Raúl G. Villaronga
| Raúl G. Villaronga | |
|---|---|
Colonel Raúl G. Villaronga
The first Puerto Rican mayor of a Texas city |
|
| Born |
April 1, 1938 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Allegiance |
 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.
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.
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.
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