Luis R. Esteves
Luis R. Esteves Völckers | |
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92nd Infantry Brigade Puerto Rico Adjutant General | |
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Major General Luis Raul Esteves (April 30, 1893 – March 12, 1958) was the first
Early years
Esteves was born Luis Raul Esteves y Völckers in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on April 30, 1893.[a][2] His father and mother were also natives of Aguadilla. His father, Francisco Esteves Soriano had served in the Spanish Army and his mother, Enedina Völckers Van der Dijs, of German and Dutch descent, was a housewife.[3] His father, had also served as mayor of Aguadilla.[1] Esteves received his primary education in the local grammar school and went to high school in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.[4]
At the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, the Esteves Völckers family welcomed the Americans as an alternative to Spanish rule of the island. Esteves's father wanted his son to continue the family military tradition and encouraged him to consider a military career. However, his mother had other plans. She wanted her son to become an engineer and to study in the United States. The family's financial situation did not permit her to realize her dream.[4]
Esteves saw a news advertisement announcing examinations for the entry into the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and applied without his parents' knowledge. He passed the exam, was accepted to and eventually graduated from West Point, thus becoming the first Puerto Rican to do so.[5]
West Point
While at West Point he tutored Dwight D. Eisenhower in Spanish, as a second language was required in order to graduate. In 1915, Esteves graduated with Eisenhower and Omar Bradley among his classmates, and was the first Puerto Rican graduate of the academy. He was later the first graduate of 1915, "the class the stars fell on", to reach the rank of general.[6] One of the problems that Esteves faced upon his graduation was that in order to become an officer in the U.S. Army he had to be a citizen of the United States and Puerto Ricans at the time were not. The War Department was able find a precedent when they remembered that during the American Revolutionary War, foreign officers like Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette and Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben were given commissions in the Continental Army.[7] He obtained the rank of Second Lieutenant and was assigned to the 23rd Infantry Regiment, where he worked in the National Matches of Florida.[8]
Pancho Villa incident
Esteves served as a 2nd lieutenant in the 8th Infantry Brigade of the
Puerto Rico National Guard
Esteves was then promoted to the rank of captain.[8] Esteves helped organize the 23rd Battalion, which was composed of Puerto Ricans and was stationed in
He saw a need for a
On October 15, 1940, the Puerto Rico National Guard was activated pursuant to Executive Order 3551. Esteves was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and ordered to active duty and given the command of the
On October 30, 1950, the
Later years
General Esteves' main hobby was studying military history. He also published two books, Los Barrabases and ¡Los Soldados Son Así! (Soldiers are like that). In ¡Los Soldados Son Así!, he tells about many
Esteves married Guadalupe Navarro, with whom he had four children, Raúl, Roberto, Maricel and Vernon.[14] Esteves also helped establish the first two theaters in Aguadilla, his hometown, with the help of fellow community leader Juan Garcia.[15] On April 30, 1957, Esteves retired from service due to health concerns.[14] On March 12, 1958, Esteves died in Santurce as a complication of these issues.[14] His remains are interred in Cementerio Histórico Urbano de Aguadilla. On August 24, 1958, the PRNG's Armory was re-baptized in his honor.[14] On May 11, 1962, Division General Juan Cordero dedicated a speech to him during the re-inauguration of the PRNG's Military Museum.[14]
The former Puerto Rico National Guard Armory in
In 2017 General Esteves was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.[17]
Military awards and decorations
Among Major General Luis R. Esteves' military decoration and awards are the following:
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican military personnel
- Puerto Ricans in World War I
- Puerto Ricans in World War II
- Puerto Rico Adjutant General
- 65th Infantry
- German immigration to Puerto Rico
Notes
- Spanish name, the first or paternal surnameis Esteves and the second or maternal family name is Völckers.
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Historia y Tradiciones: Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico - Cinco Centurias... En Guardia."; Author=José Angel Norat; page=470; publisher=Esmaco Printers
- ^ Luis R. Esteves 1893. Books. Google. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ La Precencia Germanica en Puerto Rico, by Haydee Reichard de cancio PHd
- ^ a b c "Major General Luis Raúl Esteves Völckers". Bell South. November 1, 2002. Archived from the original on January 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ HISPANIC-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Archived 2009-09-08 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved November 6, 2007. "Brigadier General Luis R. Esteves was the first Puerto Rican graduate of West Point and founder of the Puerto Rican National Guard."
- ^ Williams, Rudi (September 16, 2002). "Myers: Terrorists Not Interested in the Diversity That Makes U.S. Great". American Forces Press Service. U.S. Department of Defense. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
- ^ Esteves Archived 2006-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e f g h Norat 1987, pp. 471
- ^ a b c d e f Norat 1987, pp. 472
- ^ a b Norat 1987, pp. 473
- ^ Hispanic Heritage Month Archived 2007-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 978-1-931702-01-0
- ^ Los Soldados Son Así Archived 2007-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved November 6, 2007
- ^ a b c d e Norat 1987, pp. 474
- ^ Town of Aguadilla, Retrieved November 6, 2007
- ^ Mark Yannone Archived 2004-10-22 at the Library of Congress Web Archives, Retrieved November 6, 2007
- ^ "Salón de la Fama".
Bibliography
- Norat, José Angel (March 27, 1987). Historia y Tradiciones: Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico - Cinco Centurias... En Guardia. Esmaco Printers.
External links
- "Luis Raul Esteves (biography)". Archived from the original on 2006-10-14.
- Generals of World War II