[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 253 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 253
Recognizing the service, courage, and patriotism of Hispanic Americans
who have served and continue to serve as members of the United States
Armed Forces.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 9, 2007
Mr. Rangel (for himself, Mr. Baca, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Costa, Mr. Fortuno,
Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Pastor, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Reyes, Mr.
Serrano, Ms. Solis, Mr. Sires, and Ms. Velazquez) submitted the
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the service, courage, and patriotism of Hispanic Americans
who have served and continue to serve as members of the United States
Armed Forces.
Whereas people of Hispanic or Latino descent, including Puerto Ricans and many
other Americans, come from various countries, including Mexico, the
Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, Central America, South America,
Portugal, and Spain, and share a variety of racial backgrounds including
Black, White, and Asian;
Whereas men and women of Hispanic descent have served in every major military
conflict in the history of the United States;
Whereas Hispanic servicemen and servicewomen have been awarded 42 Congressional
Medals of Honor for distinguished service in United States wars,
receiving more of these awards than any other ethnic group;
Whereas there are approximately 1,300,000 living Hispanic veterans in the United
States;
Whereas Department of Defense data shows that as of August 2006, over 210,000
servicemembers of Hispanic descent were serving in the United States
military and more than 400 Hispanics have died in Afghanistan and Iraq
as of June 2007;
Whereas close to 20,000 Hispanic Americans participated in the Persian Gulf war
and 26 Hispanic servicemembers died in combat during that war;
Whereas, during the Vietnam war, more than 80,000 Hispanic Americans served in
the United States Armed Forces, over 3,000 Hispanic Americans died in
combat, and 16 Hispanic Americans were awarded the Congressional Medal
of Honor;
Whereas nearly 150,000 Hispanic Americans served in the Korean war, including
61,000 Puerto Ricans, and during that war, 8 Hispanic officers were
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor;
Whereas the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment was the only all-Hispanic unit
in the Korean War, and while serving with distinction, earned 4
Distinguished Service Crosses and 124 Silver Stars;
Whereas the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment is credited with the last
recorded battalion-sized bayonet assault in the history of the United
States Army;
Whereas a total of 6 Hispanic Americans were flying aces in World War II and the
Korean war;
Whereas 400,000 to 500,000 Hispanic servicemembers served in the United States
Armed Forces during World War II, including approximately 200 Puerto
Rican women who served in the Women's Army Corp and served in the
critical role of ``Code Talkers'' to avoid enemy intelligence, and in
that war, 13 Hispanic servicemembers were awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor;
Whereas many Latinos of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam eras joined with
African-Americans to fight racial barriers so that later generations
could enjoy greater opportunities;
Whereas in World War I, approximately 200,000 Hispanic Americans were mobilized,
the majority of Mexican descent;
Whereas 3 Mexican Americans were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during
the Civil War;
Whereas approximately 10,000 Mexican Americans, including women, served in the
regular Army during the Civil War and in the volunteer units of the
Union and the Confederacy;
Whereas, during the War of 1812, Hispanic American troops in Louisiana and the
surrounding areas were instrumental in General Andrew Jackson's defeat
of the British;
Whereas the first Hispanic involvement in America's military history was during
the Revolutionary War in 1777;
Whereas in the decisive Battle of Yorktown, 4,000 Spanish, Puerto Rican, and
Cuban soldiers were killed and wounded in the defeat of British forces;
Whereas the bravery and patriotism of Hispanic servicemen and servicewomen
remain unquestioned despite their second-class treatment at home;
Whereas Hispanic men and women on the battlefield faced a dual hardship of
encountering discrimination, language barriers, and cultural
insensitivity within their ranks, while placing their lives and safety
on the line in a heroic manner;
Whereas, during World War II, Latinos faced segregation in many public
institutions, and continued to serve their country loyally, and then
returned from the battlefield to dismantle the racial barriers of their
time; and
Whereas the contributions of Hispanics to the United States Armed Forces have
been largely unrecognized in American history: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This concurrent resolution may be cited as the ``Hispanic American
Heroes Resolution''.
SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF HISPANIC AMERICAN SERVICEMEMBERS.
Congress recognizes Hispanic servicemembers for their courage on
the battlefield throughout the history of the United States, as well as
their determination, discipline, selfless service, and patriotism.
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