When my father was thirteen years old four days of riots took place in East Los Angeles in June of 1943. Labeled the Zoot Suit Riots, navy servicemen stationed in Los Angeles fought with Mexican youth. Published news reports favored the servicemen. The vast majority arrested were Mexican youth. My father probably stayed home or was in the library which was a good idea as reports indicate service men took taxis into Mexican communities during the riots. He was the oldest of four with two younger sisters and a brother ten years his junior.
My father attended Garfield high school in East Los Angeles but did not finish. He loved sports and the track coach had invited him to joint the team after seeing him run fast during PE. But as the oldest he felt responsible to help his mother and at seventeen he joined the military, the Air Force. His mother had to sign to allow him to enter the military. He was sent to Texas for basic training which was the first time away from his mother and family. He remained in the Air Force for the next six years. During that time the US entered the Korean War. Luckily his military years were mostly spent at March Air Force base in Riverside, California. He reached the level of Master Sargent, the highest rank for enlisted men. He supervised servicemen in the fire department at the base. Although away from the war there was risk as many training runs ended in fiery crashes. He did not speak much of those years but I know he was proud of his time in the Air Force. And those years would eventually lead to a twenty-eight year career.