07/28/2025
Nestled between El Yunque National Forest and the ocean lives 101-year-old Andrés González Vega, one of the 16.4 million soldiers who served in the U.S. military during WWII.
Eighty years after the war, less than 1% of its veterans remain. González Vega, who is writing a memoir, is one of them.
Born in 1924 on the island of Vieques, González Vega’s journey during WWII was nothing short of extraordinary. After training in Gurabo, he boarded a massive ship in San Juan with hundreds of other Puerto Rican soldiers.
“Goodbye, my beloved Borinquen, goodbye, my land of the sea, I’m leaving, but one day I’ll return,” he said, similar to the lyrics of the iconic song “En Mi Viejo San Juan,” as he recalled the day he left Puerto Rico for the first time.
When asked if he’s told his full story, he said, “I haven’t told you anything yet.”
Read more: nbcnews.app.link/tQ3Thn98mVb
