From Draft NOtices, April-June 2012
— Rodrigo de la Rosa
The Latino/a population enlisted in the United States military is rapidly increasing and is projected to be as much as 22.3% of the armed forces by 2020. Without a doubt as the population of Latinos and Latinas increases in the U.S. the amount of Latino/Latina military personnel will do so as well. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that in 2001 there were 109,487 enlisted soldiers who classified themselves as Hispanics, with 14% of them enlisted in the Marine Corps.
The Pew Hispanic Center published statistics that exposed the risk Hispanics take when enlisting in the military. From 2001 to 2009, during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the death toll of Hispanic military personnel was 450, all of whom had family members, loved ones and people who cared for them. It is very important to remember that when these individuals pass away, it has a significant impact on the people to whom they were connected back home. The majority of our Latino/Latina or Hispanic brothers and sisters have been used as cannon fodder by the U.S. military. Despite the fact that they are aggressively recruited by the military, only a miniscule number of them have high-ranking positions as officers.
It is also important to realize and recognize that the Latino/Latina population has been fighting in U.S. wars for more than 150 years. They have fought in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. They have played a crucial role in the development of what the U.S. is today, whether it be good or bad. Because few people are aware of these facts, a monument memorializing these soldiers will be erected in historic Chicano Park in the Logan Heights community of San Diego.