As It Is
The photo above is of Johnny's repatriation process at Henri-Chapelle Cemetery American Cemetery in Belgium. It will be on permanent display to provide visitors an understanding of the repatriation process starting in 1947. We are deeply honored that Johnny C. Villarreal's repatriation process will be viewed to all those who visit Henri-Chapelle.
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Tribute to Pvt. John C. Villarreal
Nephew of lost soldier researches details of uncle 'Johnny,' KIA in Bronsfeld, Germany. The soldier died 2 1/2 weeks following the Battle of the Bulge at the end of World War II. In 1945, Pvt. John C. Villarreal was buried in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium and in 1947, repatriated to his final resting place in Phoenix, Arizona. This short video showcases rare photos of a soldier's daily life, insightful army documents, medals awarded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and lasting images of a young man who fought and died for his adopted country. A striking image of marching soldiers wearing white sheets for camouflage highlights the desperate need for appropriate gear during and after the surprise Nazi offensive.
74,999,999 + 1,
Unfulfilled Dreams and Aching Hearts
The Family: The world was in great turmoil in the 40’s with WWII in its early stages. Were you keeping up with the news of the day?
Johnny: Well, it was pretty hard to ignore. In those days we read newspapers and listened to the radio. It seemed to a lot of people that the war in Europe was something that was happening “over there.”
The Family: I see. So the realities of the Nazi invasions in Europe in the early ‘40’s had not hit home as far as America was concerned.
Johnny: Right. And I was just 18 years old at the time in 1940 with a birthday coming soon on June 24th. So having a job and making some money was kind of at the top of my list.
The Family: We know that you were born in Durango Mexico. Do you have childhood memories of Durango?
Johnny: Not much. I was pretty small when we came to the U.S. My sister told me that she remembered seeing our father on a horse, and that he had red hair and a red beard. We had another sister who died. All I remembered from that loss was great sadness. We did spend a bit of time in San Diego, but Arizona was where I called home. There was some time in Jerome Arizona. I recall taking a couple of the younger Cuenca boys (Sam and David) hiking and carrying them on my shoulders.
The Family: You mentioned we. Can you tell us who the “we” are?
Johnny: My mother Luisa and of course my sister Sophia.
The Family: Can you tell us a bit about them?
Johnny: Sure. Family life was a bit complicated, believe it or not. Let me just say that Mexico was in the midst of a revolution for 10 years ending in 1920. And I was born in 1922. Sophia was born in 1916. There was great disparity between the rich and poor. And I think the poor were being treated unfairly. I believe that’s why we came to the U.S. for the hope of improving our lives.
The Family: And your Mother Luisa?
Johnny: My Mother was born in Canelas, Durango Mexico in 1881. We came to the U.S. around 1926. In 1940 the country was coming out of the Depression. But there was still poverty, some of which was our experience. Add to the fact that my Mother did not speak English. It was a struggle. She did the best she could with what she had.
The Family: We believe that you and your sister Sophia were close and that you had an emotional bond. Anything here you would like to share?
Johnny: Yes. That’s true. I think that when people experience the lack of basic necessities, like shelter and scarcity of food they tend to depend on one another a bit more. I think that was the case with my sister Sophia. I do remember her working in a Greek restaurant in Phoenix and at times she would bring home food from the restaurant so that we could share. And of course there was that incident on a train near San Diego which did bring us together a bit emotionally.
The Family: What incident was that?
Johnny: Well, we were both still pretty young at the time. My sister had a puppy dog with her. A not so nice train conductor grabbed the puppy and threw it off the train.
The Family: Wow. A harsh memory.
The Family: We would like to move on to a few more difficult topics if you don’t mind.
Johnny: Sure. It’s all good.
The Family: We’ve seen your Selective Service Card. You were 20 years old when you registered for the service. You were inducted into the service at Ft. MacArthur San Pedro California on Feb. 29th 1944. There is a question whether you volunteered or not and whether you were still a Mexican citizen at the time. Can you clear that up for us?
Johnny: Those are easy ones. When I was working at the Ray Mine in Ray Arizona I was given a Social Security Card. So I think that was the connection for me to register with the Selective Service. As far as me volunteering and not being a U.S. citizen, well let me put it this way; at that time, things were much different. Starting in the ‘30’s, the world was experiencing a calamity of which no one had ever seen before. I was a citizen of the world and I felt it was my duty to take action. For me, my citizenship didn’t matter. Among my peers, we were of the age where doing something was an absolute necessity.
The Family: A very high-minded way of looking at things.
The Family: After you enlisted at Ft. MacArther, there is a question of your duty stations for training. We’re not sure about where all of your training took place. We do know that you were at Camp Roberts in the Central Coast for a period of time.
Johnny: That’s right. I was at Camp Roberts. That was close enough when I had leave to visit the Cuenca family in Sunnyvale. That included my sister Sophia, my brother-in-law Frank, children Raymond, Henry and Olga.
The Family: The challenge here was to find your other duty stations because of the fire in 1973 in Kansas City that destroyed almost all military records. That was discovered when we made the first request for your military records.
Johnny: Well, there were other duty stations for my training. I was deployed to England when I first went overseas. I suppose if it is decided to collect that information you’ll find it. The effort is appreciated but really not necessary.
The Family: We understand that coming out of training for the infantry that you become prepared to accept your duty and do what was is necessary to carry out your orders at all costs when facing an enemy. And that the esprit de corps that you have is partly what keeps you motivated to fulfill your duty. Something tells us that it wasn’t in your nature (to put it mildly) to cause harm to others.
Johnny: That was something that I thought a lot about. Faced with an inevitable decision, would I be able to take anothers life. I thought of the righteousness of the cause, protecting my fellow soldiers that I became close to and thinking that the carnage had to stop.
The Family: We are aware that the conditions in Belgium and Western Germany were brutal in the early months of 1945. (The Battle of the Bulge ended in late January 1945) Bitter cold, at times -20 degrees and much of the Allied forces were not properly out-fitted for these conditions. Is there anything you like to say about this?
Johnny: The conditions were harsh for sure. And for me being an Arizona boy it didn’t help. That bond we had with our fellow soldiers is partly what kept us moving. At this point we knew that end was in sight. The enemy was being crushed from the East by the Russians and we were succeeding in the West. Were my fellow soldiers and I determined? Yes. But there were other feelings and thoughts that we also shared. There was the frigid cold, we were scared, we were exhausted, we were hungry and we were wishing to be somewhere else. Of course at times my thoughts drifted to my family and what I could look forward to when this was all over. I had hopes and dreams of the future like anyone else at the age of 23.
The Family: Johnny you were one of the 70,000,000 that left us during tragic period of our history. You and thousands of your comrades in arms made that ultimate sacrifice by giving your life for others and for the noblest of cause.
Johnny: We did what needed to be done. Instilled within me and others like me was a sense of duty. We looked beyond ourselves and pushed through our fears.
The Family: We affirm to honor your legacy and what you and many others did for us. We cannot imagine what you must have endured. It took great courage.
Johnny: Thank you.
The Family: The view by some here is that you leaving left a void that could not be filled. That somehow your relationship with your sister Sophia, had it developed, that it would have had a dramatic effect on our family dynamic. We were without much extended family. Would you care to speak to that?
Johnny: Let me give you some things to think about. I can’t tell you why certain things happen. The void you mentioned may be something that you and others may have thought about and felt. I knew of the grief and aching hearts that consumed my sister and Mother, the rest of the family and friends after I left. But something good happened as time moved on. My sister Sophia understandably was imperfect as we all are. However, you must have noticed she developed a passion for humanity. She flourished with a wonderful quality of extending her love through action and less so with words. She had the gift of mercy. You remember the mother of Breanna Eck? She didn’t just read about the grieving mother. She reached out and found her. This was a pattern in her life. I know through my leaving gave her insight how to reach out to those who experienced painful loss. That’s the legacy goes from one person to another. So as you may see my leaving in a small way has touched many lives.
The Family: You are so right. A explanation that we had not considered.
The Family: Finally, what would like to convey to us now? Perhaps something we could hold on to?
Johnny: Ahhh. I knew the questions would come to this. I can’t tell you what’s in store for your future. Only that for each of you, there is a journey of self-discovery. Seeking your purpose and to answer why you are here and where you are going needs to be explored and is not to be taken lightly. I would encourage you not to waste your pain. Keeping you painful experiences to yourself serves no purpose. Others will benefit from your experience. You do have free will and you will come to your own conclusions. Consider this possibility: That you may be a spiritual being having a human experience.
The Family: Thank you Johnny. You will always be remembered for your courage with honor and respect.
I remember, oh yes, I remember the beauty of the Valley and a beautiful street called Pastoria by most but “Lover’s Lane” by some. The loveliness came from orchards on both sides, walnut groves with trees as far as the eye could see. How nice it was walking down this road with my two sons and a baby daughter. That was close to forty years ago when we were living in Sunnyvale. In those days, my two sons would look for jobs, as all kids did; picking walnuts or apricots or doing whatever work to be found. The first job they found was on the Fahey’s (John Fahey - Postmaster of Sunnyvale) property across from Libby’s cannery, picking apricots. They were so happy earning $4.50 a day. My older son was big enough to climb a ladder, earned an extra fifty cents a day.
Having no car in those days, I spent a lot of time walking with the boys and pushing the baby carriage with my daughter in it along Mary Ave. The boys found another job on Mary Ave. after finishing at the Fahey’s location.
How beautiful and peaceful it was to walk through the lovely orchards; at 3 o’clock each day. I would take my daughter in her carriage and walk through the orchard to meet my sons on their way home from McKinley school. That’s where Penny’s is now located. Another happy occasion that I remember was when we planned to go to Seijo’s Bakery and make a big purchase of two dozen cream puffs at a nickel apiece with real cream. A once a year treat. Whenever we went any place we walked. But once we went to Monte Vista for five cents each on a chartered bus. A trip that many people looked forward to, seeing from the heights the blossoms covering the valley.
Oh yes, I mustn’t forget the excitement it was for me to visit a lady with a chicken farm near a cabbage patch on Lawrence Station Road. After she emptied the bright colored feed sacks she would sell the sacks for a quarter a each. It was for these sacks we walked the three miles or so from our home in Sunnyvale. Not being rich, I could only buy four at a time. I would save extra quarters for another excuse to make the trip. I did not mind the walk. I had good pair of tennis shoes someone had given me. My daughter’s buggy, also a gift that I was given, was made of wicker and had good wheels.
I had to learn to do many things with my hands. There was very little money to buy ready-made things. We were poor but never hungry because there was a lot fruit and nuts on the road, plus dandelions, mustard greens and other things which gave us plenty to eat.
And people would give to each other whatever extra they had of pears, peaches, apricots and vegetables.
I had a very dear neighbor, an elderly lady, who influenced my life so much with help and generosity. She gave us so much when we had so little. Her name was Mary Wojowski. She saw us through many hardships; not only us but others who were in need.
I wonder if my sons remember the hardships and the humble house we had; the bitterness of the cold. They, for their part, accepted the way of life we had to live, never demanding or whining about not having what others had.
I remember something else that happened in 1951 in Sunnyvale; another joy came into our life, a baby boy named by his big brother. I am not sure my seven year old daughter was happy- she did not like him, let alone love him. He was taking a lot my time. She probably resented him because she was my doll for seven years. I soon discovered what she was doing to make him feel unwelcome. But as he grew older, MO started to protect him so nobody could get near him; it was not easy, it took some spanking and talking.
The new baby brightened my life. He was alert and joyful; to alert, every night at 2:30 A.M. He would scream so he could have his back scratched, which of course I did so I could get some sleep. I soon realized that he was playing games and I saw that he wanted to be my parent so I put him close by and that was the end of the game. We shared the sense of beauty around us and concern for others, especially older people. We went many places together; visiting friends to the market, with his friend Pepito, the duck we got at the fair for a nickel. Sometimes, I wanted to get rid of that duck but I did not have the heart to do so.
But it wasn’t always peaceful with me. Sometimes I wanted to get away for one day but was unable to; I had no car and very little money. So as far as I got was to my dear friend Mary Wojowski, a few blocks away. The next day, I would forget the sadness and got busy with all my work. So I accepted the way of life we had, never wanting or demanding what others had. So I accepted and continued with God’s help. I figured that we were all healthy and we were all together.
Once moving to Santa Clara, we continued to take many walks on Homestead Road. There was a beautiful creek with clear clean water, and we would stop to throw rocks. We looked forward to those walks. Once we were walking home with bags of groceries along Homestead. It was about a mile or so back to the house. A woman who we did not know stopped her car and offered to give us a ride back home. As a neighborly thing to do, I accepted the ride. I was grateful.
In Santa Clara, there were times of thankfulness. The Monastery bells would ring at twelve noon. My youngest son would remind me that half the day was gone. Fond memories of him going and coming from school a block away. Once the day ended and everyone was in bed, there was peace in my heart and a spirit of thankfulness.
A special time for the children and me was when I prepared them for religious education. It started when they were one month old. It was a must for them to go to temple (church) as a first outing. There I dedicated them to God. Then it was looking for a fine couple to be their godparents. First, it was Baptism, First Communion and last Confirmation. This was the happiest day of their lives. I know because they told me so. I was also thankful to God for allowing me to see these blessings.
As I look at my grandchildren, I wonder it there is something missing from their lives. Something within themselves. The loss of beauty in the surroundings, the quiet peace that once existed, the togetherness of long walks and the cooperation in the face of having very little in the way of material things. I wish I could turn back the clock so they could go and see the places where their fathers, as children, worked in the orchards and enjoyed life in the outdoors.
Yes, I remember the little white house on the corner of Pastoria, with the chickens, rabbits, goats, vegetables and fruits. Most of all, I remembered who lived there; my friend Mary with her love, kindness and concern for others. I am sure she has a very special place in Heaven.
Many years later I met another Mary, so much like Mary Wojowski. Mary Kern (Mary Kern’s Farm in Los Gatos) with her love and kindness had also influenced my life. She, too, had spread good works to many who needed help. I remember to give thanks for the love and friendship of the two Marys.
I must not forget a few more that contributed to my life. Kenneth Peake. Mr. Peake and his Claravale Dairy, who showed compassion for our family. When we needed help he offered kindness and a listening ear for many others who many others who had problems. His farm had beautiful animals, cows and wholesome milk.
Father Spearman, a historian-teacher with Santa Clara University. A spiritual person that I learned to love and respect with admiration.
(Fr. Spearman was a regular visitor at the house. A man of high integrity, He would never visit Mother without being assured that another family member would be there for his visit).
(A letter from Fr. Spearman to Mother in 1972).
(Fr. Spearman’s Arthur's Attic is the blog of Archives & Special Collections, where SCU share interesting items and discuss topics related to our collections. The blog is named after Arthur Spearman, University Archivist from 1957-1977, who we attribute to assembling many of our bedrock collections).
My dearest friend in Arizona Nieves Regan, much like my two Marys. My brother Johnny who died for our freedom.
I admired and respected them all. They all have a special place and assignment with my Lord. I must remember to give thanks to God for the joy they gave me.
This letter is not well written. I’m not a writer. It doesn’t come from stories I’ve read or books. It is not meant to hurt any of you or to make you feel guilty or sad. It is to let you know that I enjoyed all of you. In spite of the hardships there was more joy and happiness through the years when you four were growing up. Many years have passed and I still remember.
Always with loving thoughts,
Sophia Cuenca (Mother)
Santa Clara, Calif. – April 1983
In Defense of Ignorance...or Not?
I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.” – Socrates“
Definition of ignorance
:The state or fact of being ignorant: lack of knowledge, or awareness
The universe is vast. Scientists estimate that they understand 4% of it. They’re ignorant of the other 96%. -
Space.com
I’ve given thought to my current state of understanding of the world and my place in it. Call it personal reflection. Your well being, in part, is honestly looking from the outside in or having the courage to ask others how they may see you. This could be a tricky question to ask others because their response may rock your world. Or their response may validate what you already think you know. And that is, that some may not know who you really are or worse you are perceived as someone far from what you could have imagined.
Steven R. Covey, a Time magazine’s most influential American, educator, author, businessman and keynote speaker said “We are not our feelings. we are not our moods. we are not even our thoughts. Self-awareness enables us to stand apart and examine even the way we see ourselves." That inner dialogue that we all have at times has checkpoints or ways of monitoring how we may feel or react to conditions that we may find ourselves. That introspection seeks resolution or pieces together why and how we may react or respond to perceived conflict or danger. What may be a source of conflict or danger to you may not be the same for someone else. Was a conditioned response to danger or conflict based on false information or a lie that you internalized? By way illustration, I’ll focus on fear. The natural reaction to fear is to react emotionally in most cases. Dissecting fear you may find that it may be linked to guilt, anger, regret, shame, anxiety, panic or helplessness. I’ve been conditioned to react emotionally when those “feelings” come to pass. In some way, I believe the brain records experiences from the past and when similar events take place the brain tries to foretell the future.
Wallowing in fear is not rational thinking. Granted, we’ve been hardwired to physically react when we perceive a threat. Accepting and acknowledging your feelings I believe are a good thing. Those feelings are very real. Succumbing to fear has little redeeming value. The question is whether your fear is based on reality or your perception. Eventually, you can question how ineffectively fear serves you. Some may have heard my use of the expression “time travel.” The expression is not a weighty scientific theory or a reference to
H.G Wells’s book The Time Machine. My version of time travel is looking back and reliving in the past and or looking into the future and trying to predict what could happen. Personal time travel at times is riddled with “I wish I would of, how could I’ve been so dumb, how come I didn’t know that, I wish I knew then what I know now, how come I didn’t trust my instincts.” I think you get the idea. So, time travel in this context is my mind festering on the, let’s say, the less than fruitful choices I made in the past. (A two year U.K. study on cognitive function assessments and brain scans with older adults, showed that negative thinking patterns…ruminating about the past and worrying about the future, experienced more cognitive decline and memory problems. – Prevention Magazine – Sept. 2020). Procrastination gave into the inner voices I heard that created doubt for decisions or choices I made. Wasting time on regret seems to be my Achilles heel. Time traveling into the future, there are moments when we are consumed with, “What will happen if such and such happens?”; “What will others think about me? Or “If I do this, this could happen to me!” Eventually, it is fair to say that we all make choices or decisions that are based on the information that we have at that time. To further explain this point let me give an example. Generally speaking, people will experience periods of insecurity during different periods in their lives. Maybe you were admonished not to pursue certain activities because you might get hurt or fail. That could weigh heavily on impressionable kids and their early years of rearing. Human nature may bind us to avoid perceived risks that may in fact be based on falsehoods that have been created in your mind only and not with reality. Simply put, did I buy into the falsehoods and create my ill contrived perception of myself and made decisions based on poor assumptions? Were choices or decisions being made with information you had at a given point in time? Were decisions based on my own ignorance? Of course the flip side of wallowing in fear and ignorance can be useful to motivate you towards enlightenment, change of your present condition or just to get things done. The point here is experiencing things like regret, loss, fear, grief etc., adds to the sum of what defines us.
Author, speaker and friend
Rick Griggs provided me this quote from his book
Professional Balance. “Withhold judgment until it’s time…And when it’s time, withhold judgment.” I find that this applies to yourself and as well how you may view others. Maybe less so with how you may judge yourself. A simple marketing/sales tool I’ve used to decipher an approach has some benefit with how you may view your life situation or prejudging others. Using a sheet of paper, I listed ideas under three categories: 1. What you know 2. What you think you know 3. What you don’t know. To the best of my ability and with the knowledge I have at the time, I list those things that I believe follow under each category. Does this minimize a potential error in judgment or a wrong move? Maybe. I actually don’t run through this exercise with everyday situations, but it has given me a sense of withholding judgment and jumping to conclusions about people and situations just because I “feel” a certain way, reading tea leaves or the interpreting the hairs on the back my neck. Bear in mind that calculating risk does not mitigate failure. Failure not always as a liability but as an opportunity. But for another discussion. This point is dramatically expressed and told by Steven Covey from his bestselling book,
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
“I remember a mini-Paradigm Shift I experienced one Sunday morning on a subway in New York. People were sitting quietly -- some reading newspapers, some lost in thought, some resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm, peaceful scene. Then suddenly, a man and his children entered the subway car. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed. The man sat down next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation. The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things, even grabbing people's papers. It was very disturbing. And yet, the man sitting next to me did nothing. It was difficult not to feel irritated. I could not believe that he could be so insensitive to let his children run wild like that and do nothing about it, taking no responsibility at all. It was easy to see that everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So finally, with what I felt was unusual patience and restraint, I turned to him and said, "Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. “I wonder if you couldn't control them a little more?" T he man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciousness of the situation for the first time and said softly,"Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either. "Can you imagine what I felt at that moment? My paradigm shifted. Suddenly I saw things differently, I felt differently, I behaved differently. My irritation vanished. I didn't have to worry about controlling my attitude or my behavior; my heart was filled with the man's pain. Feelings of sympathy and compassion flowed freely. "Your wife just died? Oh, I'm so sorry. Can you tell me about it? What can I do to help?" Everything changed in an instant.”
This passage describes how over time we develop conditional responses to situations that threaten our personal satisfaction and challenges our comfort zones. Most of all, this is a lesson how making assumptions, jumping to conclusions based on what we “think” we know can be misguided. And for most of us, I believe fear is the root that drives much how we interpret our world and eventually the course of actions we take.
The notion of “time travel” can be self-defeating. And maybe more conscious thought should be given to staying in the moment. Much easier task said than done. The everyday and normal challenges of life, seduces our thinking into self-defeating areas of thinking that provides little benefit. Maybe training our thought process starts with momentary thoughts of gratitude for simple pleasures: Like enjoying a good craft beer, a beautiful sunset or a satisfying give and take meaningful conversation with friend or loved one. Moreover, the brief periods of gratefulness reminds us that things are not so bad and that things could be much worse. What gives clarity is to strive staying in the moment. And if you intend to “time travel” make sure to leave your baggage. It serves little purpose and will make your journey more difficult than you think.
How does all of this add up? The foregoing may be just a cathartic exercise. However, my sensibility tells me that there is a high degree of truth of what I considered. Not only for own life but with others that we come in contact. On a personal level, steering away from pretentiousness and the filtering of your ego is unshackling. What does that mean? That accepting the “truths” of yourself, staying within yourself, (within your unique capabilities, qualities and skills) and admitting ignorance is humbling but yet liberating. There is not a “today I get it” switch that you flip. It is an incremental learning and accepting process. It is admitting your humanness.
If after reading this and you are to ask me to provide you a better understanding, I might not be able to. I will have to plead ignorance.
Some Quotes
The world is more magical, less predictable, more autonomous, less controllable, more varied, less simple, more infinite, less knowable, more wonderfully troubling than we could have imagined being able to tolerate when we were young.
James Hollis
The greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown.
Carl Jung
For a young person, it is almost a sin, or at least a danger, to be too preoccupied with himself; but for the ageing person, it is a duty and a necessity to devote serious attention to himself.
Carl Jung
Where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise.
Thomas Gray
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am product of my decisions.
Steven R, Covey
Even a fervent belief in something doesn't necessarily mean it's true.
RVC