Raúl G. Villaronga

Raúl G. Villaronga

Colonel Raúl G. Villaronga
The first Puerto Rican mayor of a Texas city
Born (1938-04-01) April 1, 1938
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Allegiance United States United States of America
Service/branch  United States Army
Years of service 1959-1985
Rank
Colonel
Commands held Co B, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment (Airborne)
13th Corps Support Command (COSCOM)
Battles/wars Vietnam War
Awards Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star with "V" Device, w/ 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Other work Mayor of Killeen, Texas

Colonel Raúl G. Villaronga (born April 1, 1938) is a retired United States Army officer who has the distinction of being the first Puerto Rican mayor of a Texas city. He was elected Mayor of Killeen, Texas in 1992.[1]

Early years

Villaronga, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the second of three children born to Raul Gil Villaronga Pasarell, an accountant with the Puerto Rico Iron Works who once served in the United States Army, and Maria Monserrate Martinez Perez, a school teacher and a housewife. At a young age, his family moved to St Croix, Virgin Islands where his father worked as an accountant for a distillery. In Christiansted, he began his elementary school education. After a few years his family returned to Puerto Rico, and he was enrolled in the public school system of Ponce. During his early teen years he attended the Catholic Seminary (Casa Manresa) in the town of Aibonito, Puerto Rico for two years and studied ancient Greek and Latin. Villaronga returned to school at the Colegio Ponceño de Varones in Ponce, and on his senior year, transferred to Ponce High School (the "original" Ponce High School), from which he graduated in 1954.[2]

During his high school years, he joined the Civil Air Patrol and was a member of the National Champion Ponce Drill Team. This experience served as an influential factor in his decision as to which college/university he would attend. He enrolled in Texas A&M University because of its military environment, and immediately enrolled in the institution's Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program. In 1954, Villaronga met his future wife, Julia Bush. After his freshman year he returned to Puerto Rico for one year after which he returned once more to Texas A&M University and this time joined the Army ROTC Program. Villaronga married Julia in 1958 during his senior year. In 1959, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and was commissioned as an Infantry Second Lieutenant of the U.S. Army.[2]

Military career

While attending Texas A&M, Villaronga worked for Brown & Root Caribe in Puerto Rico and for Brown & Root, Inc. in Texas during the period of time between his graduation from college and the time that he to report for his active military duty. He was ordered to report to Fort Benning, U.S. state of Georgia on April 3, 1960 for his basic training. Upon the completion of his basic training, he attended the Infantry Officer's Basic Course and Basic Airborne Course. In December 1960, he was assigned as Platoon Leader in the 1st Battle Group, 87th Infantry and then 2nd BG, 23rd Infantry at Fort Benning. On October 3, 1961, Villaronga was promoted to First Lieutenant and underwent intense combat training during the Berlin Crisis. In 1962, he took the Special Forces Officer's Course and served from March 1962 to November 1962 as Special Forces Officer at the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He underwent extensive mountain training in West Virginia and jungle operations training at Eglin Air Force Base (Air Commandos).[3]

From 1963 to 1965, Villaronga was assigned to the 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Gulick in the Panama Canal Zone where he served in several classified Counterinsurgency Missions which included an assignment in 1965 of Commander of Detachment XX, 8th Special Forces Group, in Central and South America in which he conducted training for American and Latin American soldiers in Basic, Jumpmaster, Rigger, and Pathfinder Courses.[4] During his stay in the Canal Zone, Villaronga continued his military preparation by studying Portuguese at the Defense Language Institute and Jungle Warfare Operations. Villaronga was promoted to Captain on October 26, 1964.[3]

Vietnam War

In 1966, Villaronga completed the Infantry Officers Career Course and then was sent to the Republic of Vietnam where he served two tours during the Vietnam War. From July to September 1966, he served as the Adjutant of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment(Airborne). From October 1966 through July 1967, he served as Company Commander, Co B, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment (Airborne).[5]

When he return to the United States, Villaronga served as Special Warfare Instructor, U.S. Army Quartermaster School and as Supply Systems Instructor, US Army Quartermaster School from September 1967 to December 1969 at Fort Lee, in Virginia. During this period of time he was promoted to major (October 26, 1967) and completed the Supply Management Course and ADP Systems Analysis Course.[5]

During the 1970s, he completed the Logistics Executive Development Course and served in various positions in the military. He returned to the Republic of Vietnam and served as Logistics Staff Officer, 29th General Support Group and as the Battalion Executive Officer, 266 Supply and Service Battalion.[5]

Post Vietnam War

In June 1973, he was reassigned to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania where until November 1976 he served in the following positions: Chief, Plans & Programs, and Manpower, Defense Depot; Chief, Management Support Office, Defense Depot and Chief, Transportation Division, Defense Deport. During this period (1973) Villaronga earned his master's degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University and also completed the following courses: Defense Language Institute (German) and the Brigade, Battalion Commanders Course. On January 1, 1976 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. From November 1976 to October 1979, he served in Europe as Commander, 66th Maintenance Battalion in Kaiserslautern, Germany and later as Plans & Operation Officer, 7th Support Command.[6]

In November 1979, Villaronga was assigned to New Cumberland, Pennsylvania where he served as Logistics Staff Officer, U.S. Army Logistics Evaluation Agency. In 1980, he attended the Command & General Staff College and on November 1, 1981 he was promoted to Colonel. On June 1983, Villaronga was sent to Fort Hood, Texas where he served as Deputy Commander, 13th Support Command and later as Director of Instrumentation, US Army TCATA until August 1985. On August 1, 1985, Colonel Villaronga retired from the United States Army.[6]

Civilian life

After Villaronga retired from the military, he decided to make Killeen his home and went to work as a part-time Professor at Central Texas College where he taught Logistics, Math and Computer Science. Unable to get a full-time position as a professor because he lacked a Masters in Education, he decided to work as a consultant for the Department of Defense and later for Brown & Root Services Corporation in Houston. Villaronga applied and was hired by the Texas Attorney General's Office in Austin, and served with the Child Support Enforcement Division. He designed and implemented a Case Tracking System that provided visibility as to what was happening to cases in each of the organizations involved with CSED.

Political career

Raul and Julia Villaronga

Villaronga became interested in an ongoing situation between the citizens of Killeen and the members of the Killeen City Council which involved the building of a Convention Center and as a result ran for City Council member in 1989. He served a 2-year term as City Council member until 1991.

In 1992, Villaronga successfully ran for Mayor of Killeen." Villaronga, the first Puerto Rican to be elected mayor of a Texas city was sworn in office June 20, 1992.[1] He eventually resigned from the OAG after serving his first term as mayor. As mayor, he served as the head of the City of Killeen government for all ceremonial purposes, and for the purposes of military law. Along with the council members, he was responsible for soliciting citizen views in forming these policies and interpreting them to the public.[7] Villaronga successfully served for 3 consecutive terms and in 1998 stepped down as mayor in accordance to the term limits established by the City Charter. During the years in which Villaronga served as mayor, he was involved and responsible for the implementation of the following:

Later years

Among the civic organizations which Villaronga is involved in are the Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion. He is also a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Villaronga and his wife are on the Board of Directors of Killeen Crime Stoppers, Inc., and they are both members of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce. They both serve as Chamber Ambassadors, which are the "visible" face of the Chamber in promoting business and growth. Among the many awards bestowed upon Villaronga was The 2003 Exchange Club of Killeen Golden Deeds Award.[8] On December 3, 2007, Villaronga, chairman of LULAC's Killeen Foundation, helped organize an event which honored both, the "Borinqueneers" (the 65th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army) composed almost entirely of Puerto Ricans that fought in the Korean War and Kenneth McClintock, the President of the Puerto Rican Senate.[1]

Villaronga and his wife are retired and continue to reside in Killeen. They have three grown sons, William Raúl, Walter Rafael, and Robert Gabriel, and two grandsons, Christopher Raul, who graduated from West Chester University, Pennsylvania, in 2006, and Rafael Lee, who served with the United States Marine Corps in Iraq.

Awards and decorations

Among Colonel Raúl G. Villaronga's military decorations are the following:

Badges:

Tab

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Don jibaro
  2. 1 2 The Battalion
  3. 1 2 Newsletter
  4. ↑ 8th Special Forces Group
  5. 1 2 3 761st
  6. 1 2 Class Newsletter
  7. ↑ mayor of Killeen
  8. ↑ Community leaders honored for unyielding service Killeen Daily Herald
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