Hispanic Vets Lose the Battle With 'The War'

Monday, April 2, 2007

Hispanic Vets Lose the Battle With 'The War'

By John M. García and Eduardo Díaz
State Officials
"They served the war effort in many ways and in disproportionately high numbers, and when the conflict ended, they claimed their due. And, they had special claims.
One need only recall the story of Macario García, an Army staff sergeant who won the Congressional Medal. Returning home to Sugarland, Texas, after a White House ceremony, he was refused service at a diner that did not feed Mexicans or blacks."
This is an excerpt from "A Legacy Greater than Words: Stories of U.S. Latinos & Latinas of the World War II Generation," co-authored by Maggie Rivas-Rodríguez, leader of a major oral history project documenting the contributions and lives of these veterans. A journalism professor at the University of Texas-Austin, Dr. Rivas-Rodríguez recently presented her book at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
It's too bad the Latino experience will not be reflected in an upcoming seven-part PBS documentary, "The War," scheduled to air in September. The contributions and sacrifices of Latinos to the war effort are profound and well documented. Close to 500,000 Latinos served in WWII. Twelve Congressional Medals were awarded to Latinos, proportionally more than any other group.
To exclude the varied and heroic experiences of Latino WWII veterans would be as if all were missing in action, unaccounted for. It's shameful.
The Latino community's destiny was dynamically transformed by this war?- greater access to higher education, job opportunities and public services among the most significant impacts?- this after decades of institutional discrimination and social stratification. Veterans' stories of reintegration into American life, the challenges they and their families faced are as compelling as their valiant battle stories.
More than 40 interviews and 14 hours of programming, and no Latinos? How do you explain this "brown out" of a publicly financed and supported project?
Producer and director Ken Burns states, "We are dismayed and saddened by any assumption that we intentionally excluded anyone from our series." The producers assert that the series is about individuals and the "universal human experience," however, it highlights discrimination against Japanese-Americans and African-Americans. We applaud this effort, but ignoring the Latino experience is inexplicable.
Sacramento is one of the cities where the producers conducted interviews. Sacramento is over 25 percent Latino; they couldn't find one of our World War II vets? But, really what can you expect from a producer whose series on jazz excluded the likes of Machito, Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri, or whose series on baseball included a scant six minutes on Roberto Clemente only?
Burns has shown a patterned disrespect for our community's contributions in building America and shaping our popular culture.
A national working group, Defend Our Honor, has formed to address this situation. With endorsements from the likes of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, National Council of La Raza and American G.I. Forum, the group is busy raising public awareness and meeting with PBS officials seeking redress of this regrettable omission.
Alas, "The War" is completed and PBS officials have refused to require any changes. According to John Boland, PBS' Chief Content Officer, the network will support other productions that address the Latino WWII experience. How about a national program on Latino veterans in all wars?
Ted García, general manager of KNME-TV, Albuquerque's PBS affiliate, has confirmed the network's position, but indicated that the station will add programming about New Mexico's WWII experience. This is a good sign, because this state's veterans made enormous contributions to the war effort, most dramatically recalled by the trials of the 1,700 members of the New Mexico National Guard victimized during the infamous Bataan Death March.
What about the stories of Agapito Silva of San Marcial who survived 31/2 years in Japanese prison camps, or Alfredo Córdova of Albuquerque who helped liberate Nazi concentration camps, or Dennis Baca of Belen who survived the fierce battle at Guadalcanal and returned home to make a new life while fighting off the lingering effects of malaria and depression?
We trust that KNME will make good on its promise. While we respect the artistic freedom of filmmakers, U.S. history does not belong to Ken Burns. It is fundamentally wrong to exclude the Latino experience on a subject of the magnitude of WWII.
While we understand the importance of universality of experience, we also value the diversity of that same experience, and assert that it should have been reflected in a high profile, publicly supported project like "The War."


John M. García is state cabinet secretary for veterans services. Eduardo Díaz is executive director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center.