Honoring Our Uncle Rudy
Petition for U.S. Posthumous Citizenship
** Plan of Action Forthcoming**
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Texas to the World by Jim Bob Moore
“The Last Battle of Rudy Gonzalez”
He flew on the UH-1E, “Huey” helicopter, the aircraft that became the iconic symbol of the Vietnam War. Men rode it into battle and, if they were fortunate, back to safety. Rudy’s four-man crew specialized in extraction of the wounded by providing covering fire to the rescue helicopters and medics onboard those ships. Every time the turbines whined and the engine spooled up, the Texan was off to confront a danger that might end his life. The radio plea for rescue assistance on November 14, 1966, was no different than the dozens of others that had dispatched VMO-6 with Rudy and his comrades into combat operations. This time, though, he was just days from flying home, instead of into combat.
USMC Jesse Mendez Remembers Rudy
Jesse Mendez met Rudy in Ky Ha, Vietnam in 1965. Jesse was assigned to MAG-36 and Rudy was with VMO-6. Both had the same MOS - 3071 Aviation Supply Men. They got together often and hung out. Rudy celebrated Jesse's last day of tour the evening November 12th, 1966. Rudy was KIA less than two days later.
Marine Corps Association
PUTTING HISTORY BACK TOGETHER: THE STORY OF A REBUILT HUEY
AUGUST 2024 EDITION. Witness how British enthusiasts honored VMO-6’s legacy, creating bonds across continents. From daring wartime missions to heartfelt reunions, follow Bird 18’s incredible journey and the Marines who made it legendary.
#VietnamWar #HueyRestoration #MilitaryLegacy #Leatherneck
Cpl Rodolfo M Gonzalez
PETITION FOR POSTHUMOUS U.S. CITIZENSHIP
Our Uncle Rudy (Rodolfo M Gonzalez) was KIA in Vietnam in 1966 and in 2012 we learned that he never got his US Citizenship. He volunteered for Vietnam as a legal Resident Alien.
Uncle Rudy was a door gunner for Marine Observation Squadron Six (VMO-6) and was days from returning home from his first tour of duty. He insisted on flying dangerous missions so that he could send the extra flight pay home in support of his parents – our grandparents. His bags arrived a few days before the knock on the door reporting his casualty.
Our mission now is bestowing the ultimate honor on our Uncle Rudy – his Posthumous U.S. Citizenship. We need executive action from POTUS and/or Secretary of Defense.
The Forgotten Hero - Colonel Kenneth L Reusser
The Last Battle: Commanding MAG-16 in Vietnam
Colonel Reusser was the lone survivor from Uncle Rudy's downed helicopter November 14th, 1966. This is the most detailed account of his final mission starting mid-page 218.
Uncle Rudy was a few days from the end of his first tour in Vietnam when he was KIA.
Semper Fidelis
UNCLE RUDY USMC POSTHUMOUS U.S. CITIZENSHIP PETITION
In 1966, CPL Rodolfo M Gonzalez, a door gunner for VMO-6, was killed in Vietnam during a recovery mission. Today, only POTUS or Secretary of Defense through executive action can override the 1969 posthumous citizenship application lapse.
Donations in Kind help cover advocacy costs.
Uncle Rudy Petition for Posthumous U.S. Citizen Advocacy Fund
Support the Gonzalez Family Advocacy Effort
News Articles + Videos
TEXAS STANDARD: The National Daily News Show of Texas
Family of Marine killed in Vietnam working on one final way to honor his legacy
22-year-old Rudy M. Gonzalez was days from returning home to Harlingen, Texas.
From the Voces Oral History Center:
In 1966, a young Marine from Harlingen, Texas, was killed in Vietnam just days before he was due to return home. Rudolfo M. Gonzalez’s family took steps to keep his memory alive, including naming four of his nephews after him.
“To even think that we’re also named after him is quite an honor for us,” said Rudy Gonzalez, one of those nephews. “Part of our heritage as a family is to honor his memory and the sacrifice that he made for us – also for the United States for America. I mean, my uncle, at the time when he volunteered, was not even a U.S. citizen.”
Rudy M. Gonzalez was nine when his family moved to the U.S. from Mexico, so when he died at 22 in Vietnam, he was a Mexican citizen.
He graduated from Harlingen High School in 1964 and joined the Marines. From there he was shipped to Vietnam.
His sister, Frances Garza, remembers those last days with her brother.
“He took me to the movies, he took me out to eat and we talked, you know, and he told me to stay focused, to be careful, don’t disappoint mom and dad,” Garza said. “I remember him talking to me, and now that I think about it, he was talking to me like I was never gonna see him again.”
Rudy M. Gonzalez was just days from returning home, his sister recalling how the family had already started receiving his stuff when they got the noticed that he had been killed. His nephew, Jerry Gonzalez, recalls how his grandparents kept up hope that he would still return.
“Any knock on the door would be ‘could it be? Could it be?,” Jerry said. “Every knock on the door was a moment of anxiety. A moment of, ‘could it be? Is it possible that he’ll walk through that door?’ Til their last breath, they never accepted his death.”
Jerry Gonzalez is chipping away the paper work to have his uncle’s U.S. citizenship granted posthumously, lacking only his discharge papers – his DD214.
He says finally achieving that designation for his uncle would mean a lot for the family, but also honor his uncle’s legacy.
“I think it’s important that he be recognized that he was all in for this country,” Jerry Gonzalez said. “That meant something to him and that meant something to my family, and it means something to me.”
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Honoring the Fallen 2021
Marine Observation Squadron Six Memorial
The VMO-6 Memorial ... that Our Brothers In Arms who gave their lives for their God, their Country and their fellow Marines shall not be forgotten.
Erected in the Semper Fidelis Park, National Marine Corps Museum, 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Triangle, VA. Dedicated 17 May 2012.
VMO-6 Memorial Ceremony October 13th, 2021
The VMO-6 Memorial ... that Our Brothers In Arms who gave their lives for their God, their Country and their fellow Marines shall not be forgotten.
Erected in the Semper Fidelis Park, National Marine Corps Museum, 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Triangle, VA. Dedicated 17 May 2012.
Family Working on honoring the legacy of Cpl rodolfo m gonzalez
Immigration passport used to migrate to Texas in 1955.
Contact Us
*** UNDER CONSTRUCTION ***
Please feel free to contact us:
Rudy Gonzalez
+1512.809.6102 | GonzoFotoz@gmail.com
Jerry Gonzalez
+1424.395.8482 | Info@UncleRudy.com
UNCLE RUDY POSTHUMOUS U.S. CITIZENSHIP PETITION
Valencia, California, United States
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Honoring Our Hero - UNCLE RUDY USMC POSTHUMOUS U.S. CITIZENSHIP PETITION
UNCLE RUDY USMC POSTHUMOUS U.S. CITIZENSHIP PETITION
Valencia, California, United States
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