Barona Veteran's Wall of Honor
Caetano 'Guy' Curo
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Army Served : WWII era
Charles ‘Charley’ Curo
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“Charley was a radioman in Col. Doolittle’s plane. He was on board when the plane photographed the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki right after the bomb was dropped. Charley said all they saw was blackness and didn’t understand the significance of what they were seeing.”
Private First Class (Army Air Corps)
Enlisted and Served: WWII
Basic training: Ft. Rosecrans, CA
Stationed: Pacific Theatre
Medals and Awards: American Campaign, Asiatic Pacific Campaign, Good Conduct, WWII Victory medals.
Charley served together with his brothers Gene and Buddy in WWII. He was a radio operator.
​
Eugene ‘Gene’ Paul Curo
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Of Gene’s wartime experience, his mother Dora said, “My son went away and another person came back in his place.”
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1944-1947
Basic training: Ft. Ord, CA
Stationed: Normandy, European Theatre. Saw action in Morocco, Tunisia, and Naples; G Company, 168 Infantry Regiment during WWII.
Medals and Awards: Occupation of Germany; WWII Victory Medal, Victory American Theatre; American Defense; Distinguished Service; Honorable Service Lapel Button
Gene met his wife Wanda in Italy, married her and sent her home to the Reservation.
Photo courtesy of Shirley Curo Ruis.
Melvin ‘Blackie’ Edward Curo
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“Uncle Mel was sent to Japan and was asked to be a ski instructor. He didn’t know how to ski.”
Army and Air Force
Drafted and Served: Drafted for two years in the Army and later enlisted in the Air Force
Basic training: Ft. Ord, CA
Stationed: Japan for Army and the U.S. for Air Force
Photo courtesy of Blackie’s sister, Josephine Romero.
​
Manuel ‘Chief’ Hernandez
(Barona Tribal Member)
“Going into the Army…gave me focus and direction.”
Major (Army)
Enlisted and served: December 1988-1991; West Point Class of 1995
Commissioned Officer: 1995-2012
Basic training: Ft. Benning, GA (Infantry)
Officer basic course: Ft. Rucker, AL (Aviation Pilot)
Stationed: Fort Bragg, NC (82nd Airborne Division), Guatemala, Korea, Egypt, Uzbekistan (Operation Enduring Freedom)
Like many Indians in the service, Manuel was given the nickname “Chief"
by his fellow soldiers, a nickname he still assumes to this date. After graduating
from West Point, Chief served as a UH-60 Helicopter pilot. Immediately after the
9/11 attacks, he deployed to Uzbekistan (Afghanistan) for six months in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom. During his 20 years of service to this great Nation,
Chief deployed all over the world before retiring in 2012.
David LaChappa
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: WWII
Stationed: He was on the Carrier U.S.S. Yorktown to the Pacific Theatre where he saw action.
Donald F. ‘Tiny’ LaChappa
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“Indians serve in the military as an outlet away from poverty…you know you’re going to be trained in something.”
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1964-1966
Basic training: Ft. Ord, CA; Ft Dix, NJ
Stationed: France and Germany
Tiny enlisted by himself but met Indians from Pala and La Jolla Reservations while serving.
Frank ‘Hack’ LaChappa
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Tiny LaChappa recalls the story of his father Hack’s Purple Heart:
“It was a cold morning when he woke up. He looked over the barrier twice, on the third time the bullet went through the top of his helmet along the curve of the metal, came down through his shoulder and lodged in his upper torso. It missed bones and major blood vessels. He was sent to the hospital in Paris, patched up, and sent to Italy again.”
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1941-1945, WWII
Medals and Awards: Purple Heart at the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ in Belgium; Combat Infantry Badge; Bronze Star; WWII Honorable Service Lapel Button, WWII Victory Medal.
Photo courtesy of Lucille LaChappa.
​
Joe ‘BoBo’ Peter LaChappa
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Army Private First Class
Enlisted and Served: 1940s , WWII
Stationed: Pensacola, FL
Photo courtesy of Linda LaChappa.
Tommy LaChappa (Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“Tommy received a Purple Heart in Vietnam. He was wounded while flagging down a helicopter to save his unit.”
Army
Enlisted and Served: 1966, Airborne
Basic training: Ft. Benning, GA
Stationed: Vietnam
Medals and Awards: Purple Heart
Photo courtesy of Lucille LaChappa.
James D. ‘Danny’ Magginni
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Corporal (Army)
Stationed: Korea
Vincent ‘Beans’ Mesa
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Private (Army)
Served: 1959th SVC COMD Unit, WWII era
Wesley John ‘Pee-wee’ Peters
(Barona Tribal Member)
“[Indians serve because] we come from a warrior society so there is a chance to bear arms.”
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1962-1966
Stationed: South Vietnam, Vietnam War
Basic Training: Ft. Polk, LA, Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Benning, GA
Rosemary Peters (Barona Tribal Member)
“Those who served during wartime are the real veterans.”
Corporal (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1987-1990
Basic training: Ft. McClellan, Alabama
Stationed: Munchweiler, Germany
Medals and Awards: Army Commendation Medal, Military Merit, Military Achievement.
Albert ‘Boxie’ Phoenix
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Corporal (Army)
Drafted and Served: 1953-1955
Basic training: Camp San Luis Obispo CA
Stationed: Ft. Lewis, WA; Ft. Huachuca, AZ
Boxie attended Southwestern Signal Training Center. He achieved the
rank of Corporal by the end of service.
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Martin ‘Goose’ Prieta
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Army Served: WWII era
Paul ‘Duck’ Prieta, Sr.
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Army
Served: WWII era
Craig Van Wanseele
(Spouse of Barona Tribal Member Phyllis Van Wanseele and father of Barona Tribal Members Brian and Kevin Van Wanseele)
Specialist 4 (Army)
Enlisted & Served: 1968-1974
Basic Training: Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Stationed: San Diego, with the 728th Amphibious Unit
Metals & Awards: Marksman M-14, National Defense Service Metal
Leland Prieto
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“At 18, I learned a lot from the white man’s world.”
Sergeant (Army)
Drafted and Served: 1968-1974
Basic training: Ft. Ord
Stationed: Ft. Sill, OK for artillery training and then to Ft. Lewis, WA and was discharged from El Paso TX.
Leland was an outstanding mechanic. He thought the Army was great; he traveled, met people, and even learned to water ski.
Victor G. Rodriguez
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Army Enlisted and Served: WWII
Stationed: Europe
While traveling in England, Vick thought the food tasted terrible. He was stationed in Europe with Joe LaChappa.
Patrick ‘Butch’ E. Wallace
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“Pat and Robbie Welch were in the National Guard together and were called to action for the Watts Riot in L.A.”
Army Drafted and Served: 1962-1964
Basic training: Ft. Ord, CA; Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Sill, OK
Stationed: Germany
Robert 'Robbie' Welch, Sr.
(Barona Tribal Member)
“Mom sent me tortillas and beans in the mail—it got there in a few days.”
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1961–1963
Basic training: Ft. Ord, CA
Stationed: Germany, in the 35th and 75th Field Artillery
Medals and Awards: Good Conduct
Leon ‘Slick’ Banegas
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“I was a sentry and dog handler… I liked working with the dogs. It was a good group of people to work with, also.”
Airman Third Class (Air Force)
Enlisted and Served: 1961-1964
Basic training: San Antonio, TX
Stationed: Philippines and Kansas
Medals and Awards: Service and Good Conduct
“Indians serve because they want to protect the land.”
Charles ‘Goncho’Rodriguez
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Air Force
Basic training: Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas
Goncho received an Honorable Medical Discharge after seven months of service.
Alfred ‘Chief’ Rodriguez
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“Every Indian was a chief in the Marine Corps.”
Staff Sergeant (Marine Corps)
Served: 1941-1945
Basic Training: MCRD, San Diego
Stationed: 8th Marines, 1st Battalion B Company. Pacific Theatre: Samoa, Kwajalein, Gilbert Islands, Tarawa, Okinawa, and after WWII in Hawaii with the Military Fire Department. Later, he was in Korea in 1950 during the landing at Inch’on.
Medals and Awards: Received the Purple Heart for major injuries when he stepped on a landmine.
Gilbert ‘Rowdy’ Rodriguez, Jr.
(Barona Tribal Member)
‘When I got to Saudi Arabia [Gulf War], Father Alan had a mass for me here to pray for my safety.’
Private First Class (Marine Corps)
Enlisted and Served: 1988-1991
Basic Training: MCRD, San Diego
Stationed: Camp Lejeune, NC, Japan, and Saudi Arabia
Rowdy is proud of his service; he says it gave him direction. He saw action in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War.
John ‘Shorty’ Banegas
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“The hardship for Shorty was leaving his wife and kids behind.”
Seaman First Class (Navy)
Enlisted and Served: 1943
Basic training: Furgut, ID
Stationed: Great Lakes, IL
Medals and Awards: WWII Victory Medal; American
Campaign Medal
This photo of Shorty was taken on Veterans Day around 1943.
Joseph ‘Buddy’ Carl Curo, Sr.
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
“It’s a great honor to fight for your land when someone is trying to take it away.”
Seaman Apprentice (Navy)
Enlisted and Served: 1944
Basic training: Naval Training Center, San Diego
Medals and Awards: WWII Victory Medal
Buddy collapsed during basic training. He had a heart problem and received an Honorable Medical Discharge after a year-and-a-half at Long Beach Hospital.
Photo courtesy of Shirley Curo Ruis.
William H. Adams
(Father of Barona Tribal members Dolores Matheny and Evelyn Lloyd, deceased)
Sergeant (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1940s in WWII, F Company, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division in European-African-Middle-Eastern Theatre (EAME) as well as Normandy and Northern France; member of Lakeside VFW
Medals and Awards: Received a Purple Heart for wounds (shrapnel in the right leg) received in Germany in 1944; Marksman; Sharpshooter; European, African, and Middle East Medal; two Bronze Battle Stars.
Robert Cruz
(Spouse of Barona Tribal Member Margie Cruz)
Specialist (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1963-1966
Basic training: Fort Ord
Stationed: 7th Army, Germany and Vietnam
Medals and Awards: National Defense Expert Rifleman
Robert helped to guard the Berlin Wall and saw action in a 48-hour standoff with the Russians. His two brothers, also in the Army, were stationed
in Vietnam.
Marc Cuero
(Campo Reservation, deceased)
Army
Served: WWII era
Dominic Wesley Donayre
(Pascua Yaqui, Spouse of Barona Tribal Member Melissa Donayre)
“In my heart I feel good that I served my country. I was ready to go if something happened—I was well trained.”
Sergeant (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1978-1982
Basic Training: Ft. Gordon, GA
Stationed: Ft. Lewis, WA
Alfred Magginni
(Santa Ysabel Tribal Member, deceased)
Private (Army)
Drafted and Served: 363rd Inf., Co. B, WWII
Medals and Awards: WWII Victory Medal; Honorable Service Lapel Button
​It was hard when Alfred left for the service. He had been helping his brother Charles and his children with finances. Josephine Whaley remembers him in his uniform and taking him to the train. Vincent Mesa of Barona went into the service at the same time.
Russell Matheny
(Spouse of Barona Tribal Member Delores Matheny)
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1961-1964
Basic training: Ft. Leonard Wood, MO
Stationed: Germany, guarding the Berlin Wall.
Medals and Awards: Marksman, pistol and rifle
Joseph Maxcy, Jr.
(‘Iipay California Indian, deceased)
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1941-1945
Basic training: Camp Elliot to Ft. Ord, CA
Stationed: Philippines where he saw action during WWII
Joseph Maxey, Jr. and his brothers Everett, Felix, Henry, and Ed joined the service after their brother Stanley was shot in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Stanley died in the VA Hospital in Denver shortly after the attack.
John Wallace Means
(Oglala Lakota, Deceased spouse of Barona Tribal Member Beverly Means)
Private (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1965-1968
Basic Training: Ft. Bragg, NC
Stationed: 173rd Airborne, Vietnam 1966-1967
John was a proud member of the 173rd airborne unit and earned many commendations including a Purple Heart. He was also a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion, and the Red Feather Society.
Wesley ‘Wes’ Peters
(Pauma Tribal Member, deceased)
Sergeant (Army)
Enlisted and Served: WWII
Wes was a military policeman and reached the rank of Sergeant.
Abel Ruis, Sr.
(Spouse of Barona Tribal Member Shirley Curo Ruis)
“I was a Switch Board operator and handled all the Top Brass communications. I put President Nixon through several times.”
Specialist (Army)
Drafted and Served: 1971-1974
Basic training: Ft. Gordon GA
Stationed: Stuttgart, Germany
Medals and Awards: Rifleman
Abel said the service makes you grow up fast. The benefit for his family of ten kids—it was one less mouth to feed.
Babtista John Sloan, Jr.
(Deceased Mesa Grande Tribal Member and father of Barona Tribal Member Teri Sloan)
Teri Sloan speaks for the first time about her father who died when she was 15: “Bob was a very brave and courageous man… Bob worked with the [Navajo] Code Talkers. It was while he was performing his duties as a lineman when a bombshell landed near him blowing him out of a tree. It wasn’t until seventeen hours later that he received medical help.”
Private First Class (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 15th Infantry Regiment, WWII
Stationed: European Theatre
Awards and Medals: Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
He lost the use of his legs at age 18 from his war injuries. Bob felt that many misunderstood the extent of his injuries and he shied away from social events in the Indian community. Although confined to a wheelchair, he went on to have children and lead a quiet and productive life working in the home.
This photo of Bob was taken before he was wounded, courtesy of Teri Sloan.
William ‘Billy’ A. Vicaldo
(Spouse of Barona Tribal Member Penny Curo)
“I was proud to serve my country.”
Specialist (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1973-1976
Basic training: Ft. Ord, CA
Stationed: Ft. Lewis, WA
Billy enjoyed being a truck driver for headquarters and wished he’d stayed in for 20 years. His father was also in the service. Two of his uncles died as POWs in Korea.
Dan Yeats
(Spouse of Barona Tribal Member Toddy Yeats)
Sergeant (Army)
Enlisted and Served: 1966-1969
Basic training: Fort Ord, CA
Stationed: Vietnam
Medals and Awards: Commendation Medal and Bronze Star
Dan saw action in Vietnam. Some of his strongest memories include seeing the burn victims of a Communist attack on a village.
Sebastian ‘Yango’ Prieta
(Barona Tribal Member, deceased)
Army
Served: WWII era
Eddie I. Welch
(Deceased Father of Barona Tribal Members Robbie, Joe, Maxine, Margaret and Virginia Welch)
Private (Army) and Chief Petty Officer (Navy)
Enlisted and Served: Army in WWI at 17, Navy in WWII
Medals and Awards: WWI Victory Medal; WWII Victory Medal
Pictured on the right, he attended West Point for a short time and then served in the Cavalry. Later he joined the Navy. He was a Chief Petty Officer aboard ship in WWII, where he saw action.
Phillip Peters
(Pauma Tribal Member, deceased)
Peewee Peters said of his uncle, “Phillip served with his brothers Wesley and Steven in World War II.”
Pharmacists’ Mate Second Class (Navy)
Enlisted and Served: 1940s, WWII
Stationed: Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1942
Medals and Awards: Navy Unit Commendation
Joseph ‘Cookie’ Abel Pico
(Viejas Tribal Member, deceased)
“The Red Cross brought Cookie home to see his dad before he died. He died as soon as he saw his son.”
Navy
Enlisted and Served: WWII
Basic training: Naval Training Center, San Diego
Stationed: He saw action on board ship overseas.
He enlisted with Barona Tribal Member Buddy Curo.
John Robbins Curo
(Deceased Stepson of Barona Tribal Member Charley Curo)
Navy Enlisted and Served: 1964-1966
Stationed: Flag Ship Admiral Fleet, Mediterranean
Johnny later served as a San Diego County Sheriff.
Photo courtesy of Edith Curo.
Michael McGinty
(Spouse of Barona Tribal Member Margie Magginni)
Navy
Benny Romero
(Deceased spouse of Barona Tribal Member Sister Romero)
Petty Officer Second Class (Navy)
Enlisted and Served: 1944-1946 for WWII; 1951-1953 for Korea
Basic training: Naval Training Center, San Diego
Stationed: Served in WWII in the South Pacific and again in Korea.
Benny saw action during the invasion of the Philippines in October 1944. His first ship was the S.S. Sea Devil. He achieved the rate of Metal Smith Petty Officer Second Class.
Herman Osuna, Sr.
(Santa Ysabel Tribal Member, deceased, and father of Barona Tribal Members Herman Jr., Roberta, Monica, and Danny)
Private First Class (Marine Corps)
Enlisted and Served: 1952-1955
Stationed: Camp Pendleton and Korea
Herman achieved the rank of Private First Class in the Marine Corps 1st Division. Photo taken in Korea in 1953.
Thomas ‘Pete’ Parcell, Sr.
(Deceased spouse of Tribal Member Mary Parcell)
Corporal (Marine Corps)
Enlisted and Served: 1949-1953
Basic training: Parris Island, SC
Stationed: Guard duty at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.
Pete served in the military police at MCRD and at Naval Bases.
Joan Phoenix
(Deceased Otoe-Missouria Tribal Member and spouse of Barona Tribal Member Boxie Phoenix)
“I was born to be a Sergeant.”
Sergeant (Marine Corps)
Enlisted and Served: 1951-1953
Basic training: Cherry Point, NC
Stationed: El Toro, CA
Stanley Rodriguez
(Santa Ysabel Tribal Member)
Petty Officer Second Class (Navy)
Enlisted and Served: 1985-1993, Operation Desert Storm (1991)
Basic training: Naval Training Center, San Diego
Stationed: 32nd Street Naval Station, San Diego
Medals & Awards: Expert Rifleman and Pistol Shot Medals, Sea Service Ribbon (twice), Good Conduct Medal (twice), National Defense Medal, Liberation of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia Medals, Navy Achievement Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
