WE ARE GONZO - A little brother from a different mother and therefore our Uncle Rudy, US Military Veteran. Americans want Marine and American Patriot to receive his citizenship posthumously. He was killed in Vietnam doing his job. Won’t you please ask your Congressional Representative to get it done?
Uncle Rudy, aka Rodolfo M. Gonzalez, was a US Marine killed in action in 66/Nam in 1966GONZO- His nephew GONZO too is my little brother from a different mother and therefore our Uncle Rudy military veteran and American patriot wants his citizenship posthumously killed in Vietnam doing his job.Support Posthumous Citizenship for Cpl. Rodolfo M. Gonzalez, USMC.
Nearly sixty years after a U.S. Marine helicopter was shot down in Vietnam, a Reno Marine who witnessed the mission will share his memories on camera as part of a documentary and historical-preservation effort.
Los Angeles (Santa Clarita) –based documentary producer and former network news cameraman Gerardo “Gerry” Gonzalez is traveling from Southern California to Reno this weekend to preserve the testimony of the last known living Marine to see his uncle alive before a fatal Vietnam helicopter mission nearly sixty years ago.
Martinez’s interview is a crucial component of The Uncle Rudy Legacy Project™, a family led initiative preserving the life, service and sacrifice of a young Marine whose final chapter remains unfinished. Martinez served with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 (HMM 263) and witnessed the events surrounding Rudy’s last mission.
“Every year, we lose more members of the Vietnam generation. Leonard’s memories cannot be replaced. If we do not preserve them now, that piece of American history disappears forever.”
Only days remained before Cpl. Gonzalez was expected to complete his tour and return home. A legal Mexican immigrant raised in Harlingen, Texas, he had volunteered for the Marine Corps and served as a door gunner aboard a Vietnam-era Bell UH-1E Iroquois “Huey” with VMO-6. On his final mission, the helicopter came under enemy fire while supporting an extraction operation. Gonzalez was killed in action at age 22.
His body was recovered. His story—and one final promise—remained unfinished.
Because his grieving parents missed the statutory two-year filing window for posthumous citizenship, the recognition was never completed. Nearly six decades later, the Gonzalez family continues to advocate for the citizenship Rudy earned through service while preserving the testimony of the Marines, friends and relatives who knew him.
“This is no longer only our family’s story. It belongs to every Marine who served, every family who waited for someone to come home, and every American who believes these stories deserve to be remembered.
While in Reno, Gonzalez will follow Martinez at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention, capturing documentary footage and introducing the Legacy Project to veterans from across the country. The production will record their interactions, memories and the quiet bonds shared by those who served.
Gonzalez and Martinez have also been invited by Commander Greg Montalvo to present The Uncle Rudy Legacy Project™ at the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Reno Chapter 719 monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m. The presentation will introduce members to the film, the posthumous-citizenship effort and the broader mission to preserve immigrant military service and Vietnam veterans’ oral histories.
Five hundred newly printed 5-by-7-inch Legacy Project postcards will be distributed during the week’s events. The family-funded production is supported in part by individual GoFundMe donors whose contributions are helping cover ground travel, lodging, interview production and outreach materials.
Gonzalez is a former network television cameraman, producer and editor with more than three decades of long-form news experience. He founded the project with his brother, Rodolfo “Rudy” Gonzalez, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and the fallen Marine’s namesake nephew.
More information, interviews, archival materials and original tribute music are available at www.UncleRudy.net.
Gerardo “Gerry” Gonzalez
Executive Producer & Creative Director
The Uncle Rudy Legacy Project™
Former ABC News Network Cameraman/Producer
+1424.205.8482
KIA: November 14, 1966 | Quang Nam, Vietnam
Six decades ago, Corporal Rodolfo M. Gonzalez gave his life for the United States during a rescue mission in Vietnam. A legal Mexican immigrant, he volunteered to serve and ultimately made the ultimate sacrifice while flying into enemy fire. He believed his service would earn him full U.S. citizenship.
Sadly, Rudy was killed just days before completing his tour and before his naturalization could be finalized. The rigid two-year deadline (Form N-644) to apply for posthumous citizenship has passed, but we believe justice should not expire on a timeline.
We are petitioning Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to waive this arbitrary deadline and recognize Rudy’s citizenship posthumously — to honor his dream, his sacrifice, and his legacy.
His service and sacrifice were for the #USA. Uncle Rudy was an American Patriot.
