Colonel Gilberto José Marxuach a.k.a. "The Father of the San Juan Civil Defense" (November 19, 1910 – April 18, 1957), was a former officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who in 1951 founded and became the first director of the Civil Defense in the City of

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

Early years

Marxuach (birth name: Gilberto José Marxuach Acosta ) was born in

on November 19, 1910, to Colonel Teófilo Marxuach Plumey and Carolina Acosta Acosta. Marxuach was one of three siblings born to the couple; his brothers were Teófilo José and Raúl José. His family had historically played a prominent role in the island's commercial, political and military affairs. His grandfather, José María Marxuach, was twice the Mayor of the City of San Juan and the only Puerto Rican to serve in said position when Puerto Rico was under Spanish rule and after the island was ceded to the United States. Marxuach's father belonged to the Porto Rico Regiment and had the distinction of ordering the first shot fired in World War I on behalf of the United States on March 21, 1915, and his uncle Acisclo Marxuach y Plumey (b. 1895) was an honorary consul of Spain in Puerto Rico. Marxuach's mother was the granddaughter of José Julián Acosta, a distinguished journalist and a fervent advocate of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico."Gilberto Marxuach Acosta"; El Mundo; by: Luis O'Niel de Milan; June 7, 1957 Marxuach was greatly influenced by his father and grew up near Fort San Cristóbal, where his father was stationed. The experience instilled in him a lifetime love for the military, and served as an influential factor in his decision to seek a career in the military. Marxuach graduated from the Central High School in Santurce in 1928. On June 17, 1928, he joined the Puerto Rico National Guard and received his basic training at Camp Las Casas in Santurce. He was given an appointment to attend the

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at West Point, New York, by

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Theodore Roosevelt III ( ; September 13, 1887 – July 12, 1944), often known as Theodore Jr.,Morris, Edmund (1979). ''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt''. index.While it was President Theodore Roosevelt who was legally named Theodore Roosevelt Jr ...

, the United States appointed governor of Puerto Rico. However, an automobile accident left him bedridden for over a year. Upon recovery, he was unable to attend the academy because he was over the age limit."Col. Gilbert Marxuach se retira del Ejército"; El Mundo; by: R. Santiago Sosa, 1946

National Guardsman and educator

Marxuach served in the National Guard until 1931, year in which he enrolled in the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1936, the same year in which he rejoined the National Guard. In 1937, he joined the Science Department faculty of the University of Puerto Rico as an assistant science professor and in 1938 was promoted to the position of science professor. During this time period, Marxuach married Margarita Ginorio Dominguez (December 23, 1938) and he earned his master's degree in Botany from the

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Military career

In 1937, Japan invaded China and in September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. As a precautionary measure, the 295th and 296th Infantry Regiments of the Puerto Rican National Guard, founded by Major General Luis R. Esteves, were called into Federal Active Service and assigned to the Puerto Rican Department in accordance with the existing War Plan Orange. That same month, Marxuach joined the United States Army and on October 15, 1940, was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was assigned to the 295 Regiment at Camp Tortuguero in Puerto Rico and soon after was reassigned to 296th Infantry Regiment. After the Japanese attack on

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

the U.S. entered the World War II. On January 12, 1944, the 296th Infantry Regiment departed from Puerto Rico to the

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. During this timeframe Marxuach had been promoted three times, from first lieutenant to major. As major, he served as the commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 296th. Together with his men, he received intense jungle training and was later put in charge of a rescue mission which searched for the remains of various American soldiers who perished aboard a C-45 Expeditor military aircraft which crashed in the Panamanian jungles. In April 1945, the 296th returned to Puerto Rico and soon after was sent to

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. The 296th arrived on June 25, 1945, and was attached to the Central Pacific Base Command at Kahuku Army Air Field. By then Marxuach had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was in charge of the 1114th Artillery Co. and the 1558th Engineers Co. The American participation in the Second World War came to an end in Europe on May 8, 1945, when the western Allies celebrated "

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

" (Victory in Europe Day) upon Germany's surrender, and in the Asian theater on August 14, 1945 " V-J Day" (Victory over Japan Day) when the Japanese surrendered by signing the

Japanese Instrument of Surrender The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan and from the Allied n ...

. The 296th Regiment returned to Puerto Rico on March 6, 1946, and was awarded the American Theater streamer and the Pacific Theater streamer. On November 12, 1946, Marxuach was promoted to colonel. In 1947, he retired as regimental executive officer of Headquarters Co. of the 296th, due to a service-related disability. The 296th was deactivated that same year. During his military career, Marxuach attended the Infantry School at

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for 3 months where he learned the mechanical functioning and tactical employment of all infantry weapons. For another three months he attended the Military Intelligence Center at Camp Ritchie, situated in the mountains near

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. Here he studied the organization and composition of foreign armies, advanced map reading, interrogation of the enemy during war, and evaluation of information.

Founder of the San Juan Civil Defense

Marxuach enrolled in the law school of the University of Puerto Rico upon his retirement from the Army. He worked in the institution's Carnegie Library and used the extra income to help pay for his tuition. On June 27, 1949, Marxuach earned his law degree and set up a private law practice in San Juan. In 1951, Marxuach joined the municipal administration of

Felisa Rincón de Gautier Felisa Rincón de GautierThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name '' "Rincón"'' and the second or matrimonial family name is ''"Gautier"''. (), also known as Doña Fela, (January 9, 1897 – Septembe ...

(1897–1994), also known as "Doña Fela," the first woman to be elected as the mayor of a capital city in any of the Americas, where he served as municipal legal advisor. Among his responsibilities were representing the mayor on official matters whenever warranted. Marxuach was given the task of organizing the San Juan Municipal Civil Defense and on March 8, 1952, became its first director. The Civil Defense was established during the

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to prepare civilians for a nuclear military attack.

Later years and legacy

Marxuach held the positions of San Juan municipal legal advisor and director of the city's Civil Defense until April 18, 1957, when he died after a brief sudden illness in his house in Santurce. Marxuach was buried with full military honors in the Puerto Rico National Cemetery, in the Bayamón. He was survived by his wife, Margarita Ginorio Dominguez (1910–1994) and his three children, Gilberto, Maria del Socorro and Margarita. On June 26, 1970, the Mayor of San Juan,

Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He als ...

, dedicated an underground nuclear shelter which would house the municipal offices in case of a

nuclear attack Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can prod ...

. The shelter, which is located in a sector of San Juan called

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Flo ...

, was named the "Colonel Gilberto Marxuach Center" in his honor."House Offices get New Nuclear Center"; ''The San Juan Star''; Saturday, June 27, 1970; Page 6

Military decorations and awards

Among Colonel Gilberto José Marxuach's many military decorations are the following:

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marxuach, Gilberto Jose 1910 births 1957 deaths Military personnel from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Catalan descent Puerto Rico National Guard personnel University of Puerto Rico alumni Puerto Rican military officers University of Puerto Rico faculty Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies alumni Puerto Rican Army personnel United States Army personnel of World War II Ritchie Boys United States Army colonels Puerto Rican lawyers People from Santurce, Puerto Rico Burials at Puerto Rico National Cemetery