Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Air Force; Army
  • Unit of Service: 120th Combat Engineers, 45th Infantry Division; Air Guard P47; Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG)
  • Location of Service: Vietnam; Korea; Sicily, Italy; North Africa; Corsica; Germany
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel

View full service history

"I felt that if I was a fighter pilot, and there’s a war, what’s the point of not going?" (Audio Interview, 1:16:00)

Miguel Encinias joined the National Guard in 1939 at the tender age of 16, hoping to become a fighter pilot like those he’d seen in World War I movies. The outbreak of war granted his wish: just a few years later, he was flying combat missions in the North African campaign and had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Shot down on a mission over northern Italy in 1944, he spent the next 15 months as a prisoner of war. His incarceration did not temper his enthusiasm for flying or for the military; upon his repatriation, he took three weeks of leave before volunteering to head to the Pacific Theater, though the war ended before he could deploy. After the war, he pursued higher education, but went back on active duty to fly 100 missions during the Korean War. Once again, he was shot down, though rescued before he could be taken prisoner. After Korea, he served in France, Spain, and Germany, and volunteered to fly combat missions during the Vietnam War.

More Resources

Miguel Encinias Collection
Interview / Recording

View 7 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
View 3 images in sequence.
[ Article - "Serving Again" ]

About this Item

Title

  • Miguel Encinias Collection

Names

  • South Valley Academy Charter School
  • Lujan, Samantha
  • Sadie Sanchez
  • Amanda Zellner
  • Encinias, Miguel

State of Birth

  • NM

Home State

  • NM

Headings

  • -  Encinias, Miguel
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Hispanic

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 120th Combat Engineers, 45th Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Sicily, Italy; North Africa; Corsica; Germany
    • Dates of Service: 1939-1971
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Unit of Service: Air Guard P47
    • Location of Service: Korea
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Unit of Service: Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG)
    • Location of Service: Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 05/2004)
  • Photograph: Digital print [5 items] -- Photograph (collected 1942 - 1967)
  • Video: VHS-C [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 05/17/2005)
  • Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Digitized Copy (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/34287

Cite as

  • Miguel Encinias Collection (AFC/2001/001/34287), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

South Valley Academy Charter School, Samantha Lujan, Sadie Sanchez, Amanda Zellner, and Miguel Encinias. Miguel Encinias Collection. 1939. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.34287/.

APA citation style:

South Valley Academy Charter School, Lujan, S., Sadie Sanchez, Amanda Zellner & Encinias, M. (1939) Miguel Encinias Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.34287/.

MLA citation style:

South Valley Academy Charter School, et al. Miguel Encinias Collection. 1939. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.34287/>.