The armed forces of the United States during WWII were segregated. Hispanic or Latino American soldiers were considered white. Even in the segregated environment of the US armed forces, Hispanic, Latino, Latina veterans served in pivotal roles in the war efforts.
According to House concurrent resolution 253, approximately 400,000 to 500,000 Hispanic service members served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. Gen. Douglas MacArthur called the Arizona National Guard’s 158th Infantry Regiment, the “Bushmasters,” “One of the greatest fighting combat teams ever deployed for battle.” The regiment was comprised of many Hispanic Soldiers. – Hispanics in the US Army.
Many of these soldiers came from California, Arizona, Puerto Rico, Texas, and New Mexico. In segregated American society, Latinos, Mexican Americans, and other Hispanic communities did not have the privileges that their Anglo or Caucasian White counterparts may have enjoyed. They served with distinction and honor. Notable service men include Texans Staff Sergeant Marcario Garcia and Daniel Salinas.
Search Terms
United States–Armed Forces–Hispanic Americans
World War, 1939-1945—Mexico
Latinos in WWII
Sergeant Marcario Garcia
Bushmasters – 158th Infantry Regiment
Resources
All resources are provided in MLA format.
“Hispanic and Latino Americans in World War II: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans, 1 July 1970, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/hispanic-and-latino-americans-world-war-ii.
“Hispanics in the United States Army.” History | Hispanics in the United States Army, https://www.army.mil/hispanics/history.html#:~:text=According%20to%20House%20concurrent%20resolution%20253%2C%20approximately%20400%2C000,greatest%20fighting%20combat%20teams%20ever%20deployed%20for%20battle.%22.
“Latino and Latina Veterans of WWWII.” Latino and Latina Veterans of WWII, Houston Public Library, https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1747.
“Marcario Garcia: World War II: U.S. Army: Medal of Honor Recipient.” Congressional Medal of Honor Society, https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/marcario-garcia.
“ScholarWorks @ UTRGV.” Scholarworks@UTRGV, https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/ . Search digitized sources like local Rio Grande Valley newspapers or community publications. Use Key terms such as “WWII”or “the Holocaust”
Hispanic Americans in World War II, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Feb. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_Americans_in_World_War_II#:~:text=Hispanic%20Americans%2C%20also%20referred%20to%20as%20Latinos%2C%20served,3.1%25%20to%203.2%25%20of%20the%20U.S.%20Armed%20Forces.
Latino Philadelphia. “Hsp.org.” Mexican Americans and World War II, https://hsp.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/migrated/emiliedavispressrelease.pdf.
Martinez, Jen S. “Soldier, Mexican Immigrant Earned Medal of Honor during WWII.” WWW.army.mil, 6 Sept. 2018, https://www.army.mil/article/210759/soldier_mexican_immigrant_earned_medal_of_honor_during_wwii.
Oropeza, Lorena. “Latinos in World War II: Fighting on Two Fronts (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/articles/latinoww2.htm.
Salinas, Daniel. Daniel Salinas Scrapbook, UTSA Special Collections Digital Collections, https://digital.utsa.edu/digital/collection/p15125coll9/id/48348/rec/1.
Wong, Aliza S. The Texas Liberators: Veteran Narratives from World War II. Texas Tech University Press, 2018. D810 .V42 U684 2017
