Starting today and continuing through July 4, The Post, in collaboration with the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, is presenting stories from US citizens about what the American dream signifies to them as we approach 2026. The first story features Everett Alvarez, a former US Navy commander now residing in Maryland.
Our nation may not be perfect, yet it represents one of history’s most remarkable experiments. I stand as a testament to the American dream. Both sets of my grandparents hailed from Mexico, and I was born in Salinas, California. If you’ve ever read John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath,” those were the children I grew up alongside. They had arrived in California fleeing the Dust Bowl.
My mother worked in the packing sheds of Salinas, while my father earned a living as a welder. Despite our financial struggles, I never felt poor. After finishing my studies at the University of Santa Clara, I joined the Navy in 1960.
As a pilot in a jet squadron aboard the USS Constellation, I found myself caught up in the rising tensions of Vietnam. I participated in the initial assault on North Vietnam, known as the Tonkin Gulf Incident in August 1964, during which my plane was shot down.
Captured, I became the first prisoner held by the North Vietnamese in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. I endured eight and a half years as a prisoner of war. The North Vietnamese government didn’t recognize us as POWs; instead, they treated us as criminals, subjecting us to harsh conditions that claimed the lives of some of our comrades.
Despite these challenges, my fellow prisoners and I developed a covert communication system within the cells to maintain our solidarity and support one another. Although not all of us shared a belief in God, most did, and this faith played a crucial role in our survival.
Young people do not understand; we’ve had it so good here for generations. [Most Americans] cannot appreciate what we have until you lose it.
It’s so much better than anything else that you can have, especially in today’s world … when you have Russia and you have China and you have Iran and you have North Korea. It’s our job to point out to the rest of the world, Hey, this is dangerous.
The American Dream Video Project showcases real stories that illuminate pathways to opportunity. Featured at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD), this series is part of the Center’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. MCAAD is Washington, DC’s newest cultural institution, offering interactive exhibits and stories about achieving the American Dream. For more information, visit mcaad.org.
