[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 53 (Thursday, April 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING DR. HECTOR GARCIA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 14, 2010

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of a great 
American, Dr. Hector P. Garcia. I would like to thank Congressman Ortiz 
for his leadership and for bringing forth this resolution.
  This resolution recognizes the leadership and historical 
contributions of Dr. Garcia to the Hispanic community and our country 
as a whole and for his tireless efforts to combat racial and ethnic 
discrimination. Dr. Garcia was founder of the American GI Forum, a 
Mexican-American veteran's service association, which initiated 
countless efforts on behalf of Americans in the areas of health care, 
veterans' benefits, and civil rights equality following World War II. 
For his efforts, President Reagan in 1984 presented Dr. Garcia with the 
nation's highest civilian award, the Medal of Freedom, for meritorious 
service to the country. He was the first Mexican-American to receive 
this recognition.
  Dr. Garcia and the American GI Forum played a pivotal role in the 
case of Army Private Felix Longoria. Private Longoria was killed in 
action in 1945. After a 4-year wait, his body was returned to Texas in 
1949. His widow requested the use of the funeral chapel in Three 
Rivers, TX, where she was denied because he was of Mexican decent. With 
the determination of a soldier, Dr. Garcia and the GI Forum intervened. 
They petitioned Senator Lyndon B. Johnson for assistance and LBJ 
successfully secured the hero's burial his widow and this private 
deserved at Arlington National Cemetery, where he became the first 
Mexican American to be awarded the honor. The issue garnered national 
attention when it was published in the New York Times. It was work like 
this that made the GI Forum a leader in civil rights movement.
  I had the benefit of knowing Dr. Garcia, and his family currently 
lives in my district. Dr. Garcia is an American hero and deserves the 
recognition of this House.

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