Felix G. Botello Elementary School

Felix G. Botello was born in Millett, Texas, in 1925. As a child, he worked in the onion fields of South Texas.

In 1939, when Botello’s family moved to Dallas, Felix enrolled in Alex W. Spence Jr. High School. He went on to study at Crozier Tech High until 1942, when he volunteered to join the U.S. Army and fight in the Pacific during World War II.

Botello was assigned to the 117 th Engineers of the U.S. Army, one of the toughest fighting branches of the service. Combat engineers were often the first to enter a war zone and to remove landmines and booby-trapped explosives. On several occasions during the war, Botello performed acts of bravery and heroism, earning respect from his commanding officer and fellow soldiers.

On a mine-infested road to Manila, his infantry company came under heavy machine gun fire from a fortified and protected tunnel. Botello crawled to the entrance of the tunnel and tossed in some dynamite, killing many of the enemy. Still under fire, Botello flung two hand grenades to silence the remaining machine gunners, saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers.

As they traveled to Luzon through the Cagayan Valley of the Philippines, Botello and an Army press officer from Dallas walked up on a Japanese suicide squad, who opened fire. Botello jumped into a road culvert and found himself face-to-face with the enemy. First fighting hand-to-hand, Botello eventually opened fire.

During the battle, Botello had exploded a nearby landmine. Near death, he was transported to an Army hospital, where doctors spent more than a year helping him heal and rebuilding his face. However, the young hero had lost his sight completely in one eye and partially in the other. Undeterred, when Botello returned to the United States, he finished high school and studied law at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.

Botello’s sister, Dallas attorney Adelfa Callejo, describes her brother as a great patriot and a profile in character, courage, and commitment, who earned three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with Clusters for his heroism. “In spite of his blindness, Felix promised God he would help a human being every day of his life, and he did. He was the role model in our family when it came to giving back to the community, and he had a profound influence on his siblings, children, nieces, and nephews.”

Felix G. Botello, who always promoted patriotism and education, died in 1990 at the age of 65. His former commander, Major General Robert Beightler, once visited Botello in Dallas and said, “If it weren’t for heroes like Felix, we would not be here today.”