For Family, Colton and Country: Father and Son Honored

Armando and David Murillo, father and son, were both honored for their service with military banner installation ceremonies held on the same day, Wednesday, Jan. 28. Armando was drafted into the Army in 1970, right after graduating from Colton High School. Since it was near the end of the Vietnam War, he wasn’t sent to Vietnam, according to his wife Maria Murillo. He was immediately deployed to Germany after he went through training in Fort Hood, Texas. During his service, Armando worked as a cook. He was in charge of setting up the forts and tents, and cooking for everyone, his wife Maria explained. After spending three years in Germany, he was sent to San Antonio, Texas for two years, then back to Germany for another two years, with his last stop being in El Paso. After his long journey in the Army, in 1980, he settled down back home in Colton with his wife Maria and their children. Armando served for a total of nine years and 11 months. Although he served far away from home for nearly 10 years, his wife Maria stuck with him every step of the way. Although there were struggles like dealing with different languages, and simply not being used to a different lifestyle while they were constantly moving to different places around the world, Maria said that the experience was an adventure and she enjoyed it. “We got to travel to so many places. Europe is just so beautiful,” she shared. During their time in Germany, Maria shared that she flew back home for a couple days and spent time with her mom. “I had forgotten how different it was at home. It's so much warmer,” she said chuckling. “I loved it in Europe.” Their son David was born during the two years the couple was stationed in San Antonio and accompanied them while they were in Germany. “I really enjoyed it. David and I would go for walks in the snow,” Maria said. Like father, like son: David served in the military right after graduating from Colton High School. He enlisted in the Navy in 1991 and served for five years on the USS Mount Hood where he worked as a gunner’s mate. According to his younger sister, Julie Murillo, he enjoyed every part of his service. “They traveled a lot. He went to Japan, Hawaii, the Middle East, the list goes on,” Julie explained. Maria added that she has kept all the little knick-knacks he brought from Japan and are displayed around the house. Although David and Armando didn’t serve in the same branch of the military, they do have one major thing in common: after serving they both came back home to settle down in Colton. “They love Colton,” Julie said. The entire Murillo family thought it would be a great idea to surprise both of their loved ones with military banners on the same day; they were even able to install them relatively close together in the city. Maria mentioned how pleasantly surprised she was with the size of the military banners. “They were so big, I didn’t expect them to be that size,” she said. “We just told them to show up and wear a nice shirt,” Maria said chuckling. “They were so happy and surprised.” She added, “They served their country and we couldn’t be more proud of both of them.”