RI War Vet, 93, Honored With Spanish Citizenship

In 1937, John Hovan volunteered to travel to Spain and fight on the side of democracy against Gen. Francisco Franco's fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War.

At his residence in Providence, R.I. on Wednesday, July 8, 2009, John Hovan, holds a photo of...

At his residence in Providence, R.I. on Wednesday, July 8, 2009, John Hovan, holds a photo of himself from when he served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, after he already had volunteered in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. Hovan, 93, is one of fewer than 25 Americans still alive who fought in the Spanish Civil War. He will sign papers Thursday granting him an honorary Spanish citizenship for his service. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

(AP)

Now, at age 93, he has been honored with Spanish citizenship for his service as a transport driver. On Thursday, the Spanish consul general in Boston visited Hovan's home so that he could sign citizenship papers. His Spanish passport should arrive in a few weeks.

"It was a difficult moment in the world and they risked their lives," said consul general Carlos Robles. "We respect that and would like to honor in a small way."

The honor is made possible by a 2008 law that allows foreign volunteers who fought in the Spanish Civil War — a group made famous by Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" — to receive Spanish citizenship and retain dual status.

About 40 of Hovan's friends and family came to see him sign the papers, Hovan said.

"You can't believe how nice it was," he said afterward. "I'm so happy, I don't know what to do."

Fewer than 25 members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade — a group of about 2,800 Americans who volunteered in the war — are still alive.

An estimated 500,000 people died during the war, including about one-third of the American volunteers, according to the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives. Franco's side won, and the general ruled Spain as a dictator until his death in 1975.

Hovan worked with unemployment rights groups and the American League Against War and Fascism before departing for Spain. He had left school at age 15 to work in his father's shoe repair shop during the Great Depression, but lost that job when his father couldn't get work.

"I saw the war clouds hovering over Europe," Hovan said. "I felt it was very important that fascism be stopped."

Years later, he paid a price for his convictions.

Hovan, a self-described Communist, was called to testify during Sen. Joseph McCarthy's Communist-hunting hearings. After he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to silence, his house was firebombed and painted with swastikas.