FORT SILL, Okla. (Oct. 1, 2015) -- A field artillery officer turned Army lawyer was the guest speaker the Fort Sill Hispanic American Heritage Month luncheon Sept. 24, at the Patriot Club.
Col. Maritza Sáenz Ryan, U.S. Military Academy Department of Law professor and head, spoke about her Hispanic heritage, the flavor of the culture, and the U.S. Constitution.
"Just as you are, this celebration is already for and about you no matter who you are," Ryan said. "It's for every proud American today."
Hundreds of service members and civilians packed the club for the annual commemoration, which was hosted by the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general. The event was co-sponsored by the 30th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and the Installation Equal Opportunity Office. The 77th Army Band's "Salsa Band" provided entertainment.
Ryan, whose father is Puerto Rican and whose mother is Spanish, said her mother, Angela Jimenez, had a message to convey.
Angela arrived in New York City in 1958, and said she was appreciative of the welcome she received from the Puerto Rican community.
"Today, she is most proud of being an American citizen," said Ryan, who graduated from West Point in 1982.
COMICAL RHETORIC
In a light-hearted icebreaker, Ryan said, "You might be Hispanic if ... there is at least one spoiled Chihuahua in your family." She added that she has one.
.. you or a member of your family have at least four surnames and perhaps up to six first names." Ryan said her mother's actual name on her birth certificate is Maria de Los Angeles Luisa Cecilia de la Santisima de la Trinidad Sáenz y Sáenz Pecellin del Pozo.
.. there are certain times when your mother, abuelita (grandma), or aunt demand not to be disturbed, upon pain of death, because they are avidly watching their favorite telenovelas (soap opera) on Univision or Telemundo."
.. you have at least 20 to 99 or more cousins, aunts and uncles, many of who are not related to you by blood, and at least one of your uncles believes that La Luch Libre (freestyle wrestling) is for real."
This year's theme is: "Energizing our Nation's Diversity," and Ryan touched upon just three reasons why that is true.
First, Hispanic heritage is part of American heritage. "When we think of our nation's earliest days, we rightly think of the first English settlement in America at Jamestown in 1607," the colonel said. "But we should also remember that in 1565 the Spanish established St. Augustine, Florida."
Second, Hispanics have a long, proud history of service to the nation. In the Revolutionary War, Spain joined France in alliance with America to defeat the British.
In every conflict since then, Hispanics have fought for this country, many with great distinction, Ryan said. The first three Medal of Honor recipients are listed as De Castro, Bazaar and Ortega. A total of 61 Hispanics have been honored with the MoH.
In the Korean War, the outnumbered 65th Infantry Regiment out of Puerto Rico, conducted the last battalion-sized bayonet charge in the Army.
Ryan spoke about Mexican-American Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez, who in Vietnam refused medical aid so he could rescue eight Soldiers. Fort Sill has a training site named after Benavidez, who was awarded the MoH.
Third, the Army knows the value and worth of every American, and that a diverse group of Soldiers makes for a stronger Army.
In 1982 when Ryan arrived at Fort Sill, Hispanics made up less than 3 percent of the Army; by 2014 it was up to 14 percent, she said.
In recent polling, Ryan said America's Hispanic recruits cited a desire to serve their country -- the United States of America, as the No. 1 reason for joining the military.
Yet here was a time when America and its military were segregated. So why do people still have an innate sense of patriotism?, Ryan asked the audience.
Ryan said she believes:
"It is due to that foundational set of legal principles and laws, that living document which we all raised our right hands and swore to support and defend when we joined the Army, and that is the Constitution of the United Sates.
"It is the answer to the question: What makes us Americans? It's not where our great-great-great grandparents came from, it's not the color of our skin, it's not whether we were born in the right family, or right religion, or whether we speak with the right accent -- although these represent criteria with which many other countries define their nationalities.
"Not us. For us, we the people, it is the Constitution, and the principles of equal justice under law that it represents, that literally made us a nation, and provided the foundation of for a brand new nationality.
"It is because of our strong national commitment ... we are striving to fulfill our country's motto: E Pluribus Unum -- "Out of Many, One. Today we are about diversity and inclusion, not conformity and exclusion."
Afterward, Col. Jim Payne, 30th ADA Brigade commander, thanked Ryan and presented her with a wooden pen set.
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