrounded the pole with their hands over their hearts as the flag was raised to the top (of the flagpole),” the principal added.
‘We will always honor Freddy,’ veterans say
On any given night, a number of veterans who attended school in Edinburg with González and other service members get together at the American Legion Alfredo Gonzalez Post 408.
While they enjoy singing on karaoke nights, dancing or playing the Mexican bingo-style game of lotería together, the veterans are the proudest when they have a chance to honor González’s memory and support their community, several post members told CNN.
“(H)is memory is alive and we want to keep it alive by everything that we do, in everything that we do when we go out and represent the American Legion,” said Claudia Noyola, a retired Army veteran and finance officer of the post’s executive committee. “We’re not just representing ourselves. We’re representing Freddy González, his sacrifice. He’s the hero.”
George Rabago, a Marine veteran and another member of the post’s executive committee, said he is involved with the post because he doesn’t want González or the group’s memory to disappear.
One of the reasons Rabago joined the post was “to follow the path of the older generation. And you know, hopefully carry the name of Freddy González until then, until the next generation comes in,” he said.
But they are not passively waiting for a younger generation to take over. Noyola, was a JROTC instructor at Edinburg High School and next month, the post will host its annual Freddy Gonzalez 5K, which helps them raise funds for scholarships.
When asked about González’s contributions being removed from the Naval history webpage featuring Hispanic veterans, Noyola said she doubts it will change how Edinburg celebrates González.
“Everyone is so proud of our veterans, and so regardless of what’s going on with the current administration, nothing’s going to change here in Edinburg.” Noyola said. “We will never erase any memory. Websites can come and go. We will always honor Freddy González and his legacy and his mother, Dolia González, for everything that she did.”
Sehila Mota Casper, the executive director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, a non-profit advocating for preserving the cultural history, places and stories of Latinos in the US, said the Trump administration’s efforts around DEI are “detrimental to Latinx, BIPOC and underrepresented communities,” further inequality and damage the visibility of Latinos.
“I think it’s a moment where we all need to stand up and speak out,” Casper said. “We need to all collectively say that this is not okay, that you’re erasing our history.”
González’s biography is currently listed on government websites related to his Congressional Medal of Honor and the USS Gonzalez.
After grieving González for more than 56 years, his mother died last year at the age of 94.
Together, the veterans in Edinburg, the museum staff, students and many people who crossed paths with her said they are carrying on her mission in their own ways. They are making sure the González family legacy lives on.
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