January 15, 1999
San Antonio, Texas - Top United States Army leaders met today with national Hispanic community leaders and elected officials in a one-day summit to discuss educational and employment opportunities for Hispanic youth. The Hispanic Leadership Summit `99, "Education and Career Opportunities in America's Army," highlighted initiatives and programs being implemented by the United States Army to address the under-representation of Hispanic Americans within its ranks.
"The Army can provide Hispanic youth with the skills they need to succeed in today's workforce," said the Honorable Ciro D. Rodriguez of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The Texas Democrat urged the Army to increase its outreach to Hispanics, and "set the example in providing opportunities for Hispanic Americans." Also joining the conference was Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez.
"The Army is committed to forging new partnerships and alliances with Hispanic leaders and organizations. Our common goal is to help keep Hispanic youths in school," said Maj. Gen. Evan Gaddis, Commanding General of the United States Army Recruiting Command. "America's Army offers significant career advancement opportunities for our nation's youth, combining money for college, job skills training, and valuable lessons in leadership with the opportunity to provide service to this country.
Convening the Hispanic Leadership Summit underscores a continuation of the U.S. Army's commitment to forging an open dialogue with Hispanic leadership. Many of the major Hispanic organizations participated in the dialogue, including ASPIRA; The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU); The League of the United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); the LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC); The National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP); the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO); the National Council of La Raza (NCLR); and SER Jobs for Progress.
Recognizing the importance of the task at hand, Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera, addressed the participants to seek their support to establish successful community partnerships and increase representation of Hispanic Americans in the Army.
"Our Army and our nation have no choice but to better use the talents and abilities of Hispanic Americans, and indeed to better use the talents and abilities of all of our nation's increasingly diverse people," Secretary Caldera said.
Secretary Caldera, the son of Mexican immigrants, is the first Hispanic American to serve as Secretary of the Army.
In collaboration with the League of United Latin American Citizens National Education Service Centers (LNESC), the Army Recruiting Command developed a bilingual "Graduate, You Can Do It!" videotape which Army recruiters and LNESC counselors successfully introduced to high school students and their parents. The video focuses on the importance of graduating, staying drug-free and preparing for their futures. The program's primary goal is to help reduce the Hispanic dropout rate, which at 31 percent is more than double the national average.
"The most significant aspect of LNESC's partnership with the Army has been to increase educational opportunities and career awareness for Hispanic youth who may not be college bound. They gain that opportunity in the Army, and when they do aspire to go to college, the Army gives them the dollars to pay for college," said Richard Roybal, LNESC Executive Director. "Based on our mutually beneficial partnership, we would encourage other Hispanic organizations to ally themselves with the U.S. Army."
Some of the other successful education programs offered by the Army combine academics and leadership, such as the high school-based Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program and the college-based ROTC program. The Army also has a highly competitive preparatory program for the United States Military Academy at West Point.
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