Nearly
100 spectators, servicemen and women, and retired military leaders observed
Memorial Day this past May 27, 2913, at the nationally famed “El Soldado”
monument in Sacramento, California.
Although a light rain and slight chill greeted the annual event, it did
not deter those who came to recognize the contributions Latinos have made
toward America’s freedom by serving in the various branches of the armed forces,
and making the ultimate sacrifice.
California’s
Mexican American Veterans Memorial is unique among the many memorials dedicated
to war veterans throughout the United States.
Originally placed at what was once Sacramento’s Mexican American Center,
the statue of “El Soldado” (the Soldier) was funded and established by the
mothers and wives of Mexican American soldiers who had fallen during WWII. Creating “La Sociedad de Madres” (Society of
Mothers) in 1948, these women remained on task for numerous years until they
were able to raise enough money to buy the stoned carved statue from Italy for
a sum of $4000 and it was dedicated on May 10, 1951 (which was also mother’s
day in Mexico.) It was renovated in the
1970s and relocated to its current location facing the State’s Capitol building
in 1990.
"During World War II, Hispanics were among the many who enlisted in the many branches of the armed forces," said Brigadier General (Ret) Robert Certantes. "The Hispanics who served during that war received 13 Congressional Medals of Honor, a recognition that is given to those whose gallantry goes beyond the call of duty."
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| BC (Ret) Robert Cervantes |
Although the military did not take tally or distinguish ethnicity during WWII, it is estimated that up to 500 thousand soldiers in Europe and the Pacific were Hispanic. Thousands of these men received honors, including English and French medals. During the Korean War, 9 Hispanics were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and hundreds more received other distinctions, in every branch of the U.S. military.
“Some
talk about the Korean War being the forgotten war, well I still have my hat
from that war and I can tell you it is not forgotten,” said Keynote Speaker Retired
State Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso as he placed the hat on his head. “I’m 82 years old and a Korean Veteran and
that is something those of us who served there cannot forget.”
 |
| Justice Cruz Reynoso |
Reynoso,
who served on the California Court of Appeals and on the California Supreme
Court, was selected to deliver the Keynote address by the Mexican American
Veterans Memorial, a nonprofit organization, in conjunction with the California
Department of Veterans Affairs. During
his military career, he was assigned to perform counterintelligence work until
he was reassigned to Washington D.C. where he worked for the House Un-American
Activities Committee, which he admits finding it distasteful.
“When I
went to college, it only cost $100 per year and got an education that today
costs $50 thousand per year,” said Reynoso, a UC Berkeley Law School Alum. “We are spending more money on an endless
drug war where studies show the use of illicit drugs is the same across all
races, but yet there are more Latinos and African Americans serving time for a
crime that needs drug rehabilitation, not incarceration.”
Joining
Justice Reynoso in addressing the crowd was the Honorable Assemblyman Roger
Dickinson who spoke about the commitment undocumented American soldiers have
made toward America’s freedom.
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| Assemblyman Roger Dickinson - (D) |
“It is
important to recognize those remarkable men and women who served our country
knowing they had limited freedoms,” said Dickinson. “In this country it is not who we are, but
who we aspire to be.”
The
annual ceremony concluded with a gun salute and the displaying of the wreath at
the foot of the statue by the California Department of Veteran’s Affairs and
the Capital City Chapter of the American GI
Forum. - SacLatino
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