IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 253 

Recognizing the service, courage, and patriotism of Hispanic Americans who 

have served and continue to serve as members of the United States 

Armed Forces. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 9, 2007 

Mr. RANGEL (for himself, Mr. BACA, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. COSTA, Mr. 

FORTUN ̃O, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr. PASTOR, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Mr. 

REYES, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. SIRES, and Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the service, courage, and patriotism of Hispanic 

Americans who have served and continue to serve as 

members of the United States Armed Forces. 

Whereas people of Hispanic or Latino descent, including 

Puerto Ricans and many other Americans, come from 

various countries, including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, 

Portugal, and Spain, and share a variety of racial backgrounds including Black, White, and Asian; 

Whereas men and women of Hispanic descent have served in 

every major military conflict in the history of the United 

States; 


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•HCON 253 IH 

Whereas Hispanic servicemen and servicewomen have been 

awarded 42 Congressional Medals of Honor for distinguished service in United States wars, receiving more of 

these awards than any other ethnic group; 

Whereas there are approximately 1,300,000 living Hispanic 

veterans in the United States; 

Whereas Department of Defense data shows that as of August 2006, over 210,000 servicemembers of Hispanic descent were serving in the United States military and 

more than 400 Hispanics have died in Afghanistan and 

Iraq as of June 2007; 

Whereas close to 20,000 Hispanic Americans participated in 

the Persian Gulf war and 26 Hispanic servicemembers 

died in combat during that war; 

Whereas, during the Vietnam war, more than 80,000 Hispanic Americans served in the United States Armed 

Forces, over 3,000 Hispanic Americans died in combat, 

and 16 Hispanic Americans were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; 

Whereas nearly 150,000 Hispanic Americans served in the 

Korean war, including 61,000 Puerto Ricans, and during 

that war, 8 Hispanic officers were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; 

Whereas the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment was the 

only all-Hispanic unit in the Korean War, and while serving with distinction, earned 4 Distinguished Service 

Crosses and 124 Silver Stars; 

Whereas the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment is credited with the last recorded battalion-sized bayonet assault 

in the history of the United States Army; 


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•HCON 253 IH 

Whereas a total of 6 Hispanic Americans were flying aces in 

World War II and the Korean war; 

Whereas 400,000 to 500,000 Hispanic servicemembers served 

in the United States Armed Forces during World War II, 

including approximately 200 Puerto Rican women who 

served in the Women’s Army Corp and served in the critical role of ‘‘Code Talkers’’ to avoid enemy intelligence, 

and in that war, 13 Hispanic servicemembers were 

awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; 

Whereas many Latinos of World War II and the Korean and 

Vietnam eras joined with African-Americans to fight racial barriers so that later generations could enjoy greater 

opportunities; 

Whereas in World War I, approximately 200,000 Hispanic 

Americans were mobilized, the majority of Mexican descent; 

Whereas 3 Mexican Americans were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Civil War; 

Whereas approximately 10,000 Mexican Americans, including 

women, served in the regular Army during the Civil War 

and in the volunteer units of the Union and the Confederacy; 

Whereas, during the War of 1812, Hispanic American troops 

in Louisiana and the surrounding areas were instrumental in General Andrew Jackson’s defeat of the British; 

Whereas the first Hispanic involvement in America’s military 

history was during the Revolutionary War in 1777; 

Whereas in the decisive Battle of Yorktown, 4,000 Spanish, 

Puerto Rican, and Cuban soldiers were killed and wounded in the defeat of British forces; 


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•HCON 253 IH 

Whereas the bravery and patriotism of Hispanic servicemen 

and servicewomen remain unquestioned despite their second-class treatment at home; 

Whereas Hispanic men and women on the battlefield faced a 

dual hardship of encountering discrimination, language 

barriers, and cultural insensitivity within their ranks, 

while placing their lives and safety on the line in a heroic 

manner; 

Whereas, during World War II, Latinos faced segregation in 

many public institutions, and continued to serve their 

country loyally, and then returned from the battlefield to 

dismantle the racial barriers of their time; and 

Whereas the contributions of Hispanics to the United States 

Armed Forces have been largely unrecognized in American history: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This concurrent resolution may be cited as the ‘‘His5 panic American Heroes Resolution’’. 

6 SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF HISPANIC AMERICAN 

7 SERVICEMEMBERS. 

8 Congress recognizes Hispanic servicemembers for 

9 their courage on the battlefield throughout the history of 

10 the United States, as well as their determination, dis11 cipline, selfless service, and patriotism. 

Æ 


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