11/4/2009 10:44:00 AM Veterans Hall of Fame honors Dewey's Alfonso Santillan, Jr.
Al Santillan, Jr., age 17
Courtesy photo
Al Santillan, Jr. today
Courtesy photo
Al Santillan, Jr.’s military experience
Al Santillan, Jr. was on board the USS Mitchell on his way to Vietnam when he turned 18 in 1965. He was training as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Raider Battalion, a special operations force similar to the Navy SEALS, which had been dismantled at the end of WWII, and was considered for reactivation.
Santillan said, to his knowledge, his group was the only one to complete the training course in Okinawa.
"When we got to Vietnam, we never exercised our Raider training," he said.
Sent to Danang, Santillan, recipient of two Purple Hearts, was first injured in May 1966, recuperated in Japan, and was back in combat by July.
In 1968, Santillan was working at the Naval Weapons Station at Seal Beach, Calif., on weapons duty when he shipped out again to Vietnam for the TET offensive.
"By then, all the leaders from the Korean War got out. We had no more squad lead-
ers with combat experience. So guess what, we were it. I went back as a squad leader. Now I'm in charge of 14 people in the thickness of the TET Offensive - Allen Brook - that was the name of the campaign."
In July of '68, Santillan sustained injuries from a booby-trap that kept him hospitalized for 14 months with a collapsed lung, perforated intestines, and shrapnel in both legs.
He lost his hearing in one ear and nearly lost an arm from a severed artery. He considers himself very lucky.
"They decided to retire me. They said, 'You're now a sergeant and you cannot perform the duties of your rank because of your injuries and disability.' I was 22 years old when I was retired," Santillan said.
Because he enlisted before graduating from high school, he thought about returning to school.
"I looked in the mirror and asked myself, 'What do you know? You don't know nothing,'" he said.
He graduated as president of his adult class, earning a high school diploma, and entered Long Beach City College where he worked towards an AA degree.
At age 26, he entered the real estate field and did very well.
In 1992, Santillan started back to school again at Yavapai College to earn a degree.
"Learning for me has always been a problem. It was just real, real tough for me. I would start and I would quit. I couldn't retain the information," he said.
Testing revealed that he had dyslexia, a learning disability. With help, he earned a degree in Computer Science and Information, and is now working on a second degree in Early Childhood Education.
Former Dewey resident Alfonso Santillan, Jr. is one of 19 Arizona veterans who, this past Friday, received the highest honor awarded by the Governor for their contributions to fellow veterans and Arizona citizens.
Santillan, 62, joins 184 Arizona veterans who have been inducted to the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame since 2001. A committee of veterans chose the recipients for their involvement in activities that benefit and provide inspiration to veterans outside and/or after their military service.
This year's induction ceremony, its ninth, took place at the El Zaribah Shrine Auditorium in Phoenix.
Santillan was born in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1947, moved to Prescott in 1992, to Dewey in 2002, and just recently moved back to Prescott.
His father was a WWII veteran, and both parents had no problem signing for their son to join the Marine Corps at age 17, Santillan said.
A recipient of two Purple Hearts, Santillan's injuries in July 1968 kept him hospitalized for 14 months before the Marine Corps retired him at age 22 on disability.
He went back to school and obtained a high school diploma, then had a successful career in real estate in California before entering the family business, Linda's Mexican Food in Los Angeles.
In 1983, he and his 5-year-old daughter moved to Phoenix to start Del Sol Food Company.
"We did well. I would take her to school, then go out, make deliveries, pick her up and go home. I would drive to Los Angeles and pick up products on Saturday, drive back Sunday, and deliver on Monday," he said.
Ten years later, Santillan sold the business and settled in Prescott where his daughter could attend Prescott High School.
"Then I started getting involved in veterans organizations. I went into the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) and said, 'Can you sign me up?' They said, 'We need a chaplain.' And that's how I started getting involved."
The induction committee looks at the amount of humanitarian work candidates are involved with since leaving the military. Santillan learned that two groups investigate the candidates, then the Governor's Office has a committee that scrutinizes the finalists.
He said he was told, "You will be under the microscope. They are really tough about the people who make it through. You've got to be an A-1 citizen to be part of the group. And don't screw up between now and then." He said the entire process took three months.
Santillan considers the 17 years he's been working with veterans an opportunity to help, and he is grateful to be in a position to do so.
As a veterans chaplain, he established an outreach program for homeless veterans and their families, and organized donations for homeless families in the Quad-Cities through the Yavapai College Re-Entry Club. He also served as the Prescott liaison representative for the Marine Corps Devil Pups for boys and girls ages 14-17, and worked with the Yavapai College Veterans Club.
He helped organize the Shining Star program, which collects and donates motorized wheelchairs to veterans not VA eligible in Arizona. As a volunteer with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Santillan provided more than 4,000 hours of work to the Guest Services and Native American Programs.
He is a member of the Arizona Territory Gourd Society, and has awarded 520 North County Veterans with the Native American Warrior Medal of Valor. He also helped reactivate the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 608.
On Friday, 24 people attended the ceremony on behalf of Santillan. His wife, Angelica, stayed home with their newest addition to the family, Benjamin, born seven weeks early on Oct. 11, and their 4-year-old son Dominic. Jeremy, 14, and Ashley, 12, complete this, his third, family.
From his first wife, Santillan's children include Fabian, 40, - "He's a handsome devil, that guy is" - and Heidi, 36. Heidi started dancing at age 2 at an LA studio, and now owns that same studio, having built it up to about 200 students. Both children have spouses in law enforcement. Fabian's wife, Michelle, is a detective with the Los Angeles Police Dept., and Heidi's husband, Steve, works for Huntington Beach Police Dept.
"I told them to marry police officers to keep them in line. It's worked," Santillan said with a laugh. "And I have lots of protection."
Francesca, 31, is his daughter from a second marriage. She is attending culinary school in Minnesota.
"I'm really excited about her cooking. She couldn't boil water for me," he said about his single parenting years with her.
Santillan has a message to the community: "Those who have retired and don't know what to do, call me." His number is 778-2030, and e-mail address is alfonso_santillan@msn.com.
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