He kept a diary while being held at the Berga concentration camp that was instrumental in documenting Nazi atrocities against American prisoners of war.

[1][3][5] Acevedo's father found employment as an engineer in Mexico City with the Pan-American Highway, and eventually became an official for the Federal Mexican Government.

[6] Berga was designed to work the prisoners to death through a program the Nazis called "Vernichtung Durch Arbeit," but Acevedo attempted to keep his fellows alive insofar as possible.

[10][11] He did this by "cooking", adding cats, grass, rats, sand, wood shavings and other material to the 3.5 grams (0.12 oz) of bread they received on some days.

[5] Part of the reason for Acevedo's torture was the role he had played in the capture of German espionage agents when he lived in Mexico as a teenager.

[2] The U.S. Army maintains it was to protect escapees and the local populace who helped POWs, but it deeply hurt Acevedo that he was unable to share his experiences.

[12][3] When he arrived home, Acevedo's father confronted him regarding his relationship with Martinez, in view of Anthony's engagement to Maria Dolores.

[12][5] Acevedo was infuriated and immediately left home, taking his few unpacked belongings, moved back to the United States, and married Martinez.

[6][4] This never came to fruition; instead he made a career as a design engineer for McDonnell Douglas, North American Aviation, and the Hughes Aircraft Company.

[10] After retirement posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affected him considerably; he would wake up sweating and screaming in the middle of the night among other effects.

[5] The bulk of his retirement was spent volunteering at Veterans Affairs hospitals to assist patients with PTSD, in part to help himself cope with the same issues.

[10] Acevedo died on February 11, 2018, at the Loma Linda Veterans Affairs Medical Center of congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

[6] His main interests included barbecuing, reading books about World War II, and spending time with his family.

[3] He believed that the US Government intentionally covered up the abuse of Americans at Berga, and that this action significantly added to the affected soldiers' suffering.

[5] When the government finally did give official recognition, Acevedo refused to attend as it was held in Orlando instead of Washington D.C.[5] Although his treatment by the United States was often less than optimal, throughout his life he was highly patriotic towards the country he had served.

[5] In truth, this horrific event was disclosed years earlier to his eldest son Anthony F Acevedo but did not reveal it to anyone until recently.

[13] In 2008, an investigative report by CNN based on interviews with Acevedo was the catalyst for the U.S. government to finally acknowledge the experiences of the American soldiers held in the Berga concentration camp.

[5] Acevedo's Berga diary is housed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the first such document created by an American captive to be included.