SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 4, 2013) -- "The more you understand Hispanic heritage, the more you begin to understand what America is all about," Gil Coronado, a veteran and civil servant who campaigned successfully for the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month, told a crowd of military members and civilians at the Fort Sam Houston Community Center.
Coronado, a San Antonio native, visited Fort Sam Houston as guest of honor at a celebration of America's Hispanic heritage hosted by the U.S. Army Installation Management Command headquarters. Originally scheduled for Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, the official Fort Sam Houston event was postponed due to government shutdown and furloughs.
The reception featured music from the 323rd Army Band Fuerza Latina ensemble and Jammin' with the G-Staff, a band of IMCOM headquarters employees. Attendees could sample food from a number of Latin American countries.
Though observances of National Hispanic Heritage Week began in 1968, by the 1980s Coronado, then an Air Force colonel, saw a need for an expansion. Other observances crowded into the time allotted. It wasn't a matter of wanting more fiestas, he said, "It was a matter of educating [all] Americans on the contributions of Hispanics."
Hispanic family values -- honor, duty, integrity among them -- have served the nation well, according to Coronado. "Hispanic Americans have been at the forefront of every battle America has fought," he said.
Three years of working with congressmen, staff and advocacy groups culminated in 1988, when President Ronald Reagan signed legislation declaring National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Coronado went on to be deputy assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs and later director of the Selective Service System.
His story, he said, shows how one person working hard can make a difference. "If you want to make a change, you need to be prepared."
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