SAN ANTONIO – On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, San Antonio veterans gathered to remember one of their own, Lance Cpl. Julian Escobedo.
The day honors Americans who were captured or went missing while serving the country. Escobedo was just 19 and a U.S. Marine when he deployed to Vietnam.
His helicopter crashed in enemy territory. While two men aboard were identified, Escobedo remained missing. More than five decades later, his family continues to keep his memory alive.
“Nobody wanted him to go because we were afraid something would happen to him,” Escobedo’s sister, Ofelia Sandoval, told KSAT during the ceremony honoring her brother.
His family said he remains a part of their lives, even decades after his disappearance. Escobedo’s nephew, Julian Escobedo, carries his uncle’s name to keep his legacy alive.
“I’m named after my uncle, and I’ve named my son Julian Escobedo as well. It’s part of the thing of just keeping his name going,” he said.
His family wasn’t the only one remembering him. Veterans gathered at Friday night’s ceremony to honor Escobedo and remember the thousands of Americans who, like him, never made it home.
“We will always be waiting for him,” Sandoval said.
The American Legion Alamo Post 2 is also using the ceremony to support students in the community. Proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships for students in Edgewood Independent School District, where Escobedo was a student at the district’s high school.
The ceremony concluded with the playing of taps, as veterans and family members honored Escobedo and other Americans who remain missing.
For his family, Escobedo’s name continues to live on, more than 50 years after he disappeared.
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