José Luis Viñuela Frau

My name is José Luis Viñuela Frau, I am 69 years old, and my nationality is: Spanish CHILEAN.

My father, Nemesio Viñuela García, was born in 1920 in Naredo de Fenar, in the province of León. He came from a poor family, and he and his brothers worked as coal miners. When the war broke out, he was 16 years old and had to go to the front lines without holding any political ideology. During the surrender of Asturias, I believe in 1937, he turned himself in to Francoist forces. For having fought against Franco, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison, though this was later reduced to two and a half years, which he served in two prisons: La Bañeza and San Marcos. In 1940, he was sent to do military service in Morocco, where he stayed for three and a half years. He returned to Spain and worked as a miner until 1948, after which he traveled to Chile.

I want this to be included in the virtual museum. The goal is for future generations to know the harsh history of Spain—a 17-year-old boy condemned for defending something he had no understanding of.