Rep. Cuellar Presents Veteran Headstone for Rio Grande City's U.S. Army Private First Class Santana Gonzalez

Press Release

Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) presented a Veteran headstone for the grave of World War II Veteran, Private First Class Santana Gonzalez.

"Private First Class Santana Gonzalez is an American hero, and this headstone is a symbol of respect and gratitude for his service during World War II ," said Congressman Cuellar. "Mr. Santana was a lifelong member of VFW Post 8526 of Rio Grande City, and is very well remembered by our community. This is a proud moment for all of us here in Starr County as we honor Mr. Gonzalez and his family."

In 1973, a fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri, destroyed veteran's records, including that of Private First Class Santana Gonzalez. Without record of his military service, Mr. Gonzalez was not able to receive a veteran headstone at the time of his death.

Congressman Cuellar's Office, together with the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), was able to reconstruct Mr. Gonzalez's military records and obtained a Certification of Military Service, allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration to issue a Veteran headstone for Private First Class Santana Gonzalez.

The case was opened on February 17, 2022, and was successfully closed on April, 22, 2022.

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