[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.
                                 <all>