Hispanic Heritage is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, which within this period many countries of Latin America observe their independence days.
In observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, Fort Gordon held a program Sept. 18 at Alexander Hall with guest speaker Dr. Christopher Botero, an assistant professor of Spanish-language Acquisition in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Georgia Regents University, folkloric traditional dances of Panama, and Hispanic food sampling.
"Hispanics have played a vital role in moments and movements that have shaped this country," said Col. Stephen E. Dawson, operations and plans officer with 7th Signal Command (Theater), which sponsored the observance.
Since before the Revolutionary War to present day operations in Afghanistan, on every continent in the world, Hispanic men and women have shaped and shifted this country making it one of the most diverse nations in the world.
"America's diversity is the source of our strength. Hispanic sons and daughters have never hesitated to defend or show their allegiance to this nation in many ways, especially through military service," said Dawson.
Botero spoke about Hispanics, the role of Spanish and its place in the world and in the U.S.
"It is a perfect subject to recognize and appreciate the cultures of Hispanic-Americans and what they have done for our country," he said.
Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority and fastest growing with 50.5 million according to the 2010 U.S. Census, and a predicted 133 million by 2050 with 63 percent will have or be of Mexican origin. The highest denominations in the states are of Mexican heritage in the southwest, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans in New York City, and Cubans in South Florida.
A high number of citizens with Mexican origins are a result of changes to the border after all the territories of Mexico were lost to the U.S. during the Spanish-American War. More than 500 years, Hispanics have fought in many war conflicts. The Spanish conquistadors battled the Puerto Rico native Indians known as the Taínos, who after their enslavement revolted in 1511 against the Spaniards.
Puerto Ricans have fought in many conflicts that the U.S. has been involved in since the Revolutionary War. During the Korean War, close to 4,000 men in three infantry battalions, an artillery battalion, and a tank company, departed Puerto Rico Aug. 27, 1950, and arrived in Pusan, Korea, Sept. 23, 1950. The men nicknamed the 65th Infantry as the "Boriqueneers," which is a combination of the words "Borinquen," which is what the Taíno Indians called the island, and the "Buccaneers." The 65th Infantry has participated in current campaigns to include the War on Terrorism.
On Sept. 11, 2001, F-16 fighter pilots Lt. Col. Marc H. Sasseville, a Puerto Rican native, and Lt. Heather Penney were launched to track hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 and destroy it. The fighter jets only had dummy ammunition from a recent training mission, and the only way to do it was to ram the aircraft. While in flight, Sasseville told Penney that he would take out the cockpit, and she would take the tail. It wasn't until hours later, they learned Flight 93 had already been taken down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
"These are just some of the stories of courage, of valor, of strength displayed by Hispanic- American men and women and specifically Puerto Rican men and women who have served in the U.S. Forces. Let us not forget the Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, African Americans, Native American, Irish Americans, Italian Americans and German Americans, they are all stories of American valor," said Botero. "The future lays with you the men and women who continue to serve our great country."
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