Week 1: Why I Started This Blog – A Tribute to Cpl. Phillip V. Cruz, Sr.

​This blog was born out of love, loss, and a deep respect for the stories of veterans—especially the one closest to my heart, my father, Cpl. Phillip V. Cruz, Jr. from Malesso, Guam. A proud Marine and Vietnam Veteran, he also served in the U.S. Army. From 1968 to 1969, he was deployed to Vietnam during one of the most harrowing times in American military history.
The biggest regret I carry is not sitting down with my father to fully document his story. He never spoke much about the war, but the few moments he did open up stuck with me for life. I remember one story vividly—a story that haunted him. He had to kill a child who was strapped with explosives. It was either him and his brothers-in-arms, or the child. His finger trembled on the trigger, but he had no choice. That moment scarred him deeply.
Despite the pain and the trauma, my father was a proud man. He raised a family, worked hard, and carried his burdens silently. He had a rough start in life—he and his brother once assaulted a military man, and there were newspaper stories about them breaking into a house. Eventually, my grandmother sent him to San Diego to live with her brother, Alu, in hopes he’d be set on a better path. Uncle Alu gave my father a new name—Cruz—saying he was no longer a Topasna, but someone with a chance to start over.
I never got to record everything. PTSD took a toll on my dad, and we lived through its aftershocks. But the fragments he did share live on in me. And now, through this blog, I hope to preserve not only his story but the voices of many other veterans whose stories are equally powerful, complex, and vital to our understanding of service and sacrifice.
If you’re a veteran, or you know one who’s willing to share their story—please reach out. This space was created for you. For all of us.