Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

[Navy for Moms Admin]

“The opportunities afforded by the United States Navy to the diverse people of our country is not duplicated anywhere else on the planet. With our rich heritage, Sailors are uniquely prepared to lead change and innovation in all that we do. This will be the key to our success.”
– Rear Adm. Albert Garcia, III, Deputy Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command

Were you aware that Hispanic Americans have served at sea in every war of our nation’s history? In fact, there are approximately 63,000 Hispanic active duty Sailors, 9,100 Hispanic Navy civilians, and 6,100 Hispanic reserve Sailors currently serving our nation proudly. To recognize and honor Hispanic Americans who have served in the U.S. Navy over the years, please join in the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month!

Celebrating the rich cultural heritage of our nation’s largest minority, Hispanic Heritage Month was officially started in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson. Expanded from a weekly to a monthly observation in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan, it currently extends from September 15th to October 15th. As we stop to honor the contributions made by Hispanics to our nation, here’s just a few of the prominent Hispanic Americans who have served in our Navy.

• Edward Hidalgo was the first Hispanic to serve as the Secretary of the Navy from 1979-81. His advocacy of recruiting more Hispanics into the Navy culminated in the founding of our Hispanic-based sea services affinity group, the Association of Naval Services Officers (ANSO).
  
• David Glasgow Farragut was the Navy’s first Flag Officer, earning the rank of rear admiral in 1862. He later rose to the rank of four-star admiral. His most notable service was during the American Civil War. USS Farragut (DDG 99) was commissioned on June 10, 2006. It is the 76th Aegis warship in the fleet. Her motto is, “Prepared for Battle.”
  
• Hispanic flag officers currently serving: Rear Admirals Patrick Brady, Albert Garcia and Samuel Perez.
  
• CAPT Kathlene Contres is the Navy’s highest ranking female Hispanic line officer on active duty. In 2005, she became the first Hispanic woman to lead the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) since it was established in 1971.
  
• CDR Yvette Davids, became the first Hispanic woman to command a surface combatant in 2007. She commanded USS Curts (FFG 38).
  
• CDR Eugene Valencia Jr., a Navy fighter ace, is credited with 23 air victories in the Pacific during World War II. A pilot of Hellcats, he led the most successful fighter plane division in American naval history and is the Navy’s third ranking ace of all time.
  

Interested in learning more?

• Pick up a copy of Hispanic Military Heroes by Virgil Fernandez to dig further into the accomplishments of prominent Hispanic Americans in the military.
  
• If you are a parent or loved one of a Sailor of Hispanic decent, look into having him/her participate in ANSO (ansomil.org) – an affinity group which provides its members mentorship, professional development, and opportunities to discuss common concerns.
  
• Discover more about the Navy’s Diversity programs here.
  

Elle

[Navy for Moms Admin]

P.S. Wow did that font turn out bigger than usual! Probably easier to read than the typical blog post :)

[Navy for Moms Admin]

Donna -
Hispanic Heritage Month is a national holiday and is not celebrated exclusively by the Navy. It begins on September 15th to mark the anniversary of the the independence days for five Latin American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) as well as the independence days for Mexico (September 16th), Chile (September 18th), and Belize (September 21st).

[Navy for Moms Admin]

You do bring up a good point though. There are a few things online written about the difference between the two terms. Here is one source to check out.

[CCR]

People from Brazil speak Portuguese, considered to be South Americans....

[BunkerQB]

CCR, I am not sure what your point is but I agreed.
I have always been miffed by the term Asian-American. To be politically correct, are we headed for more categorization? Thai-American, Vietnamese-American, Chinese American, Japanese-American, Mandarin-Chinese-American, Cantonese-Chinese-American, Singaporean-American, Northern Korean-American, Southern Korean-American, French-American, German-American, Moroccan-American, Iraqi-American, Afghan-American. When will it end? Will this be a part of the census? What about all the permutations of the above - multiply this by another magnitude.
Uncle Sam doesn't care what kind of American you are, as long as you pay your taxes.
We should all be just Americans and for some In God We Trust.

[CCR]

I always check the box that says sex and write in YES!

[CCR]

"In Germany they first came for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me - and by that time no one was left to speak up."

- Rev. Martin Niemoller

[Navy for Moms Admin]

Here's an article from navy.mil that runs over what CNIC & NCIS did to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month for those of you who are interested:
CNIC-NCIS Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month