00:00:02JASON BEYER: My name is Jason Beyer, and I'm a graduate of CSUSM (California State University San Marcos). Today is Thursday, November 6th, 2025, and we're conducting this interview in Vista, California with veteran Dora Luevano. Also present is photographer Vyanh Vo. This oral history will help preserve the lived experiences of United States military veterans. Please state your full name.
00:00:33DORA LUEVANO: Dora Lydia Luevano.
00:00:37BEYER: Your branch of service.
00:00:39LUEVANO: United States Marine Corps.
00:00:41BEYER: The highest rank that you attained.
00:00:43LUEVANO: Ah, I hate to say this. Corporal (laughs).
00:00:47BEYER: Please state the war that was happening during your time in service.
00:00:52LUEVANO: Vietnam.
00:00:54BEYER: Alright, so now we're gonna begin with the introduction portion of the interview. Where were you born?
00:01:01LUEVANO: I was born in San Salvador, Central America. I came to the United States when I was nine years old. My dad worked for the shipyards in San Francisco, and he arranged it legally for me to come and live here and go to school here.
00:01:23BEYER: What was life like for you when you were in El Salvador?
00:01:29LUEVANO: Oh, goodness. I was extremely poor. I was raised by my grandmother, and we lived in a section of the country that was—they call 'em "el mesón"—mesones—which is like government housing only nothing like a government—they're mud huts and with a little barbecue pit on the outside for her to cook. A lot of times we didn't have any money for food. That's why my father decided to come to the United States was to take care of me. And so it was—I never went back to El Salvador. I made my life here and I became a US citizen. And I am a patriot through and through. I absolutely love, love the United States. It's been so good to me. It's been good to my whole family. I have six children—not six children—I have three daughters, six grandkids. And they know nothing what poverty is. They're very successful. They have careers. They have degrees. Everything that my husband and I wanted for them, they have become. They're awesome children, daughters. And that wouldn't have happened if I would've lived in El Salvador. You know, I had a sister and I'm pretty sure she's dead by now in El Salvador. So—I could go on, but then it's depressing. Let's go to the good stuff (laughs).
00:03:20BEYER: What was it a hard transition for you when you were in El Salvador and then you came to the United States? Was it a really hard transition for you?
00:03:27LUEVANO: It was, because I left my grandmother behind, and I came to live alone with my dad who had married. And I didn't know—I met my dad for the first time when I came here when I was nine, 'cause he left me when I was one or two years old. And so I—it was difficult. So my dad sent for my grandmother and brought her over so that she could help to continue to raise me. And I lived in San Francisco all my life. So, San Francisco is divided into sections—my dad did well financially, so he had a nice home. But I had to learn how to be his daughter, because I didn't know him, and my dad was extremely strict, which is why eventually I joined the Marine Corps (laughs) because too much strictness. I graduated from high school and it was—I just wanted to fly.
00:04:31BEYER: What were you doing before you joined the Marine Corps? Like, did you have a job in school or—
00:04:37LUEVANO: —Yeah—
00:04:38BEYER: —were you—was it family life or what was your job like in school—high school?
00:04:41LUEVANO: When I finished high school, my father said that he would pay for me to go to college. He would give me a hundred dollars. A hundred dollars don't pay no tuition. So I decided I would look for a job. So I worked in a jewelry store. I worked as—in the beginning of computers where they used to have cards with punch holes in them—and I did that. But I couldn't find my place in life. I couldn't—I didn't have a mother, and my grandmother was too old. So I didn't know what to do with myself. So my last job was for Pacific Bell (Pacific Bell Telephone Company) as a long distance operator. They hired me and I worked the night shift, and I still was not happy. I kept thinking, I know I can do better than this. So one day I was coming down Market Street, getting off my shift and going home. And I saw the sign that says, "Join the Marines and see the world." So I thought, I'm gonna do that. So I went the next day, and I said, "I wanna join the Marine Corps." And I said, how soon can I leave? (Luevano laughs.) And they laughed and they said, "Well, as soon as you get your papers for permission from—'cause I was 18—not quite 18, but they wanted the signature from my father. So I gave the form to my dad to sign it, and my father took it and tore it up and said, "I will never approve of this." So I said, "Okay." So I went back to the recruiter and I said, "You know, I am sorry, my dad feels this way. Can I have another form?" (Luevano laughs.) And he goes, "Do you have another guardian?" I said, "My grandma." And I had taught my grandmother how to write, because my grandmother was totally illiterate. She didn't know how to write in those days. She came from the 1800s. So she didn't—she died when she was 101. So my grandmother—I explained to her my desire, and I wanna join the military. And my grandmother said, "Whatever makes you happy, mija." So she's—I held her hand while she wrote her name on the form. I took it over there, and within a month I was gone. And I never looked back. It was the most awesome experience for me. I loved bootcamp! (Luevano laughs.)
00:07:19BEYER: So let's talk about that—your early military experience. What do you remember about your first days in the military in bootcamp?
00:07:28LUEVANO: In bootcamp. Well, I saw a lot of them go AWOL (Absent Without Leave). I would wake up in the morning at four—whatever the bugler he—I can't remember what hour, but it was extremely—it was still dark outside the—and Reveille would start—and I would look to my right or my left sometimes, and the bunk would be empty. And they had told us when we joined, when we went to bootcamp, that a lot of people try to go AWOL. And there was alligators. This is South Carolina, but they'd try to scare me. It didn't scare me—no. I used to love it. I loved the Marine Corps. One time I was marching, I—you know there was—we were out in the field and marching, and I kept smiling the whole time. And the D.I. (drill instructor) got mad at me and said, "Are you making fun of me?" I said, "No, sir. I love this. You know, I love the marching." (Luevano laughs.) I didn't know military talk or whatever. So he made me—I made him so mad that he sent me to the CO (Commanding Officer). And I went before the CO. And he said, "I hear you're always smiling. Why is that? Are you making fun of the military?" I said, "Ma'am, I'm smiling because I'm so happy to be here." She couldn't believe it. She told me, "Get outta here." And I went back and I finished. I was determined that I had found my niche. A lot of them went AWOL. Even when we graduated—a lot of them—I remember it was so hot. South Carolina was very hot. And, I saw a lot of—some of the girls fainted. I could hear them "plop, plop, plop," you know? And I thought, I will never faint. I'm going to get my wings or whatever, you know. I'm gonna officially be in. And I did. I remember when she put my insignia on the—and I was so happy that I had made something of myself when I had no mom, literally no dad, and a old grandma who said, "Do whatever makes you happy." And, I just, I fit. I found out later that my dad had joined the military when he was a young man in San Salvador. So I figured I'd carry the genes in my veins that made me wanna love it. And if the rules, the regulations, and the laws that weren't in effect then, I would've reenlisted. I was doing really good. I was already a corporal and I—but in those days, if you got married and you had a baby, you had to get out. So they forced me out, you know, out of the military. And I often thought I had to go back and knock on the door and say, "I hear your laws have changed. Can I join?" (Luevano laughs.) I called them. I told them I wanted to work as a counselor, and they told me I was too old. So it's a pleasure and honor to tell somebody my life, you know? 'Cause I am getting a little old—(Luevano laughs)—as you can tell. But I don't feel old. I can still do a couple of miles every day, you know. So.
00:11:02BEYER: What was your first assignment after basic training? Where did you go after basic training?
00:11:06LUEVANO: They sent me to Camp Pendleton in the 24 Area. And it's still there. I went and looked through the window one day. Everything's still the same. They put me to work there in the office. And I processed all the deceased that were the young men that were killed in the war. I did the letters to the parents, to the boyfriends, or whatever the letter needed to go. It was my responsibility along with two other Marines—(unintelligible) Marines—that we handle all that. And we would go in the warehouse and look at the personal effects of all these young men. We would go through them and make sure that everything was well. That the parent or the wife wasn't gonna receive something that was be embarrassing to the soldier. So we would—and make sure that their—the person of their wedding bands and their—whatever they had on them when they were killed—that it would be properly processed so that the parents would not have further grief because of something they received. Yeah. So it was us who were responsible for that. And I did that for the two years that I worked there. And that's—well my husband was coming back from Vietnam. He wasn't my husband then. He was nothing. He was just a young man that was coming to work in the warehouse. He had just come back from Vietnam, and that's where he was assigned. And I looked at him and I thought, what a handsome man. And there's a question in your questionnaire that says, "Did you make any lasting relationships out of your time in the service?" And he was lasting. We lasted 60 years together. He went on to stay in the Marine Corps. He was in for 16 years. So I felt like I was still part of that, because wherever he got orders—we got orders to go to Camp Lejeune—of course, I went with him. So his life—I lived my life through him, and he passed away last year. (Luevano's voice becomes shaky.) My best friend is the army of heaven now. (Luevano pauses and her eyes tear up.)
00:13:43BEYER: Do you recall—like, backing up to your time in bootcamp—do you recall any of your instructors? Or, while you were at Camp Pendleton, do you recall any leaders who had a lasting impact on you?
00:13:58LUEVANO: I loved the instructor in bootcamp. His name is Sergeant Ortiz. Yeah. He had big front teeth. And, I loved marching. And even after we got out, my husband would line up my daughters—our three daughters—and we'd go marching (laughs). And that's stupid. But when you join the military, it's almost like it becomes a part of your life, you know? So Sergeant Ortiz was someone I never forgot. And then there was a sergeant—sergeant—he was a lieutenant—Lieutenant Bowling—at the 24 area. He was very fair, and he was easy and very nice to work with. Yeah, I never forgot his name. Lieutenant Bowling.
00:14:48BEYER: What—so you said you reached the rank of corporal before you got out—
00:14:54LUEVANO: —Yeah.
00:14:55BEYER: Was that a big milestone for you?
00:14:59LUEVANO: For me it was because I knew I was gonna be getting out. And I felt like with each rank that I was proving to myself—yes, you are good at this. You know?
00:15:14BEYER: What part of military life came naturally or felt easiest for you?
00:15:26LUEVANO: (Luevano pauses for thought.) Taking orders, I guess, because my father was so totalitarian and strict in his mannerism. He never abused me or anything, he just was very cold and he was always trying to make a living so hard. He worked in—the shipyards is hard work. I understand now that he did love me, you know. But he was full of rules and regulations. Never any love, just rules and regulations. And I think it prepared me for the Marine Corps because when they gave me orders, I received them. I took 'em. I didn't see no reason why I shouldn't do that, you know. Because they know what's best. And so that would answer that, I think. (Luevano chuckles.)
00:16:14BEYER: How did you interact with others while stationed stateside? Like either at Camp Pendleton or previous bootcamp. Like how were you—how was your interactions? What were they like?
00:16:25LUEVANO: I loved it. I love to dance. My grandson yesterday—he was in the Navy—a traitor, he joined the Navy! But he sent me an oldie-but-goodie song on my phone yesterday. And he said, "This is for your birthday, grandma. Your birthday is coming up." And he said—he doesn't let me get depressed because he says, "The Marines don't get depressed." So, yeah—but what was the question? I forgot.
00:17:05BEYER: It was asking how—what were your interactions like when you were at Camp Pendleton?
00:17:11LUEVANO: Oh! I got along with everyone. I used to love (laughs)—I loved the male Marines, because they had cars and they would let me—and I was—I guess I was kind of cute when I was young (smiles), so a lot of them wanted to get married. One said, "I'll take you to New York. My parents live in New York, let's—" you know. And I said, "I don't wanna get married. I just wanna be where I'm at, you know." But in those days we were a little bit more strict with our morals. So it was always—it was for the—just being a way to laugh. And I would make friends with a cook at the mess hall. And we had a young Marine—a female marine—who discovered she had cancer. And she—they sent her home to die. And there was another—they used to call me "Boot." The women Marines would call me "Boot." And I loved the mess hall. I loved their food (laughs). So they would always ask me, "Bring me something, Boot." And after a while I got tired of doing that. But I made a lot of friends. I love people. And that's why I did very well in my professional career later on in life, because I sincerely love and care for people, you know? And so I never left with anybody being angry with me, or I just assumed you're a human being. You make mistakes like everybody else does, you know?
00:18:57BEYER: So now we're getting on to wartime. I know you said you never deployed and you never went to Vietnam—
00:19:04LUEVANO: —No—
00:19:05BEYER: —But you served in the Marine Corps while the conflict in Vietnam was happening. You said that your role in the Marine Corps was, as service members that had passed away from the war were coming back to California and like in caskets, your role was to make sure that they were received by their family members with nothing that would upset the family. Did that take a toll on you over the long run?
00:19:33LUEVANO: I think it did, because their personal effects that came in the box represented who that individual was. And by the things that they own—and it also told me how old they were. They were just kids. Now when I look back, they were just 18-year-old boys—or 19, 20—and they were gone, you know? And so I would read their letters to their wives—which we were required to do that—to go through their stuff and make sure that the wife didn't get a letter from a girlfriend somewhere else. So we would read their letters and stuff. And so it is almost like I was reading the life of each individual soldier that came through that office. When I first got stationed there, at the 24 Area, we worked in a huge warehouse. And the warehouse was empty when I started. And by the time I left, within the two years, that warehouse was full to the top with boxes.
00:20:48BEYER: Of deceased?
00:20:50LUEVANO: (Luevano nods affirmatively.) Deceased. Mm-hmm. Yeah. They hadn't yet caught up to ship them to their parents—they were behind. And so the warehouse was packed with boxes. Yeah.
00:21:06BEYER: So let's begin to talk about your transition out of service. Do you remember the day your service ended? And please describe what that was like.
00:21:19LUEVANO: You know, I don't remember it at all because I was newly married. I was newly married and we had just found our first apartment in Fallbrook. And we found an apartment—a duplex, they were called then. And I moved in there. My husband and I got married in Las Vegas, and we moved to Fallbrook 'cause it was the cheapest place to live. And so I don't remember anything but the fact that I was starting another new life, you know? Which is being—living in an apartment. And then I found out I was pregnant. And I had my first child while we were living in Fallbrook. My daughters were all born—except for the last one—were born in Camp Pendleton at the hospital. My last one was born in San Francisco, 'cause my husband was in Vietnam again, and I was by myself. And so I—that was extremely hard for me. To be pregnant with two other children and my husband being gone. And he drove me to San Francisco at my father's house, and I stayed there and I cried and cried because it was too hard. I felt I couldn't raise my daughters by myself. He was gonna be gone 14 months, and didn't know if he would've come back, you know? So those were difficult years. That's why when people say to me, "Thank you for your service," I receive it because I felt I deserve that. (Luevano's voice gets shaky.) You know, so—
00:23:17BEYER: It's interesting hearing your story as a corporal in the Marine Corps and then the wife's perspective after you got out while your husband was on his second deployment in Vietnam.
00:23:31LUEVANO: Yeah.
00:23:32BEYER: And you had three kids at that time, you said?
00:23:34LUEVANO: Yeah.
00:23:34BEYER: And how long was he deployed for?
00:23:37LUEVANO: 14 months.
00:23:39BEYER: And so you just stayed in San Francisco that whole time?
00:23:42LUEVANO: The last one, yes, I stayed there. The other two, where was I?
00:23:49BEYER: Camp Pendleton?
00:23:49LUEVANO: Oh! I stayed with one of his best friends. His wife was also pregnant. And so, I stayed there until I had went into labor, you know? And then the other one—uh, Maria, where was she? Oh, she was born in the hospital in Camp Pendleton. I get my days a little bit mixed up with that, 'cause the three of them are a year apart. He would come home and get me pregnant and then he'd leave. But he told me he planned it that way. (Luevano chuckles.)
00:24:25BEYER: How were you received by your family or your community after you got out? Like, was your dad there to receive you and celebrate with you after getting out?
00:24:35LUEVANO: My dad regretted it, because he saw me do everything to be good as a Marine. And he was proud of me. He became proud of me. And one day I was—toward the end of my tour—I was at the barracks. And they told me I had a visitor, and it was my dad. And my dad brought me a gift. To this day, I can't figure out what made him do that. He brought me a sewing machine (laughs). And he said, "In case you have to sew your uniforms, I brought you a sewing machine." And he was proud of me that I was able to be a mom, a Marine, and also work—and eventually work and own a business, you know? The Lord—God has been very good to me. I have—at my age have accomplished a lot more than people realize. I've been everywhere. I've done quite a number of things. And I attribute that, first, to God for him being so faithful to me. And second, to the Marine Corps. I think they made me not be a quitter. Their training helped me a lot, you know? Even though Sergeant Ortiz might have thought he wasn't teaching me much by marching, I can still pivot (laughs). So he taught me a lot by the discipline. And when he would yell at me—and he would, 'cause they all—seemed like they all know how to yell and scream at my ear. "Did you hear what I said, Boot?" You know (Luevano chuckles). But they taught me a lot. Taught me things that I want my grandkids to do in their lives. To handle life that way as well. And they've pretty much done that. 'Cause my grandkids have done well, you know? All of them. They've done very well. You know, it takes discipline to do that. I said, "I never wanna see you—visit you in prison. I wanna go to your graduation." And they've done that. They've done—
00:27:10BEYER: Was it—what was it like adjusting back to civilian life for you? Was it a hard transition?
00:27:16LUEVANO: No, because then my husband was still in the military. He was still a Marine. So I'd never really made that transition. The transition that was hard is when he got out. Because he was a gunny (gunnery sergeant), and now he was—he got a job at General Dynamics sweeping the floors. And he kept his uniform in the closet in case he changed his mind and wanted to go back in. But he had to learn how to mop the floor as good as when he was a gunnery sergeant. He was a good marine. And but it was difficult. That transition, I think, was the hardest for the both of us, because he got out and by the time we reached California we only had $50 between us. And we went to live temporarily with his mom and dad while he figured out, "Where do I find a job?" 'Cause he joined when he was a kid too. He was 18 years old, I think, when he joined the Marine Corps. So he was just a young man. And now he was an older man and had family to support and no assistance from anyone. His parents were not very helpful. And it was hard. Even now, I didn't realize how hard that was, but it was extremely difficult for the two of us to adjust to. Because there was nobody there to cheer you on. Nobody there to help you, you know? And I'm sure they don't do that anymore. They have a lot more to offer the young Marines when they get out.
00:28:59BEYER: Did you go receive a higher education after you got out? Or did you go straight into the workforce? Or did you—were you—
00:29:08LUEVANO: When my husband—while still in the Marine Corps—he enrolled in a program that the Marine Corps allowed him to go to college, and they would pay for it. And as long as he kept a B average. So while he was there, I decided, well, if he's gonna go to college, I am too. So I got my GI Bill. He was still in the Marine Corps, but I was out so I used my GI Bill to go back, and I graduated from Cal State San Bernardino (California State University San Bernardino). Both of us graduated at the same time. And then he went back into the service because he was still in the service. He just didn't wear a uniform. But, we both got our degrees, and it really—the degree that I received—helped me a lot because it got me to the next step, which is to work. I got a degree in liberal arts and minor in psychology. And so I was able to work as a rehab counselor. And if I didn't have a degree, I wouldn't have gotten that job. Eventually I bought that company, and I changed it from Genesis to New Beginnings. In my office—I had three offices—in Palm Desert, Indio, and Palm Springs. And I loved it. My husband eventually, by that time we were out of the Marine Corps—out of any associations with them at all—just being civilians, you know. And then after that, I worked—sold real estate, and then finally I became a—my husband and I became missionaries, and we went to live in the Philippines. And we lived there for three years, but we had been visiting the Philippines for eight years before that. And we sold everything. And we sold our—we had horses. We had financially done well, But we laid it down because our commitment was to God first and then our own lives. And it was lovely. It was as hard as the Marine Corps. It was hard as bootcamp. And but my faith just said it. This is what I like to do. And my husband loved it. He absolutely—I guess he thought he was in Vietnam again, because Philippines is all jungle. And so I guess it was no difference between that and him being in Vietnam. And he loved it. You know, I have pictures of him going across a river. Just until eventually he got sick—he started getting, not feeling well. And eventually we came back to the States. And then I just saw his life slowly deteriorate. His health—it's been a good life.
00:32:36BEYER: Did you maintain any of your friendships from the time you were in service after you got out of service?
00:32:43LUEVANO: Did we, what?
00:32:44BEYER: Did you maintain any of the friendships you made?
00:32:47LUEVANO: We had one. His name was Lieutenant Daniel Boone. That was his real name. And my husband and him were high school buddies. And when Gus joined the Marine Corps, Danny joined the Marine Corps as well and became a lieutenant. Unfortunately, about four years ago, he committed suicide. He started having a lot of mental issues. He was in the Marine Corps in Vietnam as well. So he became depressed. And my husband—I was afraid that that idea that his best friend was now dead would give him ideas. But he said he was too chicken to take his life. So but we had another friend, Larry Talend, and he moved to Las Vegas in that area, and that's why we got married over there. And he was my husband's best man. And we kept those friendships. And Gus used to love—we went—some of them, he went to look 'em up and touch base with them once, but then people get busy with their lives. And I never did. I was too busy being all those other roles that I was playing. So no, that was about it. Yeah.
00:34:18BEYER: Have you joined any veteran organizations or stayed involved in the veteran community?
00:34:25LUEVANO: Only through church. On Veteran's Day or whatever, they make me stand up (laughs). And I never wanna stand up because I always—I'm embarrassed that I'm—that an old lady—that they would see me as a Marine. But inside I am. I think Marines are gutsy. I think that they're a different type of breed than your regular—no offense if you're in the Navy or Army or whatever—but Marine Corps's different. Yeah.
00:35:08BEYER: So let's move on to reflections. How has your military service shaped who you are today?
00:35:17LUEVANO: Oh, goodness. I could shout and yell at that question because absolutely! Next to my faith in God, the Marine Corps did what my dad was trying to instill in me without the anger, you know? It disciplined me. It—too many people quit when it gets tough. They either commit suicide or they take the easy way out. And I never did. And I know it was because the Marine Corps taught me that. When I said, "I'm not going AWOL. I'm going to make it through the ceremony." And when they sent me to Camp Lejeune for some further training, I went. And I finished—I was a good—I did what I was supposed to do. And so the Marine Corps shaped me that when I went to college and I was working as a waitress at the same time that I'm going to college to make extra money to raise my family. And I finished it. It taught me to start and finish. And I say that to my grandkids. He couldn't find—my grandson—he was unemployed for almost a year. And I said, "Jeremiah, don't you quit. We don't quit." And that, "You were in the Navy. That's your problem, but you need to finish what you start." And he did. He's in college, but he went back to school. (A dog is whimpering and can be heard in the background.) He got a job. He's computer literate. I mean—he's an awesome—Jeremiah's an awesome kid. But it's that principle. Too many young people, when the going gets tough, they want somebody to give them an A when they haven't earned an A, you know? And I'm not saying everyone's like that, but I believe that (Luevano looks down and speaks to her dog)—no Gunny. He was—don't start, don't throw it (Luevano laughs). Thank you. (Luevano looks back up. The dog stops whimpering.) He wants attention. So it's that—it's that thing. Even now I feel like quitting because now I'm alone and the love of my life is gone. I'll see him again. But sometimes I think, why don't I just go home? Why don't I just die? When I sit here by myself, instead of him being there saying, "Let's go for a drive, honey." You know what his concept of going for a drive was? Go to Camp Pendleton (laughs). He would drive to Camp Pendleton. We used to go to the Camp Pendleton at least once a week to go shopping. We just walk around and go to Starbucks there and have a cup of coffee. And he would park in the handicap section, and he would watch—One day he got mad 'cause the grounds by one of the office buildings was full of weeds. (Dog whimpering starts again, louder.) And he said, "I wish they would let me go in there and trim all those weeds. You know, it doesn't look good for the Marine Corps to have weeds like that." But it affected us. And I really believe that when I get to heaven, I'm gonna wear a uniform (laughs). And I wanna ride a horse (laughs).
00:38:43BEYER: What message would you want to leave for future generations who may watch or hear this interview?
00:38:54LUEVANO: (Dog barks.) Excuse me. Gunny! Here. (Luevano reaches down, takes a ball from the dog, and puts the ball on the table next to her.) No. Yesterday I had a young man that is getting ready to move out of this apartment. They're, I think, buying a home or they're moving out of the area. He's 12 years old. And I've made an impression on him in some way because he comes to visit. He's as big as you are. He's tall! Young boy. He's got the sweetest heart. And he was telling me he was moving and that he was sorry he wasn't gonna be able to come and see me as often. And I told him, it's perfectly okay. But that I gave him basically what I'm telling you right now, "You're gonna do well in life, son. You're gonna do well because you have such a kind heart." But he wants to lift weights 'cause he said, "I need to lose some weight." I said, "Just be disciplined. Just start something and finish it. You know?" And it's the same thing I told my grandkid. Just finish it. Start something and finish it unless you have something good to replace it with. So it—I think for the next generation, for the way that—I seem to attract them, I guess, 'cause I look like a sweet grandma or something (laughs). I like to—they are so sweet! And I love imparting something of what I know to them. There was a young girl that had run away from home. She was at church and she was thinking of joining the military. I said, "You do that, but you go in with the right motives. If you go into the service with the wrong motive as an escape hatch, it won't work 'cause Marine Corps will not be escape hatch for you in a good way. You can make it a good thing by having the right motives and the right frame of mind. And to be disciplined enough that when it's going gets tough, you get going and you finish it. You know?" And she decided to go back home and not join the military, which I was glad 'cause she wasn't military material. But she needed to go home and make things right with her parents. So I don't know if all that is what you want.
00:41:36BEYER: What do you wish more people understood about veterans?
00:41:43LUEVANO: You know, there was a—when I took my economics class in college, there's a thing—this is—there's no such thing as free lunch. And I think for a lot of them, they think it's free lunch. I have a very good friend. She's a professor and she teaches at Palomar College. And she was telling me that a lot of her students, when they don't work for it. And they demand an A, but yet they don't show up for class and they don't do their homework. And it scares me for the United States. I love this country. And, with that kinda attitude, I wouldn't want them in my foxhole because they don't wanna work. You know? And I'm not saying all of them, because that's all inclusive. It's not all like that. There's still a lot of people out there that, like you, are being successful in your life with your family, with the things that you volunteer for. You know? So I think that's—if I could impart that to them, finish your homework. You know, that old thing? (Luevano laughs.) "Mommy, I finish my homework." "Did you finish your homework?" "I don't think so." "Go back and finish your homework."
00:43:15BEYER: If you were to reflect on the journey of your service, what themes or life lessons emerge?
00:43:23LUEVANO: Tell me again.
00:43:24BEYER: If you were to reflect on your journey and your time in the Marine Corps, what themes or life lessons emerge?
00:43:32LUEVANO: What themes?
00:43:33BEYER: Yeah. Or life lessons.
00:43:50LUEVANO: You know, I love watching war movies. My husband and I loved when there's Veterans Day and they show around the clock war movies, and we would watch 'em all. And the thing that I liked the best is when they're marching—like the Band of Brothers movies. You know, the series of them? We watch those movies a number of times. And the one thing I saw in the Band of Brothers is that, as they're going through a particular area that's jungle or whatever, and they're on their way to a spot where they will see maybe the end of life or they're gonna see a war episode in their lives that is scary. They're running through the jungle. They're running—they're gonna go and die. And yet they're running to it. They, you know what I mean? They're running to it. They're not afraid of it. They know they have to. Maybe they're gonna give their lives in that destination where they're going, but they're doing it because there's a reason why they're doing it. And it's for our country. It's for the people. It's for what we will stand for. And a lot of young people don't know the—that's the question you asked. They don't know that freedom costs. They have no idea. They don't know what World War I, II is or Vietnam. And they don't even know where Vietnam is. And they don't know that we didn't acquire all of this. My husband used to call it "the Big PX." They don't know that all that we have, people lay their lives for it. You see them—they're without legs or they were—a bomb went off where they were at and they lost their limbs. And you just switch the channel. Like, and they did it for you and I, you know? And people lay their lives down for what they believe in in order to keep that to the next generation. And I wanna leave a legacy to my grandchildren. "My grandmother was a tough marine," they say. I wanna leave that for them because that's what life requires of us, is to put our boots on and run that trail. Or I saw a picture of Vice President Vance (JD Vance) marching with the Marines. I wanted to cut it out and put it in a frame, because he's running with all the Marines up this trail. And Camp Pendleton is known for those hills. And my husband used to say, "See those hills, honey? I ran those hills." Every time we go by there, he would tell me the same thing. I said, "Honey, how many times do you have to tell me you ran those hills." But that's what life is. Isn't it a race to finish? To finish well? Yeah.
00:47:04BEYER: How did you become connected with the North San Diego County community, like here in Vista?
00:47:11LUEVANO: Through a friend. You and I have a mutual friend that works at the college. And she invited me last year, and I literally lit up when I saw what it was. 'Cause she didn't—she didn't fully understand what it was that we were all all gonna be doing. And so when I went to the event last year, that's the first I ever heard of it, you know? And it thrilled my heart. It was like water to a dying flower, you know? So that's how I knew about it. Otherwise I wouldn't have known.
00:47:51BEYER: Thank you again for sharing your story. It's an honor to help preserve it.
00:47:56LUEVANO: It's an honor for me to share it. Yeah.
00:47:59BEYER: Thank you.
