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Youngest of Durango family of veterans buried in Greenmount Cemetery

Six Roybal men served their country

When the Roybals laid Victor, the last of the Durango family’s six sons who served their country in wartime, to rest on Saturday, it marked the end of an era.

“One can only imagine the heartache and worry of parents saying goodbye to their six sons, not knowing if they would ever return, or if they did, would it be with a missing limb, or perhaps blinded by an explosion,” said Carla Chirigos, niece to the six men. “There was no acknowledgement of post-traumatic stress disorder in those days, but one can only imagine how difficult it must have been for these young men to return home and adjust to civilian life after seeing the ravages of a war many of us have only read about.”

Five of the six sons of Hipolito and Feliciana Roybal served during World War II, while Victor Roybal, the youngest, served during the Korean War six years later. An older brother, Silviano, tried to enlist but was turned away for an unknown reason, Chirigos said. An eighth son, Carlos, died as an infant when he drowned while the family was crossing a river in a wagon. The couple also had six daughters.

“It was recounted many times that their mother, Feliciana, attended the Sacred Heart Catholic Church every single day until her sons came home,” Chirigos said.

They all did come home, Chirigos said, but they rarely spoke about their war experiences.

The sons

Roybal family descendants don’t know anything about the service of Louis and Mike Roybal, beyond the fact that they both served in the Army from 1943 to 1946.

Tom Roybal never spoke of his service in the Marine Corps from 1942 to 1946, his daughter, Barbara, told Chirigos.

“She said that when her father passed away (in 1998), a gentleman who served with her father came to his funeral and told her that her father fought in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, Guadalcanal,” Chirigos said.

Tony Roybal performed teletype/key punch during his tour of duty in the Navy, which included the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, according to his nephew, Alex Roybal. When the tour of duty ended, all aboard were asked if they wanted to go to Russia – the U.S. was trying to build friendships with its former ally – and Tony Roybal was one of only six who volunteered. He told his nephew that the Russians treated them well.

Dale Roybal was a 50-millimeter machine gunner on the USS Bollinger, a cargo ship assigned to the Pacific Ocean triangle of Guam, the Philippines and Hawaii, according to his son, George Roybal.

“He shot at several Japanese Zero fighter planes,” George Roybal said, “but never claimed downing one. He laughed every time he mentioned shooting sharks while fellow sailors swam off the starboard side so his gunning experience would protect them.”

Four years later, Victor Roybal served aboard the USS General Mann, which sailed a route that included Treasure Island, Hawaii, Japan and Yokohoma en route to Inchon, South Korea, to deliver troops. Victor Roybal served from 1950 to 1954.

Chirigos is proud of her family’s service on both sides of her heritage. Her mother, Genevieve Roybal, married Carlos Quintana, who was a prisoner-of-war in North Africa for 18 months. He and all four of his brothers also served during either World War II or the Korean War.

The memorial

When the Veterans Memorial was created at Greenmount Cemetery, Dale Roybal arranged for a stone to commemorate his family’s service.

Victor Roybal will join his parents and seven of his siblings at Greenmount, back home in Durango.

“We salute them and all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom,” Chirigos said.

abutler@durangoherald.com

Jun 30, 2013
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