July 23, 1999
Story Submitted by
Lt. Col David B. Stockwell
In a heartfelt speech punctuated
by frequent applause from the capacity crowd, Secretary of the
Army Louis Caldera credited the League of United Latin American
Citizens (LULAC) for 70 years of hard work that has created unprecedented
opportunity for Hispanic Americans, and outlined United States
Army initiatives designed to help youth.
The following is an abridged version of the speech by Caldera before LULAC at their annual convention in Corpus Christi, Texas, July 16, 1999.
It's great to be back in my native state of Texas. I am deeply, deeply honored to speak before such a distinguished audience of Hispanic American leaders.
I want to begin by thanking you for what you do for America. I want to thank you personally, because I have been a beneficiary of your efforts. And I want to thank you on behalf of America, because you make our country greater, stronger, more just, worthier of her good name. You help our nation live up to her highest principles when you uphold the dignity and vindicate the rights of the least powerful among us.
For nearly seven decades you have fought the fight. From a time when Hispanic Americans were denied not just their right to participate fully in the life of our nation, but their very dignity and humanity through things like signs that said "No dogs or Mexicans allowed" to a time when Hispanic Americans are on the verge of becoming the largest minority group in the nation, you have been there. Fighting for equal treatment under the law, fighting for the right to a decent education for every child, fighting to earn recognition for our contributions, our talents, our promise and our right to a place at the table.
Our young people still need someone in their corner, fighting for them. Too many are angry, confused, disheartened about what their place in the world is supposed to be. They have been denied the education, the encouragement, and the opportunities to make the most precious talents God endowed them with. We must redeem the promise of opportunity for these young people, so that every child has a chance at a good education and to learn marketable skills, so that every child has a safe nurturing environment were they can be of healthy mind and healthy body, so that every child can develop a close relationship with a caring adult who will guide them, teach them and challenge them to give something back.
Let me tell you how I am working with groups like LULAC and other men and women of goodwill throughout our nation to lead the effort to make sure that we redeem the promise of opportunity for our young people. And in my case, to make sure the Army is delivering on that promise of opportunity.
Hispanic Americans have long understood that the highest and noblest duty of citizenship is to serve our country in uniform. And many answered that call long before they were citizens. Indeed, long before our own rights were secured, Hispanic Americans were serving proudly and with distinction in every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Thirty seven soon to be 38 Hispanic Americans have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, countless more earned other medals for bravery or were equally heroic, but their deeds went unrecorded and unrecognized. Talk to these veterans and they will modestly tell you they weren't there for glory or to get recognition, but just to do their duty out of love of country.
Today, Hispanic American youth register the highest interest in military service among all young people. And they have the highest success rate in uniform in terms of completing the enlistment tour of service they signed up for, re-enlisting for another tour. Despite all that, Hispanic Americans are underrepresented in our Army. There are half as many as there should be in the enlisted ranks and a quarter as many in the officer ranks, and at the highest ranks there are only four Hispanic American general officers out of more than 300.
This is wrong for America.
Wrong because we can't keep America safe and strong if we can't fill the ranks and we can't fill the ranks if we are not tapping into the fastest growing demographic group in the nation. Wrong because it undervalues the tremendous contributions Hispanic Americans have to offer our nation. And wrong because it closes doors of opportunity to valuable training, education and leadership experiences in the army that have been the vehicle of upward mobility for countless others throughout our nation's history.
How is the Army working to address this underrepresentation?
We are investing in stay-in-school programs and advertising because a good education is still the best foundation for life, including for those who serve in uniform
We are expanding Junior ROTC, adding 50 new high schools a year every year for the next five years to build better citizens and help young people learn about opportunities in the military.
We are doubling our Spanish-language media advertising program to better reach the Hispanic American market.
We've held summits in San Antonio and Los Angeles with Hispanic American national and local civic leaders, educators and youth group leaders, and congressional leaders from throughout the country to get out the world about ROTC, West Point and enlisted opportunities in America's Army.
And we are going to give deserving young Americans who didn't finish high school but want to serve in the Army a second chance. We are going to help them earn the educational credentials they need to enlist. There isn't a better place for young Americans who need an opportunity than in our Army.
Are our efforts to attract more Hispanic Americans in the Army paying off?
Let me tell you that in just one year of giving it a little personal attention, West Point doubled the number of cadets in the entering class from an average of 50 or less cadets per year over the last five years to 99 first-every cadets this year. This will be one of the largest Hispanic American freshman classes ever at a top tier U.S. education institution. We can do it if we try.
And we are working to make the Army an even better and more valuable experience for those who join. My vision for the Army is that through the use of technology, computers and distance learning, it will become place where young Americans of all backgrounds can earn college credits while they serve, a place where they can gain valuable training and leadership experience that will serve them well throughout their lives. My vision for the Army is a place of opportunity that molds young people to be better citizens; a place that represent the great diversity our nation throughout the ranks.
Thank you for working with me to help carry this message of opportunity in the Army throughout our community, and for supporting my efforts to give that second chance to young Americans who need it.
We Hispanic Americans have helped to make America great and we have even more to offer our nation. We should take great pride in what we have accomplished and in our heritage, especially in the service of those Hispanics who have fought, bled and died for nation in uniform. I've seen their pride in the faces of the people I've met from San Jose to San Juan. Our values Fe, familia, comunidad, amor de patria, and our hard work make American Strong. They are the values that will continue to guides us today, tomorrow, and into the 21st century.
I will part by saying that I am proud of LULAC. I am truly humbled to be a part of this important 70th Anniversary celebration. Let us go forward and reenergize our commitment to make our community and our Nation greater than we are today. Thank you again for what you do to help make American strong. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Que dios los vediga LULAC.
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