TRAVLEN' MAN

(The following letter appears in the May issue of the Paralyzed Veterans of America's PN Magazine.)

I arrived in Guadalajara about the same time as Jack Tumidajski (Guadalajara Era, "You Said It"...April 2012.) I'd seen a tiny two line ad in PN, regarding Villa del Sol, address in Las Fuentes. Dr. A.D. Williams. I wrote but never received an answer (he was kidnapped).

Finally, I could take no more school or long Oregon winter. I flew down to Guadalajara. I left Ajijic sometime in 1983 and lived in Seguin,TX.

In 1985, I went to Jamaica, where I spent about a year. In I987, I returned to Texas.and drove to Guatemala, where I lived until 1992, when I returned to the U.S.--first Washington, returned to Texas. then Florida, and then North Carolina, near Murphy (nice mountains).

Sometime between 2003 and 2005, I had a heart attack and fractured my right femur. Also had torn my left rotator cuff. Now I'm down to one good arm.

I knew I was going to be needing help but Latin America? Been there, done it!

In 2006, I flew to Saigon, eventually to Hue, near the old DMZ. I loved Hue, but after 18 months the local immigration became unfriendly so I relocated to Ventiane, Laos, where I have been until now.

I saw Tumidajski's article in PN several months ago and planned to send him an email, I remember a few years ago reading he had written a book on the gimp life in Mexico, http://www.quadmexico.com/  I remember thinking that was a story that needed to be told. I hoped "Quadalajara" would fall into my lap, but it, never happened.

More recently I was looking for the PN issue with Tumidajski's email address, but couldn't find it. So, I googled "quad---"and sure enuff, there it was.

The last person that we both knew, who I spoke with was Jimmy Lietz. ("From Rancher to Caregiver," And Finally...April 2012). He was living near Tucson, AZ. I am guessing it was about 1985.

Greg Stephenson

Ventiane, Laos

QUADALAJARA - The Utopia That Once Was...RECENT FEEDBACK

Hi Jack,

I received the signed copy of your book earlier this week...thank-you!! Just finished reading the book, WOW!! I had a vague recollection of hearing the name Quadalajara, must have been from Ron Kovac's movie Born of the Fourth of July. I am so happy that by chance I found your book and now have the true story. You have done a fantastic job!!

Anyway Jack, you and the group of guys in Quadalajara are a real inspiration! I hope one day to see a movie made from your book, it is warranted. I will be ordering additional copies of your book in the near future to share with friends.

Thanks again for the great read Jack!!

Regards,
Glen G

http://www.quadmexico.com/

RANCHER TO CAREGIVER --- JOSE MIGUEL LOPEZ

Rancher to Caregiver

Jose Miguel Lopez grew up in the small town of Guachinango, Jalisco, Mexico--some 50 miles from Guadalajara. He got his first horse at age six. Walking and horseback riding were the only means of transportation on the ranch.

Hard work was something the men and boys of Guachinango were accustomed to. He’d been working with his father, brother, uncles and cousins since his pre-teens. The men capable of manual labor worked while the girls went to school. This was the life of many a rancher in Mexico--even at 12 years of age.

At age 21, he left the family ranch to work for his uncle in the Sonoran Desert...leaving family, friends and his favorite black horse, El Gato, behind.

In July 1969, after ten years farming in the Sonoran Desert he returned to Jalisco. Shortly after, Lopez saw a Guadalajara newspaper ad that caught his attention: “Drivers needed. Passport preferred.” The next day, he and his sister Aurora, a school teacher, found themselves at the once popular Villa del Sol. Miguel’s credentials so impressed Rogelio, his future boss, that Rogelio—assuming the five-month pregnant Aurora was Miguel’s wife, not sister—attempted to convince the young man he needed the job. He did. Lopez started his career as a caregiver the next day.

Villa del Sol was one of a half dozen group homes (which the guys affectionately referred to as “gimp camps”), where paraplegic, quadriplegic and other disabled wheelchair users could rent rooms or bungalows by the week or month.

Recruiting and training young Mexican males to work as caregivers for paralyzed veterans and non-vets had been a common practice going back to the mid-1950s. Long before Hoyer lifts and wheelchair adapted vans, strong and willing young men were lifting quadriplegics in and out of bed, the shower, their cars and up and down stairs—sometimes, wheelchairs and all.

Miguel Lopez would begin the learning process from day one as he was taught about catheters and other personal care needs of these American quadriplegics.

Lopez, as with many other attendants from the Guadalajara gimp camps, would eventually pair up with one person. In his case, it was Vietnam veteran Jimmy Lietz, who needed a driver. The passport would enable Lopez to drive him not only in and around Guadalajara but also accompany him on trips to the States.

By the end of 1969, Lopez had accompanied the young Vietnam vet to Manzanillo (a favorite fishing and vacationing seaport for Guadalajara’s growing para and quad community), as well as to Acapulco and Stateside trips to Las Vegas, Hollywood and Phoenix.

Miguel Lopez found himself assisting a travel-thirsty Lietz who, along with fellow vets Richard Jaros, Charlie Gilliam, and Peter Mirche, made up for time spent working long hours in the desert sun for Lopez and nightmarish memories of Vietnam and rehab at Walter Reed Army Hospital for Lietz.

There were lazy sunny days hanging around “Village of the Sun” for Miguel Lopez and Lietz, but not many. Time was not wasted as Lopez became acquainted and made friends with other attendants and friends of his new Gringo employer. Lietz formed lifelong friendships with other vets, among them Jaros, Gilliam and Mirche.

While Miguel Lopez had logged many miles driving for Lietz in and around Guadalajara with numerous trips to the ocean, a trip to the Washington, D.C., area where Lietz grew up, would be the most memorable. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.

In the summer of 1970, Lietz was admitted to the Richmond (Va.) Veterans Hospital for an extended checkup. His father, employed at the Department of Agriculture, was able to arrange a special VIP tour for Lopez. The Mexican rancher turned field worker turned caregiver for a severely injured Vietnam veteran received a guided tour of The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, complete with a Spanish speaking twenty-something female tour guide.

In 1980, Lietz returned to the U.S. and settled in Tucson, Ariz., as old Villa del Sol buddies Jaros and Gilliam had before him.

In May 1981, Jimmy Lietz and Miguel Lopez took a short trip up the road to visit another friend they had met in Guadalajara. Jack Tumidajski lived in Glendale, Ariz. His caregiver, Sofia, just happened to be Lietz’s former girlfriend. The on again-off again relationship was on again. Guadalajara's "Mr. Fear-of-Commitment" finally popped The Question!

An impromptu wedding ceremony took place a few days later on Tumidajski’s patio. A number of Phoenix area friends and couples who met in Guadalajara attended.

Newlyweds Jimmy and Sofia Lietz would return to Tucson. After 12 years assisting Lietz, Jose Miguel Lopez would go on to help Tumidajski for the next 23 years.

Jimmy Lietz passed away in Tucson in 1994.

http://www.quadmexico.com/

PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF THE GUADALAJARA ERA

The letter below, along with a related story, will appear in the April 2012 issue of the Paralyzed Veterans of America's PN Magazine. Anyone interested in helping preserve the history of this unique moment and place in time is encouraged to contact me with any ideas or assistance that they wish to offer.

Thanks, Jack

TO THE EDITOR:

I first wrote to PN in August 2003 looking for info about and photos of the early Explorers and Pioneers of the Guadalajara Era (Mid-50's to Mid-80's), those paras and quads who first went to Mexico looking for freedom, independence and a second chance at life. I received valuable feedback, including info and photos which, combined with permission to peruse the Paraplegic News achieves, numerous interviews as well as my own experiences living in Guadalajara ('72 to '81, with many extended visits throughout the eighties and early nineties) allowed me to write and publish QUADALAJARA --- The Utopia That Once Was.

Since I believe this story is worth preserving--possibly in documentary form--I'm once again writing to PN in hopes that others, who may feel the same and have ideas (or the expertise) to keep the story from fading from history, might be interested in working with me on this project.

If interested, please view my website and/or contact me via http://www.quadmexico.com/ or email QuadMexico@aol.com.

Thanks, Jack Tumidajski

THE MEN - VIEW BRANDO'S 1950 CLASSIC MOVIE ABOUT WWII PARAPLEGICS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urpLp8SvQEA&feature=related

TEQUILA WORM - FACT OF FICTION???

Is the tequila worm fact of fiction?

Kinda, Tequila is made from fermented cactus from a specific part of Mexico called Tequila. As far as I know it was never common practice to bottle tequila with a worm in the bottle. Mescal on the other hand, is a liquor very similar to tequila also made from fermented cactus. Originally when mescal was being made the people would put a worm into the fermenting product to determine if it had a high enough alcohol content yet. If the worm died it meant the mescal was done, if it lived it meant that it needed to ferment further. The dead worm would be left in the bottle and it was tradition that the person who finished the bottle had to eat the worm. Some modern mescal producers still put a worm in the bottle. (Source: WikiAnswers)

http://www.quadmexico.com/

MY SON

The cute little guy with the cute puppy in the cute photo is referred to as my "Son" in his pics because..."Within 24 hours, Maria had gone into labor, had her child, and was discharged from the Hospital Civil, where many poor women gave birth, and returned home with her baby boy. I saw Armando for the first time on my 25th birthday. My girl had just come home from the hospital on my birthday with a new son--only Maria was not "My Girl." (From page 101, QUADALAJARA - The Utopia That Once Was)

I had been in Guadalajara since early March, and as the year drew to a close, I had a decision to make. I wanted to return to Rhode Island to visit my family. I knew that Mom liked the idea that Maria and I were a couple, and Armando completed our little family. Maybe Mom harbored the same wish as Maria --- that we would marry?

My other option did not include Maria or Armando. I could visit my family taking Alberto along as my attendant. I wasn't sure how long my relationship with Maria would last. And marriage was not in my plans. I thought constantly about what would be best, not for me, not for Maria, but for Armando. I was definitely more concerned with my eight and a half month old boy than either his mother or myself. I also thought that maybe what would be best for Armando and Maria would be to reunite them both with Maria's daughter Elizabeth. I had only met Elizabeth briefly when Maria's father brought her to Guadalajara looking for his own daughter. The inquisitive then two and a half year old me pregunto, "Tio Jass, donde compro su bicicleta?" I guess that to a toddler, there wasn't all that much difference between a wheelchair and a bicycle Maybe she understood that better than most grownups?

I again asked Reverend Hunter to stop by the house. I was certain that he would give me good counsel --- even though I was aware of his reputation for playing cupid, for encouraging many quads to opt for the ready-made family.

As things turned out, Reverend Hunter and I were on the same page. He pointed out that obtaining a visa for Maria and two children would be next to impossible. We agreed that reuniting her family, at some point, would be best for them all. He didn't push the ready-made family option, probably being able to read me better than I realized....

...I took Maria and Armando to the bus station on January 2, 1974 for a one way trip back to Tijuana. Back to her family and daughter Elizabeth. Although I was still in denial and refused to believe the rumors and gossip, I said good-bye to my pretty senorita in a similar fashion as the condition she was in when I first laid eyes on her back in March.

Maria gave birth to her second son --- seven months later!"
(From pages 111,112 - QUADALAJARA - The Utopia That Once Was)

(Personal Note: I thought about my "Son" often over the next year or so. Did I do the right thing? What would become of him? Memories fade over time to the point that you barely think of important times in the past. In 2000, I received a phone call from one of my sisters. Maria had called my family home inquiring about me. A brief reunion took place about a week later. Then I learned that my "Son" was now a school teacher in a neighboring state. Sometimes we do make the right decisions! :)

http://www.quadmexico.com/

Twitter: @QuadalajaraJack