Source: Review Of Data On Hispanics (http://www.pafb.af.mil/DEOMI/hisp.htm)

General Highlights
• As Reagan stated, Latinos have received "awards for heroism and bravery far in excess to their proportion of the population."
• Hispanics have received the highest honors to date in the U.S. Navy.
• Galveston, Texas is named after Bernardo de Galvez, who was instrumental during the American Revolution.
• Puerto Rico is the second-highest American jurisdiction in per capita war casualties. They have fought for almost 100 years without having representation in Congress or the ability to vote for the Commander-In-Chief.
• Ten of the eleven survivors of the alamo were Hispanic.
• David G. Farragut became the first Admiral of the U.S. Navy after outstanding service during the Civil War.

American Revolution
• Although Spain was a strong colonial power in North America in the 1700s, the Spanish defeat in the Seven Years War led to the parceling of lands to the English in the Spanish Colony of Florida. Spain, therefore, felt no loyalty to the British Monarchy during the course of the American Revolution. Despite negotiations with the Continental Congress, neither side could agree on the fate of Florida and therefore Spain played no overt role in aiding the American colonists. Nevertheless, several Hispanic forefathers, like the father of David Farragut, provided discrete or covert aid to the colonists. Another such man was Bernardo de Galvez, a Spanish army officer and Governor of Louisiana in 1777.
• From 1775-77, de Galvez provided rations and weapons to the Continental Army. In 1777, he arranged safe passage for James Willing, an American agent of the Continental Congress, who had led a successful campaign along the Mississippi harassing British shipping, plantation owners and military outposts.
• Taking advantage of weaknesses in the British defenses and Spanish recognition of American independence in 1779, de Galvez captured all the British forts along the Mississippi from Lake Pontchartrain to Baton Rouge. He later defeated all British forces in Florida and restored control of this region to Spain. For his contribution, de Galvez has been memorialized on a U.S. stamp and a statue in Washington, D.C. and in his namesake city of Galveston, Texas.

Post-Revolutionary War
• One of de Galvez's officers, Franciso de Miranda, also played an important role in the defeat of the British on the Mississippi and the capture of the port of Pensacola. Ultimately a revolutionary himself, de Miranda left the Spanish army and lead a campaign against Spanish colonialism while living in North America and Europe. In 1805, he led an American-sanctioned invasion of Venezuela and is credited with the title of "Precursor of Latin American Independence."
• During the 1800s, the sale of all Spanish lands west of the Mississippi to France was made under the proviso that these lands not be in turn relinquished to the United States. France reneged on its agreement and President Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase for $15 million in 1803.
• Hispanic Americans joined General Andrew Jackson in defeating the British during the War of 1812.

Texas-Mexican Frontier
• The next conflict involving Hispanics in American history took place over territorial disputes between Mexico and the "Lone Star State" of Texas. When Mexican General and self-proclaimed President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna attacked the Alamo on March 6, 1835, 183 Texans were killed, six of them Mexicans. Of eleven survivors of the battle at the Alamo, ten were Hispanic.
• One Hispanic survivor of the Alamo was Lieutenant Colonel John Nepomuncene Seguin. Selected as a courier to leave the fort, sneak through Santa Anna's lines and obtain reinforcements, Seguin succeeded in escaping but could not obtain relief in time. After the war, he returned to San Antonio where he served two terms as the city's mayor.

California-Mexican Frontier
• One of the most interesting Hispanic figures of this period in American history is Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Born of the upper class in 1808, Vallejo grew up during the turbulent years of the Mexican Revolution. An accomplished Mexican army officer by the age of twenty-one, he gained the confidence of the Mexican governor and was named military commander of northern California. During the same period, he became a member of the territorial legislature and delegate to the Mexican Congress. Despite these ties to his native Mexico, Vallejo believed it would be in the best interests of the California territories to yield their sovereignty to the United States. He shifted loyalties and discretely helped Americans secure California. Later appointed as an agent for the U.S. government, he became one of eight Californios to write the State's first constitution and became one of the first members of the state senate in 1849. For his role in the westward expansion of America, Vallejo has been highly recognized. The city of Vallejo, California, was named in his honor, a vineyard produces wines with his name, and, in 1965, the U.S. Navy commissioned the nuclear powered fleet ballistic missile submarine USS M. G. Vallejo (SSBN-658), one of "the forty-one for freedom," in honor of this distinguished Hispanic.

The Civil War
• When the Civil War broke out, the Mexican-American community was divided in loyalty. Approximately 1,000 joined the Union Army and another 2,550, the Confederate Force.
• By the end of the war, as many as 9,900 Mexican-Americans fought. Most served in the regular army or volunteer units which were integrated. Some, however, served in predominately Mexican- American units with their own officers. Of the 40,000 volumes written about the Civil War, only one, Vaqueros in Blue and Gray, has been written about their contribution.
• In 1863, the U.S. government established four military companies of Mexican-American Californians (the First Battalion of Native Cavalry) to utilize their "extraordinary horsemanship." At least 469 Mexican-Americans served under Major Salvador Vallejo, helping to defeat a Confederate invasion of New Mexico. (18:14-15) - Colonel Miguel E. Pino established the Second Regiment of New Mexico Volunteers. At least six independent militia companies commanded by Mexican-Americans were raised in New Mexico. Approximately 4,000 Mexican-Americans volunteered in these companies.
• In Texas, the Union established 12 Mexican-American companies (the First Regiment of Texas Cavalry). By and large, the officers were non-Hispanic, although there were some Mexican Texans serving as captains and lieutenants.
• David G. Farragut was the most famous Union Hispanic. When he was nine years old he was appointed as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy. At 13 he served aboard the USS Essex during the War of 1812. In 1862, he successfully commanded Union forces and captured the city of New Orleans. In the Battle of Port Hudson (135 miles north of New Orleans) Farragut's tactics for attacking forts gained accolades. After orchestrating the capture of Mobile, Alabama, Farragut was commissioned Admiral of the Navy on July 26, 1866. He then took command of the European Squadron and while in the Mediterranean, he visited the birthplace of his father in Ciudadela, Minorca, where he received a hero's welcome.
• Colonel Santos Benavides was the highest ranking Mexican- American in the Confederate Army. He was one of the first to take up arms and one of the last to surrender.
• Loretta Janet Velasquez, a Cuban-born woman, enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1860, masquerading as a man, without her soldier husband's knowledge. She fought at Bull Run, Ball's Bluff, and Fort Donelson, but was detected while in New Orleans and discharged. Undeterred, she re-enlisted and fought at Shiloh until unmasked once more. She then took duty as a spy, working in both male and female guise. Her husband died during the war and she married three more times, widowed in each instance. She later traveled throughout the West settling in Austin, Nevada.

Spanish-American War
• The catalyst for the Spanish-American War was the sinking of the battleship Maine on February 15, 1898. Historians have debated the cause of the Maine's demise for almost 100 years. Was it sabotage or was it an accident? Was the incident engineered by the American side to give the country an excuse for war? The loss of 260 American lives makes the latter theory unlikely. Admiral Hyman G. Rickover wrote a scholarly thesis on the subject, claiming that the explosion that ripped through the Maine's lower decks was caused by oily rags which led to an uncontrollable fire that ignited a magazine full of ammunition. Whatever the reason, the United States declared war on Spain on April 11, 1898, with the avowed purpose of freeing the oppressed Cubans.
• During the Spanish-American War in 1898, there were several Hispanic members of Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders." Captain Maximiliano Luna was the most distinguished Hispanic "Rough Rider." A military camp in New Mexico was named after him. After the Spanish American War, George Armijo, another Hispanic "Rough Rider," became a member of Congress.

World War I
• At the beginning of World War I, Hispanics and others who lacked sufficient English skills were sent to training centers to improve their language proficiency and produce soldiers fully capable of being integrated into the army. Eventually a training plan to do so was established at Camp Gordon, Georgia. However, by the time the camp was operational the war was almost over.
• Nicholas Lucero, a Hispanic, received the French Croix de Guerre during World War I for destroying two German machine gun nests and maintaining constant fire for three hours.
• Marcelino Serna, received the Distinguished Service Cross for the single-handed capture of 24 enemy soldiers. His other decorations included: the French Croix de Guerre, the Victory Medal with three bars, and two Purple Hearts.
• It was not until 1989 that the first Hispanic recipient of the Medal of Honor was recognized in a ceremony during Hispanic Heritage Week. David Barkley was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for bravery in action on the Meuse River, France, in November 1918. Barkely's Hispanic background did not come to light until 71 years after he gave his life for his country.
• Other Hispanics did serve in World War I, but there are insufficient records to determine how many.

World War II
• Estimates for World War II range anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 Hispanics served in the Armed Forces. Records are sketchy because, like the Census Bureau, the military did not closely track Hispanic members. However, Hispanic soldiers participated in all the major battles of World War II.
• Nevertheless, it is known that between 1940 and 1946, approximately 53,000 Puerto Ricans served.
• With the exception of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, Hispanics did not serve in segregated units.
• National Guard units, with large proportions of Mexican- Americans, served from Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and California.
• There were about 200 Puerto Rican women in the Women's Army Corps.
• The New Mexico National Guard, with its large representation of Hispanics, became the largest single American unit in the Philippines. Their knowledge of Spanish was a definite asset as Spanish was a principal language in the Philippines. Because of this presence, many Hispanic-Americans were taken prisoner during the fall of the Philippines and participated in the "Bataan Death March."
• The first Hispanic Medal of Honor recipient of World War II was Private Jose P. Martinez. He was honored for his role in the 1943 American invasion of the Aleutian Islands.
• One unit in particular, the 141st Infantry Regiment from Texas, had a high concentration of Hispanic soldiers. This distinguished unit saw 361 days of combat during World War II, earning three Medals of Honor, 31 Distinguished Service Crosses, 12 Legions of Merit, 492 Silver Stars, 11 Soldier's Medals, and 1685 Bronze Stars.
• Hispanics were awarded 12 of the 431 Medals of Honor awarded during the Second World War.

The Korean War
• Precise figures are not available for Hispanic participation in Vietnam.
• The Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Division was the only all- Hispanic Division to serve during the Korean War. It earned four Distinguished Service Crosses and 124 Silver Stars.
• "Hero Street, USA," in Silvis, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, is so-named because it contributed more men to military service during World War II and Korea than any other place of comparable size. This street was home for a number of Hispanic families, and Silvis now has a monument to the eight Hispanic heroes who died during the two wars.
• Captain Manuel J. Fernandez, USAF, an F-86 fighter pilot assigned to the 334th Squadron, 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing, was credited with 14.5 enemy kills in 125 missions. He was the third-ranked fighter pilot of the war and retired as a Colonel.

The Vietnam War
• Precise figures are not available for Hispanic participation in Vietnam.
• Prior to the full-scale escalation of the Vietnam War, Special Forces Advisor, Sergeant First Class Isaac Camacho's fire base was overrun by Viet Cong in November 1963. After an intense firefight, Camacho was taken prisoner. He is most likely the first Hispanic POW of the Vietnam era. Remarkably, Camacho escaped his captors after 20 months and made his way to freedom. He was awarded the Silver and Bronze Stars in September 1965 and later promoted to Captain, U.S. Army.
• Lieutenant Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr. (then Lieutenant JG) was the first American pilot taken as a prisoner of war and remained a prisoner longer than anyone else, eight and a half years.
• On April 30, 1975, Master Sergeant Juan J. Valdez climbed aboard the last U.S. helicopter to depart the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The U.S. presence in Vietnam, which spanned 18 years, ended. Valdez' presence gave credence to the Hispanic theme of participation in America's wars: "First in...last to leave."

The Post-Vietnam Era
• Approximately 80,000 Hispanics served in the Vietnam theater of operations and 13 won the Medal of Honor, 6 of them Marines. This is not unusual. Hispanics have received the highest honors to date in the U.S. Navy. As of 1990, six ships and three active submarines have been named for Hispanics, including the nuclear- powered 688 class fast attack submarine, USS San Juan, named after the capital city of Puerto Rico. Admiral Horacio Rivera became the first Hispanic four-star Admiral in 1979 and ultimately served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Between 1979-1980, Edward Hidalgo held the highly esteemed and powerful position of Secretary of the Navy. During Hidalgo's tenure, millions of dollars were committed to television advertising campaigns and new recruiting techniques to attract Hispanic youth to the Navy.

Desert Shield/Storm
• 20,000 Hispanic servicemen and women participated in Operation Desert Shield/ Storm.
• According to Defense Manpower Data Center statistics, Hispanics comprised 7.9 percent of the Fleet Marine Force, 6.0 percent of the Navy, 4.2 percent of the Army and 3.1 percent of the Air Force representation in the Persian Gulf theater during the war.

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