Veterans Day 2015: 5 Latino Vets Thank and Remember this Veterans Day
The history of Latinos in the United States is fundamentally tied to the military.
Latinos first entered the U.S. in large numbers in 1848 in a war against Mexico. The end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 saw another surge of Latino migration into the U.S. as well as the acquisition of Puerto Rico.
Serving one’s country offers the ultimate proof of patriotism and many immigrants saw military service as the surest way to display their allegiance to their new home, while starting a path to citizenship.
According to The National WWII Museum, over 500,000 Latinos served in WWII. Since then, they have had a consistent presence in the military. According to The Department of Veterans Affairs, Latinos currently make up about 6 percent of U.S. military veterans.
This Veterans Day, Latin Post looks at five Latino veterans whose service to their country went beyond the military.
J.R. Martinez
Prior to becoming an inspiration on “Dancing with the Stars,” J.R. Martinez served in the U.S. Army. In 2003, while fighting in Iraq, he sustained severe burns over 34 percent of his body.
The charismatic soldier did not let his injuries in Iraq slow him down. Soon after recovering, he went on to become an actor on "All My Children," a motivational speaker, and a winner on “Dancing with the Stars.”
The 32-year-old veteran has also become an advocate for the well-being of soldiers returning from wars. “There are 22 veterans committing suicide every day," he said on Fox News. "We’re saving them from that battlefield, from that war, but we are not saving them when they come here.”
Maria Dolores Hernandez
Aside from being a trailblazing woman in the military, Hernandez, who came to the U.S. from Tepic, Mexico at the age of 6, became an example of immigrant success and generosity.
Hernandez studied to become a registered nurse, and in 1940, she became the first Red Cross nurse from Orange County, California to be called into active service.
After retiring as an Air Force major, Hernandez invested wisely and was able to continue to give back to her country. As reported in the LA Times, she endowed a gift of $750,000 to the nursing program at Cal State Fullerton.
Her gift, which has grown to over $1 million, provides scholarships to nurses who are committed to working with the poor.
Francisco Cortes
Recognizing the need for a news source that addressed the concerns of the Latino community, Francisco Cortes put his love of country, as well as his respect for his Latino heritage, at the center of Fox News Latino.
In the media maverick's LinkedIn profile, he credits time spent in the U.S. Army for helping him to hone his skills.
In an NPR interview, Cortes said that Fox News Latino was striving to reach generations of Latinos. He founded the vertical within Fox News on 2010, having started from the bottom in the 1990s at the then-new Fox News Channel.
"Our target audience is second- and third-generation U.S. Hispanics, but we also don't want to ignore first-generation Hispanics who have deep ties to their homeland," he said.
César Chávez
Latino civil rights leader César Chávez is well known as an icon of the Mexican-American labor movement, bringing to light the struggles of migrant workers in the 1960s and 1970s through nonviolent protests and boycotting.
What many might not know is that the labor leader from Arizona served his country. Chávez volunteered for the U.S. Navy just after World War II, serving from 1946 to 1948.
According to NBC News, this year, Chávez received belated military honors at his graveside in the Memorial Garden of the César E. Chávez National Monument.
Marc Grossman, a spokesman for the César Chávez Foundation, spoke of how Chávez's time in the Navy motivated his fight for civil rights.
"He thought our country was better than the discrimination he encountered in the service and at home," Grossman said.
In 2013, the Navy christened a dry cargo/ammunition ship the USNS César Chávez.
Eric Alva
Staff Sergeant Eric Alva, the first Marine seriously injured in the Iraq war, has followed directly in Chavez's footsteps as a veteran who returned from battle to fight for the oppressed.
In 2003, Alva accepted the Heroes and Heritage Award from the National Council of La Raza commending his service to the nation.
As a gay man who heroically served his country, the San Antonio native has used his position in the public eye to bring attention to the plight of LGBT soldiers.
Alva, who lost his right leg in Iraq when he stepped on a landmine, spoke out against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and in 2013 he testified in favor of an anti-discrimination ordinance in his home town.
“I was like any other person serving his or her country, and doing the best job possible," Alva said when fighting against DADT, according to Q San Antonio. "It did not matter if I was gay or straight, I was serving proudly.”
While running for president in 2004, John Kerry spoke at the National Council of La Raza's 37th Annual Conference, singling out Alva’s valor and his family’s history of military service.
“His father had served in the Army in Vietnam -- and Eric wanted to do his part for his country,” Kerry said. “He became a leader. And he returned from Iraq a hero -- a recipient of the Purple Heart.”
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com