If You Need Me, I Am Here

In the fractured, smoke-filled days following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, millions of Americans looked for ways to help. Among them was Augusto “Gus” Villanueva, an 86-year-old naturalized American citizen and retired merchant seaman living in Maryland. While a nation reeled in shock, Villanueva did what he had always done when his country was threatened: he volunteered to go to sea.

25 years ago, following the attacks on our nation, Villanueva sat down and wrote a poignant, extraordinary letter to the U.S. Coast Guard, formally requesting to be placed back on active duty.

Gus came to the United States from Peru in the 1940s and became a naturalized citizen. During World War II, his ship, the SS McKeesport, was sunk by a German submarine on April 29, 1943, in the North Atlantic. Gus was honored for his service after the war. Gus met my mom, Annikki, and they raised eight of us. He spent his entire life as a merchant seaman- a real world traveler.

To the officers who received the post 9-11letter, it offered a window into a lifetime of duty. Villanueva explained that he had spent his entire adult life living in and serving the United States. He was no stranger to the perils of war; decades earlier, on April 29, 1943, he had survived the terrifying freezing waters of the North Atlantic when his ship was sunk by that German U-boat.

You can read about the sinking of the SS McKeesport by clicking here or clicking on the photo above

Acknowledging his advanced age with clear-eyed humility, Villanueva did not ask to command a vessel or stand on the front lines. Instead, he wrote that he was strong enough to handle duties in a kitchen of a ship. He noted with immense pride that two of his own children (my sister Taina and me) were currently serving on active duty, and expressed that he was entirely ready to accept any task appropriate to his age.

He closed the letter with seven words that perfectly encapsulated the ethos of America’s Greatest Generation:“If you need me, I am here.”

Writing “If you need me, I am here,” maybe unwittingly, he was quoting Isaiah 6:8:“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”He was 86 years old at the time.

Though the Coast Guard could not send an 86-year-old veteran back to sea, the letter remains an enduring monument to Villanueva’s character. Unwittingly mirroring the biblical prophet Isaiah’s declaration—“Here am I; send me”—Gus Villanueva proved that a lifetime of service is not a chapter that closes, but a lifelong vow. Decades after surviving the U-boat wolfpacks of World War II, his heart remained permanently on watch, ready to serve the nation he called home.

For a long time Merchant Mariners who served in the Merchant Marines did not receive benefits from Veterans Administration. Gus applied for years to receive health services. In 1988, President Reagan signed legislation making World War II Merchant Mariners eligible for Veterans Affairs benefits.

Augusto Villanueva passed on October 5, 2002. He is buried at Garrison Forest Maryland State Veterans Cemetery. I was honored to sound Taps for him and participate in the ceremony with members of the Maryland National Guard Honor Guard.