# Luis González Vales

Luis Ernesto González Vales (May 11, 1930 – October 21, 2023) was a Puerto Rican historian. He held the post of Official Historian of Puerto Rico, having succeeded Pilar Barbosa.

## Education

A graduate of Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in history from the University of Puerto Rico, González Vales obtained his master's degree from the Columbia University of New York, where he also carried out doctoral courses. He was Professor of history of the University of Puerto Rico and Associate Dean of the Faculty of General Studies of the Río Piedras campus from the University of Puerto Rico. He held the position of Executive Secretary of the Board of higher education, and he was appointed by the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico and the Governor as official historian of Puerto Rico.

## Military career

González Vales, a military historian, started his military career on May 31, 1952, as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve through the Army ROTC program, on March 10, 1952, went to active duty in the United States Army with the 296 regiment and later on to Germany assigned to the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. He joined the Puerto Rico National Guard in 1955 and became a platoon leader in the 295th Infantry Regiment. He served as liaison officer and platoon leader with the 1st battalion 101st Cavalry Regiment in the New York National Guard in 1963. He returned to the Puerto Rico National Guard in September 1964 assigned to the 65th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion in Cayey, Puerto Rico. He served from 1971 to 1979 in the United States Army Reserve to command a unit of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico. He returned to the Puerto Rico National Guard in 1979 and became Assistant Adjutant General. He graduated at the United States Army Command and General Staff College. In 1983 he was appointed Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard by governor Carlos Romero Barceló. As Adjutant General, González Vale bade farewell to Pope John Paul II as he departed Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico on October 12, 1984. Along with Cardinal Luis Aponte Martínez, he was the keynote speaker at a Puerto Rico Department of State exhibition in March–April 2009 of memorabilia of the Pope's visit to Puerto Rico.
As a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, he also held administrative posts in the 1990s.
González Vales hosted a major international convention of historians in April, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
González Vales chaired the Quincentennial of the Governorship of Puerto Rico Committee which restored the Juan Ponce de León monument in Old San Juan, held an event on January 21, 2011, at Santervás del Campo, Spain, the birthplace of Puerto Rico's first Governor, where a similar monument was unveiled, and organized several other academic events to commemorate the institution of the Governorship of Puerto Rico.

## Death

Luis González Vales died on October 21, 2023, at the age of 93.

## Awards and decorations

Among BG Luis González Vales's military decorations were the following:
| Army Distinguished Service Medal | Army Distinguished Service Medal | Army Distinguished Service Medal | Army Commendation Medal | Army Commendation Medal | Army Commendation Medal | Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with two bronce oak leaf clusters | Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with two bronce oak leaf clusters | Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with two bronce oak leaf clusters |
| Army of Occupation Medal | Army of Occupation Medal | Army of Occupation Medal | Armed Forces Reserve Medal with gold Hourglass Device | Armed Forces Reserve Medal with gold Hourglass Device | Armed Forces Reserve Medal with gold Hourglass Device | National Defense Service Medal | National Defense Service Medal | National Defense Service Medal |

## Promotions

| Rank | Year |
| Major General | 1983 |
| Brigadier General | 1979 |
| Colonel | 1973 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 1968 |
| Major | 1962 |
| Captain | 1957 |
| First Lieutenant | 1953 |
| Second Lieutenant | 1951 |