Note: Juan Escobar has written an article and a ballad, both of which are included below this story.
Marine Sgt. Juan Escobar was in a quandary. One of his duties at U.S. Marine Barracks 8th & I in Washington, D.C., was serving as a pall bearer. In fact, as a member of the Presidential Honor Guard, Escobar would carry the caskets of Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Harry S. Truman, and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Today, he was in Louisiana escorting the body of a distinguished senator. As the pall bearers were exiting the church, Escobar went to maneuver the casket and noted a gentleman standing in the way: President Richard Nixon.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Kleberg County Judge Juan Escobar recalled. “I didn’t know how to get Nixon’s attention. So I continued to move, and I accidentally hit him in the left shoulder. Then he moved out of the way.”
How did this young “twenty-something” Marine born into a migrant family in South Texas get here, in Marine dress, brushing shoulders with the president of the United States? Was it the work ethic instilled by his mother and grandfather? Perhaps it was the discipline and training of an all-star high school athlete, a top 10 percent graduate, and a student council president. No doubt all of these were contributing factors. But remove the white Marine dress gloves carrying the casket of the senator, and you’ll find two scars, one on each hand, permanent marks embedded in the skin, remnants of two wounds that help tell the story.
Am I Really Here?
The first wound wasn’t suffered in dramatic fashion or in the heat of battle. Rather, 19-year-old Juan Escobar was walking through the “elephant grass” waving some 6-feet high in the oppressive humidity of the Vietnam jungle.
“The leaves were very wide and razor sharp,” Escobar described, “and they could cut you like a knife.” One did, leaving a scar on his right hand. However, the sword-like foliage was just one of a myriad of hazards lurking in the dense vegetation, aside from the obvious: the enemy.
The orders were straight- forward: Find the Viet Cong and kill them. The young Marines, many teenagers like Escobar, would start by preparing their 80- to 100-pound packs.
On any given mission one soldier might carry a three-day supply of food and water, ammo for himself and the machine gunner, machine gun belts, pop-up flares, and perhaps some 60-mm mortar rounds. Balancing his pack, Escobar navigated through the sweltering jungle and leech-infested rivers in search of the enemy, simultaneously keeping a wary eye out for grenades and booby traps.
“The leeches would get into your body, so we would use cigarettes to burn them, pull them out, and kill them,” Escobar recounted. Malaria was another challenge, requiring twice-weekly meds – an orange pill every Wednesday and a pink pill on Sundays.
“That’s how we remembered the days of the week,” Escobar explained, “because of those pills. For example, we would know the month was March, but we would have no idea what day it was until we took a malaria pill.”
The intensity of those patrols – walking into villages finding only the women, children, and elderly, knowing the able-bodied men were hiding and watching and waiting to attack – was temporarily assuaged by arrival at the “rear area,” a little camp that served as a “three-day, in-country rehab.” The atmosphere was actually enjoyable: card games, USO shows, decent food, cool drinks and good music. It was in this camp that Escobar would ask himself, “Is this real? Was I just out in the jungle? Am I really here, fighting this war?”
If he allowed himself to think back even one or two years ago, the status quo was even more illusory. After all, Juan Escobar had just finished high school. In fact, he had been offered several scholarships to play basketball or run track at the collegiate level, but he felt an obligation to his country and volunteered to serve. So the teenager went from bouncing a basketball to balancing an 80-pound pack, from chasing runners on a track to hunting the Viet Cong in the jungle. No wonder he periodically questioned the reality.
Instant Recall
It’s amazing what the mind can tuck away and store, the details that paint a vivid picture of what Escobar deems a “surreal” experience. Vietnam was in many ways a lifetime ago, especially to a man who has filled so many roles since then: Escobar would go on to serve as a teacher, border patrol agent, senior special agent with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, Texas legislator, school board trustee, school board president, and county judge, not to mention a devoted husband, father, grandfather, historian and lay minister…and the list goes on.
But ask him to share some of his Vietnam years, and Escobar demonstrates instant recall, offering distinctive details of memories ranging from somewhat light-hearted to unimaginably challenging to downright tragic. Forty-plus years after he left Vietnam, Escobar can describe the thickness of the eyeglasses of the soldier who stood in front of him during a particular mission; the unmistakable, unforgettable smell of blood seeping from the wound of a Marine from Arizona who was hit during an ambush; the devastation of a fellow Marine reading a “Dear John” letter; and the height, build, and hair color of another comrade whose birthday was two days after Escobar’s. He can also recall the zany, made-up words of a song put to the tune, “We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz,” written and sung while marching through the jungle in response to a crazy mission to “go find the body of a dead North Vietnamese Army general buried somewhere out there.” Believe it or not, on that particular mission the patrol captured several enemy soldiers who surrendered intelligence on the location of the dead general, allowing Escobar and his fellow Marines to unearth and retrieve the body as ordered.
The Second Scar
Perhaps the details of another surreal experience are refreshed each time Escobar glimpses another scar, this one on his left hand, or whenever he tries and fails to make a complete fist with this hand. This scar was made with a bullet.
On Aug. 4, 1970, the Marines were running a “platoon-sized op” to “search and destroy” the enemy. The sun was still up but setting quickly, and the soldiers had been told by villagers that the Viet Cong were hiding in the mountains.
The platoon set up camp near a potato patch located between a little village and the jungle. They formed a 360-degree perimeter, and the lieutenant began giving instructions. Lance Cpl. Blake, a thin kid with blond hair, was standing to the left of Escobar.
“He was born March 8, and my birthday is March 11,” Escobar shared. “He was supposed to rotate back to the states in a month and a half.
“We were talking, and all of a sudden, they opened fire. Pop! Pop, pop, pop! It happened in a split second.”
The soldier to his right went down.
“I still see it in my mind today, where he was hit,” Escobar detailed. “Smoke was coming from his shoulder.”
Escobar “hit the deck,” crawled in a hole, and opened fire with his M16, fully automatic weapon. The gunfight lasted maybe 30 minutes, until the platoon called for air support.
“The plane dropped a bomb and took out the enemy,” he continued. “The ground shook. It was very hard, very violent, very loud.”
The lieutenant called for a cease fire, and “you could hear the quiet,” Escobar said softly. “It’s hard to put into words, the sounds of the stillness, the eeriness, wondering what will happen next.”
The silence was soon pierced by a command: “Give me a casualty and ammo report!”
One young man was wounded in action, the Marine to the right of Escobar who was shot in the shoulder. Another was killed in action.
“I had seen the guy wounded,” Escobar recollected, “but I wondered, ‘Who was killed?’ ”
The sun had now set, and the moonlight settled on the face of the deceased, shot in the head: Lance Cpl. Blake.
“Today, reflecting back, I remember I was standing so close to him,” Escobar uttered. “Had I moved my head a little, I could have been shot.”
When he saw Blake’s motionless body in the moonlight, Escobar became upset and clenched his fist – or tried to do so.
“I felt pain and noticed my fingers were not functioning and I was bleeding.” Escobar had been shot in the hand, hence the second scar. He would later receive a Purple Heart for “wounds in action,” along with the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation, Vietnam Service Medal with three stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and National Defense Medal.
Residual Effect
The United States began its withdrawal from Vietnam in September 1970, and by October Escobar had orders to report to drill instructor’s school. However, he ended up hospitalized with malaria. Following his recovery he was stationed at Camp Pendleton and then sent to Washington, D.C., where he joined the Presidential Guard Unit. Escobar completed his duties as a Marine in July 1973 and was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, where he served until 1976.
During his time in D.C., Escobar was able to “have some conversations about what happened,” in Vietnam and “go through some healing.” However, memories surface sporadically, sending Escobar into a reflective state or, as his wife can testify, waking him during the night. For example, about two years ago around the anniversary of the firefight that scarred his hand, Escobar had a dream that a bomb was headed straight for him. The dream explosion sent him into the air, causing him to literally jump up in bed and wake his wife.
“I was sweating and scared, and she talked to me,” he remembered. The next night, Escobar had the same dream. Only this time he fell off the bed and woke to find himself trying to crawl under the box springs.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep after that one,” Escobar declared. He quietly made his way to his computer and tried to occupy his mind, logging on to an old e-mail account that showed some 700 new messages, mostly “junk mail.”
“Normally I would just delete the e-mails all at once, but this time, I decided to scroll through,” he recounted.
About 10 or 15 entries down, Escobar noted a message on the subject line that read, “Looking for Corporal Escobar.” The inquiry was from a fellow Marine who served alongside Escobar in Vietnam. He returned the e-mail, and the two eventually connected over the phone.
Fast forward a couple of years, to the night before the interview with County Progress that led to the writing of this story. Escobar was relaxing with his wife when he received a phone call from another veteran, this time one who served alongside Escobar in Washington, D.C. The two visited for about an hour, reminiscing and making plans to meet at a reunion later this month at the nation’s capital.
“Those of us who served together in D.C., we were all veterans of Vietnam,” Escobar explained. Four decades later, the conversations of shared memories and experiences still continue.
Call to Serve
Regardless of the title at the time – U.S. Marine, U.S. Border Patrol agent, PTA president, school board trustee and president, member of the Texas House of Representatives, church administrator – every task he’s endeavored has been characterized by service, to country and to community. The job of county judge is no different.
“I still felt I had years left that I could give,” Escobar said of his decision to run for county judge in 2010. “I believe in public service. I still have some time left in my life, and I want to give back to my community.”
Specifically speaking, Escobar is focusing on “moving our county forward” in areas such as infrastructure improvement.
“We have many challenges before us, and I hope to use my collective experience to unite our county to work together,” the judge articulated.
In his spare time, Escobar channels his love for South Texas culture into researching and writing, penning historical features such as
Salineño, Texas (available online at
countyprogress.com).
Escobar also enjoys both singing and poetry, and he paired the two gifts to produce a ballad honoring a fallen soldier,
Domingo Rodriguez, who volunteered to serve after his brother, Thomas, was wounded in Vietnam.
While serving with the U.S. Border Patrol, Escobar met Thomas Rodriguez, who shared Domingo’s story, how he was killed in the well-known Battle of Khe Sanh. Located where North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and Laos came together, the region around Khe Sanh was a major avenue for enemy entry into South Vietnam. For the U.S. forces, a physical presence at Khe Sanh would allow them to observe traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Domingo died on the battlefields of Khe Sanh on March 6, 1968. Two months following his burial, Domingo’s loved ones learned that the wrong body had been sent home. His still-grieving family gathered once again for another burial service, complete with military honors.
When it comes to fallen soldiers, especially those from Vietnam, Escobar said he sometimes feels a sense of guilt.
“I often ask myself, ‘Why did I come back when others did not?’ ” Others like his friend Lance Cpl. Blake, killed in action six weeks before he was due to go home. And those like Domingo Rodriguez, who died at age 20, the same age as Escobar when he returned to American soil.
“What I have learned is, the more you talk about it, to a certain degree, the more you are able to let go,” Escobar shared. Or in the case of his ballad, the more you write about it.
Escobar’s song:
El Corrido de Domingo Rodriguez
(The Ballad of Domingo Rodriguez)
By Juan M. Escobar
Vengo a Pedirles Permiso
Today I ask your permission
Para Cantar mi corridor
So I can you sing you a ballad
De un joven Falfurreño
It is about a young Falfurrian
Que murío en Vietnam
Who died in Vietnam
Valiente y muy decidio
A brave and determined person
Defendio a Estados Unidos
He defended the United States
Mil novecientos fue el año
The year was 1900
Sesenta y ocho al pasado
68 which had passed
En la batalla de Khe sanh
In the battle of Khe Sanh
Un Marinero Murio
A young Marine died
A manos del enemigo
At the hands of the enemy
Peleo por nuestra nacion
As he fought for our nation
LLevo por nombre Domingo
His name was Domingo
Rodriguez de apelativo
Rodriguez was his last name
Azteca ni que dudar
An Aztec without any doubt
Voluntario fue a pelear
He volunteered to join the fight
A defender el honor
In defending the honor
De Tomás su hermano herido
Of Thomas his wounded brother
De su Familia adorada
From his beloved family
Se despidio con tristeza
He departed with great sandness
Quizás él ya presentía
Maybe he already anticipated
Que ha Falfurrias no volvía
That he would never return to Falfurrias
A ver aquella alborada
To see the dawn of morning
Con su novia a quien amaba
With the girl whom he loved
Fecha dia 6 de Marzo
The date was the 6th of March
En un avión el viajaba
When he travelled in an airplane
Y en compañía de marinos
Accompanied by Marines
Domingo perdió su vida
Domingo Lost his life
Lejos de sus compañeros
Far away from his peers
Y de su madre adorada
And from his beloved mother
Su cuerpo se regreso
His body was returned
Al pueblo de nacimiento
To his city of Birth
Su familia con tormento
Where his family in anguish
Solo recibió sus restos
Only received his body
Angustiada y con dolor
Distressed and under great pain
Lo llevaron al panteón
They took him to be buried
Dos meses después de muerto
Two months alter his death
Con tristeza su familia
Sadly his family
Recibió mala noticia
Received some more sad notice
Que el cuerpo allá en el panteón
That the body which had been buried
No era su hijo adorado
Was not of their beloved son
Se sepulto equivocado
It was someone buried by mistake
En el panteón de Falfurrias
In the Cementary of Falfurrias
Otra vez fue sepultado
They re-buried another body
Con honores militares
With military honors
Que se le da ha un buen soldado
Which is given to all soldiers
Que presto de sus servicios
Whose services have render
Al gobierno Americano
To the United States government
Lo abrazo la tierra madre
He was embraces by mother Earth
Como si fuera hijo suyo
Like if he was her son
Pero su madre querida
However his beloved mother
Todavía no creía
Was still in disbelief
Que en aquel cajón cerrado
That in the sealed Coffin
Su hijo por siempre dormía
Her son for eternity slept
Con esta ya me despido
With these next words I say goodbye
Nuca dejen al olvido
Never leave to Oblivion
Aquel joven Falfurreño
That young Falfurrian
Que ayer su vida perdió
Whose life was lost yesterday
Por la tierra que el quería
For that land which he loved
Y el honor de su familia
And the honor of his family
*****************
Salineño, Texas
By Juan Manuel Escobar y Vera
The year was 1521 and Hernán Cortéz (sometimes referred to as Hernando Cortez) arrived in the land of the Great Aztecs, which was under the rule of Moctezuma who ruled this great nation from 1503 through 1520. Also known as El Señor Veleroso, Moctezuma had predicted the fall of his empire years before the arrival of Cortéz. This empire had existed for over three hundred years from 1200 to 1520.
The Spanish conquest of Mexico City and Moctezuma’s empire began with the events of “La Noche Triste” and the betrayal of the Aztecs by Doña Marina (La Malinche) a Nahua tribe woman who became Cortez’s mistress and is believed to have aided him in the conquest. These events began on November 8, 1519 and ended on August 13, 1521 with the surrender of Cuauhtemoc, known as Aguila que Cae (who ruled the Aztecs from 1520-1521.
One must point out that before the existence of the Aztecs other civilizations existed, including the Olmecs, the Teotihuacan’s, the Zapotecs, the Mixtecs, the Mayas, the Toltecs and finally the Aztecs.
In South Texas the natives were grouped into a group known as Coahulitecans. The great Spanish explorer Alonzo de León “El Mozo’s” was the first person to document and sub-group the Coahulitecan Native Americans nation.
The Coahulitecan Native American people were the people that lived in the area of Salineño, Texas. This group of people was further identified, first by Juan Bautista de Chapa who accompanied Alonzo de León, than by Frederick Webb, Martín Salinas and others. The sub classes included some of the following identifiable natives: Pajaletes, Alasapas, Pusanes, Pacuaches, Mescales, Pampopas, Tacames, Venados, Pamaques, Pihuiques, Borrados, Sanipaos, Manos de Perro, Aguastayas, Cachopostales, Carrizos, Casas Chiquitas, Comecrudos, Cotnam, Pacaruja, Pakawa, Pastancoya, Patacal, Payaya, Tejones, Tilijaes, Mesquites, Parchinas, Pasatias, Pelones, the Guajolotes, and the Negritos, the Cacalotes, the Carrizitos, the Chinitos, the Guapes, the Quemados, the Garzas and others.
Two hundred years after Cortéz conquered the Aztecs, a Spaniard by the name of José de Escandon settled the region of Nuevo Santander, which we know today as South Texas. However before the arrival of Escandon, there were other Spaniards who attempted to explore the area of South Texas and claim it under the name of the King of Spain. In 1519, Álvarez de Piñeda set anchor at the mouth of the Rio de Las Palmas (the Rio Grande River), but left after a short battle with the natives of the area.
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca shipwrecked on the Gulf of Mexico in the 16th century and moved throughout Texas, mapping the area where Salineño, Starr County, Texas is situated today. Around 1680 Alonzo de León made several attempts to cross into present day Texas. He finally succeeded in May of 1680, when he crossed at a point he named “Paso del Cantaro” today known as Mier, Tamaulipas, Mexico into the Texas side of the Rio Grande River where Fronton, Starr County, Texas is now located.
These discoveries eventually led to the colonization by José de Escandon in the middle of the 18th century. On January1749, the Count of Sierra Gorda, Colonel José de Escandon, y Helguera accompanied by 750 soldiers and 2500 settlers, made an “entrada” into what we know as South Texas. He arrived and settled Camargo, Tamaulipas in March 5, 1749, and left Captain Blás María de La Garza Falcón in charge of this villa naming it Villa Santa Ana de Camargo. Four years later on March 6, 1753, Escandon blessed eighteen (18) families at Camargo and ordered them to proceed at their own expense to Lugar of Mier and settle what became known as “La Villa de La Inmaculada Concepción de Mier,” today known as Mier, Tamaulipas, Mexico and Captain Don Florencio de Chapa was left in charge of the villa.
In July of 1767, Colonel Tienda de Cuervo under orders of the King of Spain granted a parcel of land known as a porción, under the jurisdiction of Mier, to Doña María Bartola Peña de Salinas. This porción was noted as Porción 61, Jurisdiction of Mier, which is what we know today as Salineño, Texas. Doña María Bartola Peña was married to José Salinas in Ceralvo, Nuevo Reino de León on or about the year of 1745. Salineño was founded at a location known to everyone as “La Piedra Redonda” and the crossing was known as “El Sabino.” These names still exist in the ranch.
The ranch was founded on the banks of the river, but several floods forced the residents to move up to the bluff, where the ranch is currently located. As already stated this ranch was initially known to be owned by the Salinas family, but after José Antonio Canales Salinas was born the majority of the families descend from the Canales side of the family. José Antonio Canales Salinas was the son of José Francisco Canales and María Getrudis Salinas. María Getrudis was the granddaughter of María Bartola the grantee of Porción 61. The Salinas have moved on to other parts of the United States, the State of Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, Rio Grande City or Roma. The ranch was also known as Rancho de Los Salinas and Rancho Salinillas.
In December of 1842, there was an ill attempt to take Mier, by the Texans. One of the leaders of that attempt was Captain Edwin (Edwen) Cameron who crossed into Mexico at Salineño several days before the attack too place. The expedition later on passed through Salineño in 1842 and slept for the night at Casas Blancas, where on December 23-24, 1842, they launched their attack against Mier.
To protect themselves from the attacking natives, Salineño would gather at a fort located where the current Catholic Church is located. The Comanche raids of the 1800 took several people from Salineño captives. The following are documented names of Salineño residents that were captured by the Comanches: Julia Peña, Rafaél and Esteban Ramos, Claudio Canales and Librado Alanís. There were others from the area that were captured or killed by the local natives and Comanche’s. Some of these citizens returned. All of the above mentioned individuals eventually escaped and return to Salineño. Claudio Canales, among others, was commissioned by the State of Texas to “lay out, mark and define any natural objects that may aid in defining the route selected” for Highway 83 in February 1885. No doubt the state recognized the intimate knowledge of the land gained during his time in captivity by the Comanches.
Salineño residents have made significant contributions to the development of Starr County in South Texas. To name a few of the successes which Salineño has enjoyed: it has contributed to the political formation of Starr County, by having four (4) of her native sons serve as County Commissioners. They were Dionisio Silva, who was a county commissioner shortly after the Civil War and Claudio Canales and Martín Canales (grandson of Claudio), who served at different times and finally Adrián González. These and other families have contributed to the leadership of Salineño throughout the years. Dionisio Silva is recorded in the Starr County records as being a registered confederate citizen during the Civil War. There were others throughout Starr County, however this is the only one found in the records from Salineño.
The Silva family, whose roots are in Chapeño, but settled in Salineño, also gave recognition to the ranch. All of its family members were musically inclined and played at local events. They had several popular musical pieces, including their Polka “Rumbo a Roma.” This Polka was later recorded by Santiago Jimenez Sr. and his group. Santos Silva Jr. composed several songs that became hit songs. Some of these hits were recorded by Los Relámpagos del Norte, the Silhouettes from Zapata and other groups. Santos also played with the famous “Beto” Villa Orchestra from Falfurrias, Texas. His father Santos Sr. was a postmaster in Salineño and Veteran of World War I. Leonel Silva great-grandson of Dionisio Silva settled in the State of Michigan and became the first elected Hispanic city alderman in the state.
Falcon Dam was completed in 1952. In 1931, there were several U.S. Government investigations in an attempt to build the Dam in Salineño.
The first church of Salineño was built close to the plaza. Claudio Canales donated the land for the church to be built. He also donated the land for the first cemetery to be built. In order to build the first church many of the local citizens were involved in raising funds to build the church and place a bell on it. Francisca Canales, Rosita (mother of the writer of this document), Josefa and Adelina Vera were a few of the persons responsible for having fund raisers to build the church. In 1912 money was raised for a bell at the old church. Patricio Garza Canales and Marcos Canales as leaders of the Christian community raised money to place a bell on the church. They sent Juan Canales to San Antonio Viejo and bring back the bell which was being brought down after the community of San Antonio was abandon. When the bell arrived in Salineño, it was sent to Roma’s church upon a directive by the Roma priest who oversaw the function of the Salineño church. It was not until after the school in Salineño was closed that they used the bell from the school for the church.
Salineño at one time had a hotel and over the years has had several businesses. Juan Hinojosa owned a business in the area of the plaza and Patricio Garza Canales owned a liquor establishment. Mr. Hinojosa also served the community as postmaster. The most noted business person in modern time was Melquíades Gonzalez Jr. He provided for most of the needs of the community. His efforts indirectly helped the education of so many in Salineño. Otilia Castillo was one of the first female business owners of Salineño.
Most of the citizens of Salineño were migrant workers and over the years they migrated as far north as Ohio, settling in the states where they worked. There was seasonal work performed the area in order to survive.
Some farmed small plots of the porciones they inherited from the original settlers.
Many achieving young citizens left Salineño to attend universities and have excelled in education, public service and in all types of professions and trades. Some have returned to Salineño upon retiring such as Glafiro, Pedro Hugo and Casiro Castillo and contribute to the life of the community and nearby Roma. Martín Canales Jr. is a retired President of one of the banks in Roma, Texas. His cousin Belza Ramos who lives in San Antonio was responsible for implementing the first affirmative action plan for the City of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Over the years Salineño has had good international relations with the community of Matamoritos, Tamaulipas, Mexico located directly across the river. People have waded across the river and gone to Matamoritos for business or pleasure such as dances.
One must never forget the sacrifices made by people in this great country when called to defend the nation. After the Mexican-American War Salineño has had its share of young citizens that have defended it during time of war. During World War I Santos Silva served in Europe in the U.S. Army. Several members of the community served in World War II. They were as follows: Flavio, Rolando and Federico (Wounded in Action/WIA), Ruben and Roberto Chapa and Raul and Santos Silva Jr., Olivero and Oscar Vela, José, Paco, Elmo, Noe and Leopoldo (WIA) Canales, Oscar García, Roel Castillo and Willie and Rene Ramos. Pedro González, Rene, Wilfrido and Luis Ramos served during the Korean incident. Rene Ramos was a member of the guard during the peace negotiations at Panmunjon. In the Vietnam “War” there were men such as Romano Canales, Sergio Castillo, Juan Cortéz Jr., Manuel Heraldo Chapa and Jorge Hinojosa (WIA) and José Luis Canales. Vietnam Era Veterans include Jorge Chapa and Jaime Ramos. Rene Ramos, above, was sent by the Air Force as a civilian to Vietnam to construct a facility for testing jet engines. There probably are many more who served this country, however these are a few of names which the writer recollects.
Juan Hinojosa who lived in Salineño through the middle of the 20th century had a documented story of Salineño through a diary which he kept, however that diary can not be found.
There are few communities that still utilize the old houses of their ranches. Salineño is known for its house made of clay blocks cut out from the river banks. Several of these houses are still in use today. They date back to the beginning of the 19th century. The area along the river is now a National Bird and Exotic Flora Reserve. So visit Salineño and see those old structure homes, native bird species and exotic cacti.
In conclusion should you travel to Laredo on U.S. Highway 83 stop in Salineño and play a game of “Paco.” “Paco” is an old game played by the locals and includes several decks of cards. I am sure it is played in other communities as well. Nevertheless, stop in Salineño and you will always find a friendly community member or two, ready to play a game “Paco.”
Juan Manuel Escobar y Vera
Son of Rosita Vera y Chapa