“Hispanic Heritage”

As we enter Hispanic Heritage Month, let us take an opportunity to look at almost a century and a half to itemize, name and honor those Hispanics who have stepped up to the American plate and set into historical concrete that Hispanic Americans have risen above and beyond the call of duty and been awarded America’s highest Medal of Valor.
 Millions of Hispanic Americans have lived in the United States since it was born. Millions have served in the armed forces of the United States or fought for the country before it became a country. The Mexicans, Spanish, Cubans and Puerto Ricans who defeated a British force of 1200 at what is now St. Louis in 1779 started the two hundred thirty plus years of valor by Hispanics for America that continues to this day in battles in Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti and wherever American forces fight in the global war on terror.
 Before we itemize the substantial number of Hispanic Americans who have proven their mettle on the battlefield, let us acknowledge that there are some Hispanic Americans who do not recognize great bravery and valor in the fighting Americans have done since 1779. There are anti-war peace mongers among us who insult the history of great valor by Hispanic Americans, who disparage service in the American military as a form of discrimination and national dissembling by those who simply aren’t Americans to be proud of.
 One can easily separate Hispanic anti-war people like agricultural union organizer Cesar Chavez from those who object to military recruiting in high schools by looking at the record. Chavez served in the United States Navy. Those who participate in anti-military recruiting at high schools and particularly object to Hispanics being recruited insult the memory of Chavez and the millions of other Hispanic men and women who have raised their hands to swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
 It seems obvious that the objectors have never read the Constitution, nor read American history. They’ve read only self-serving gratuitous propaganda that claims Hispanics are recruited only to be cannon fodder. That is untrue even when one sees that Hispanic young men, particularly Mexican American young men volunteer for the combat arms of the United States, the Army infantry and the U.S. Marine Corps.
 It seems fitting that the first Hispanic American hero was Corporal Joseph DeCastro who was awarded one of the very first Medals of Honor for bravery at the key battle of the American Civil War, Gettysburg. Then came U.S. Navy men John Ortega and Philip Bazar for bravery during the Civil War.
 In a 55-day running battle in China during the Boxer Rebellion, Private France Silva of the Marines was awarded the Medal of Honor for “55 days” of bravery. Just hours before the WWI Armistice ended the War, David B. Barkeley, who hid his Mexican background due to heavy prejudice against Mexicans, died on a secret mission behind German lines and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
 Thirteen Hispanic men earned the Medal of Honor in World War Two: Joseph P. Martinez, Rudolph Davila, Lucien Adams, Macario Garcia, Jose Lopez, Jose Valdez, Cleto Rodriguez, Manuel Perez, Silvestre Herrera, Ysmael Villegas, Harold Gonsalves and Alejandro Ruiz.
 In the bloody Korean War, eight Hispanic men were awarded the Medal of Honor: Baldomero Lopez, Eugene Obregon, Joseph Rodriguez, Rodolfo Hernandez, Edward Gomez, Fernando Garcia, Benito Martinez and Ambrosio Guillen.
 In the long ten years Americans died in Vietnam sixteen Hispanics were awarded the Medal of Honor: Humbert Versace, Daniel Fernandez, Alfred Rascon, Euripides Rubio, Maximo Yabes, Carlos Lozada, Jay Vargas, Alfredo Gonzalez, Roy Benavides, Hector Santiago-Colon, Jose Jimenez, Ralph Dias, John Baca, Emilio De la Garza Jr., Miguel Keith and Louis Rocco.
 In Iraq a young Tijuana-born Rafael Peralta died. He was a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. While studying in San Diego under a student visa, the legal resident tried to join the Marines but had to wait until he was granted a “green card.” The day he received it, he joined the Marines. He loved the Marines. He died rolling onto a grenade to save the lives of five fellow Marines. He has been awarded the second highest American medal, the Navy Cross.
 I would hope the spirit of all these men, dead and alive, live in all Hispanic Americans, even those anti-military objectors who decry the profound patriotism reflected in the lives of these men who shed blood for us and for the opportunity to experience a Hispanic Heritage Month and our long living Hispanic Heritage we will celebrate every day of the American and our future.

Author

Raoul Lowery Contreras