Heritage, Diversity, Integrity & Honor:

The Renewed Hope of America

Hispanic-Latino Ethnic & Cultural Groups

Map Courtesy of University of Florida

*United States not considered a point of origin for Hispanic-Latino groups

Mexico

Dominican Republic

South America

Central America

Cuba

Puerto Rico

Hispanic Heritage Month: 2010

Begins September 15th and continues through October 15th

Why?Within this time frame, Costa Rica, El Salvador,

Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico honor their Independence Day

El Dia de la Raza is on October 12th, celebrating Latin American Identity

Culture

Photos courtesy of Fort Hood Sentinel, Baylor University, Travel Guide, Vance AFB, Bulldog Blog

Influential On and Off the Big Screen George Lopez, Comedian,

Mexican-American

Made an appearance at the Kid’s Inaugural: We are the Future Participated alongside other

celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Jamie Foxx in addition to the hosts - Michelle Obama and Jill Biden

The event called for children to become more involved by volunteering at shelters, writing letters to the troops or assisting the elderly

For more information, see Lopez’s page at biography.com, Time Magazine Online, and wikipedia; Photo courtesy of wikipedia

In Sports Arturo Moreno, CEO and

Owner of Anaheim Angels MLB Team, Mexican-American

First Latino team owner of a major U.S. sport

Changed the “rules of the game” by lowering ticket and concession prices without pinching pennies elsewhere

Signed the best free agent and made fans smile when the team made it to the 2004 playoffs

As far as the future goes, Moreno reported to Time Magazine: "A lot of people talk about getting to the

World Series. All I want is to win one."

Photo courtesy of Time Magazine

In Politics and Such Anthony Romero,

Executive Director, Puerto Rican-American

The first Hispanic executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union

Charged with bringing the Union into the 21st Century

Said to Times Magazine in an interview:

“We bring who we are to our job. When you've seen prejudice, you understand that we aren't finished, that we're still perfecting this American experiment.”

Photo courtesy of Time Magazine

In Education, Literature Sandra Cisneros, Author,

Mexican-American

Cisneros has taught and counseled high-school dropouts

Her book, The House on Mango Street, won the “Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award” and is a required reading for middle school children as well as high school and university students

Her books have been translated into more than 10 languages

Cisneros – president and founder of the Macondo Foundation – says the foundation “seeks to advance creativity, foster generosity and honor our communities”

Photo courtesy of LaPrensaToledo.com

Military Spotlight

LCDR Raul Castaneda, U.S. Navy

Education A.S. – Digital Electronics B.S. – Industrial Technology M.B.A. – Human Resource

Management Attended Aviation Officer

Candidate School where he earned his wings of gold and became a Naval Flight Officer

After many accomplishments and awards, LCDR Castaneda was assigned as the Navy Recruiting Command in Washington, D.C., as the Deputy for Minority Affairs

During this, he devised the 12/12/5 plan (adopted by the Secretary of the Navy) which calls for the systematic increase in officers of Hispanic, African American, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans

Became the President of the Association of Naval Services Officers and established its mission to seek out qualified minorities to enter officer programs

For the full article, see Hispanic Times Magazine, December, 1996

Famous Hispanic/Latinos in the Military

Famous Hispanic/Latinos in the Military

Richard E. Cavazos Became the U.S. Army’s first Hispanic four-star general

in 1982

David G. Farragut Became the first U.S. naval officer to ever be awarded

admiral Know for saying, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”

during his Civil War Victory at Mobile Bay (infoplease.com)

Manuel J. Fernandez, Jr. Flew 125 combat missions in the Korean War

Holidays Celebrated in the U.S. Though there are many Hispanic and Latino holidays such as

El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead in Mexico), Semana Santa (Holy Week), Dia del Amor y Amistad (Valentine’s Day), Americans tend to know two: Cinco de Mayo and Carnival

Cinco de Mayo – Not Mexico’s Independence Day

Marks the victory of the Mexican militia over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 which established a sense of national unity

The victory was short lived as Napoleon III sent more troops and established Archduke Maximilian of Austria as ruler of Mexico

With the U.S. Civil War over, the U.S. was able to assist Mexico with political and military assistance which helped to expel the French and their appointed ruler

Carnival – The annual celebration of life (also known as Mardi Gras)

Influenced and celebrated by a variety of cultures and nations Is an annual celebration of life and marks the beginning of a new season

Can be found throughout the Caribbean and many major U.S. cities

Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month Presentation

Prepared by Stephanie I. Turner, M.S.on behalf of the

Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute

Patrick Air Force Base, FloridaAugust 2010

All photographs are public domain and are from various sources as cited.

Opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and should not be construed to represent the official position of DEOMI, the U.S. Military

services, or the Department of Defense.