Andy de León
Portrait by: Leopoldo Peña
14. The Life of a 73-year-old Deported Army Veteran
“After I left high school, I joined the Army. The year was 1967. And after all my training was over, they sent me to West Germany. And I left the Army in 1969 with honorable discharge. Then I went home to my hometown of Madera, California … If I was to go back (to the US), I need glasses, and those are the things I’d get help for from the VA (Veterans Administration) if I was to go back. My family is over there … I’m just hoping that they’ll give us a chance to go back.”