About the Authors


Eddie Morin

Eddie Morin is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles except for the time spent in service with the U.S. Army. Morin graduated from local schools in East Los Angeles and attended Los Angeles Trade Technical College where he studied commercial art. He received his draft notice in July of 1964 and took basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, Advanced Individual Training at Fort Riley, Kansas

and later deployed to Southeast Asia. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War and a recipient of the Purple Heart along with the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and assorted campaign ribbons. The last few months of his enlisted tour were spent convalescing at Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco.

After being discharged from the service, Eddie Morin resumed his career painting signs and original pictorials for outdoor advertising businesses, as well as employment by the City of Los Angeles.

Active in Military affairs, Morin is a member of the American GI Forum, the Am-Vets, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American Legion, and is Commander of the San Gabriel Valley Chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He is also involved with an association formed by members of his old Army unit in Vietnam. Eddie Morin is the father of two daughters, both married. He lives with his wife Carolina in Northeast Los Angeles. They attend First Fundamental Bible Church of El Monte.

Eddie Morin chose to follow the lead of his father, Raul Morin, author of Among the Valiant, a documentary of Mexican-American Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. In addition to writing this book, Valor & Discord, Eddie Morin has written magazine articles published in Vietnam Magazine. His research and experience afford him the opportunity to speak to college classes and youth groups about the Vietnam War.



Raul Morin        Also please visit: RaulMorin.com

Born in Lockhart, Texas, Raul Morin resided in a number of towns due to family necessity. He lived in nearby Sweetwater, San Marcos and San Antonio, and attended school there but had to drop out while barely in his teens because of hardship. He had toiled hard to help the family make ends meet and later in life, when recalling his labors, he was fond of boasting that he had picked cotton at the tender age of six

His father had died when he was three years old and after his mother remarried Raul was aware that his new stepfather was not attached to him. Raul had shown a predilection for drawing and so his mother, in an effort to appease everyone, apprenticed him to a sign painter. This provided an opportunity for Raul to learn a useful trade and express his artistic talent. However, trouble was brewing in the form of the great depression and everyone was affected by it. It meant that leaving home became an urgent option that had to be explored

Thanks to Franklin Roosevelt’s CCC program Raul had the chance to work and eat regularly as he cleared ground for roads and firebreaks in Arizona’s southwest. Later, he traveled west to join an older brother in Santa Barbara, California. Eventually, he made his move south to Los Angeles where he opened his own sign shop. His clientele grew and he felt prosperous enough to take a wife. They were married in Los Angeles in 1937.

In 1941, the outbreak of war had drastic results on millions. For Raul Morin, who had just started his family and was successfully conducting his business, the war had a tremendous impact. He received his draft notice and ended up serving with the 79th Infantry Regiment. He was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and sent back to the United States to recover.

From his convalescent ward in Letterman General Hospital and later, DeWitt Clinton Hospital, Raul had ample time to reflect on all that he had been through. He knew that there were plenty of Hispanic heroes because he had seen and met many of them and also heard of their exploits from his fellow patients, yet nowhere were they mentioned by any of the news reports. None of the movies ever alluded to these brave men and he felt that something should be done to remedy this.

He made it his personal quest to document all cases of valor among Mexican-American soldiers and he noted all the medals that were awarded to the members of his own race. In the face on continuing discrimination and cruel stereotypes, it became the motivation for his writing Among the Valiant.

Among the Valiant did well and has gone through eight printings. Never before had anyone chronicled the exploits of the Mexican-American heroes and the book remains a reliable reference for serious students of history. Raul’s interests were diverse and besides successfully conducting a sign service in Los Angeles he was concerned with civic and social issues. He would speak out on causes involving the community and took an active part in political campaigns.

He was a charter member of the VFW Post 4696 and The Eugene A. Obregon Post in East Los Angeles, the Mexican American Political Association, the ELA Democratic Club, and was instrumental in bringing the first chapter of the American GI Forum to Los Angeles. In fact, he twice chaired the latter organization. Raul Morin passed away in May of 1967. He was only fifty-three years old and still contemplating more projects at the time of his demise. His book continues to be popularly sought and still inspires many.





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