The dedication of the long-awaited National World War II Memorial in 2004, along with the airing of the nationally acclaimed and controversial mini-series, The War, by Ken Burns in 2007, has focused much deserved attention on America's war veterans. For Hispanics, the events were bittersweet because even as Hispanic war veterans received some belated recognition for service to their country in wartime, the events refocused attention on their past neglect.

Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, a University of Texas journalism professor and author of a book on Hispanic war veterans, called attention to that neglect which touched off widespread protests from Hispanic leaders and organizations against the documentary.

At first, Burns and PBS, which aired the documentary, resisted pressure to make alterations to the film, but they eventually reached an agreement with the American GI Forum, a Hispanic veterans group, to hire Hispanic film maker Hector Galan to add the Hispanic perspective. Galan incorporated a 28-minute segment in the first part of The War through the voices of two Hispanic veterans who were with the U.S. Special Forces in Guadalcanal.

It might surprise some people to know that Hispanics have fought in every American War, beginning with the Revolutionary War. Captain Jorge Farragut came to the American colonies from the Spanish island of Minorca fought in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

Louisiana governor, General Bernardo de Galvez, sent money, rifles, and other supplies to to aid General George Washington's war effort. In New Mexico, Hispanics fought for both sides during the Civil War, but most allied with the North and participated in every engagement. Col. Manuel Chavez led Union forces and was the hero of the Battle of Glorieta. Some Hispanics fought with "Teddy" Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War. In World War I, several thousand New Mexican Hispanics were among the American "doughboys."

A United States senator published, in the Congressional Record, an "Honor Roll" of New Mexico Hispanics killed in France during World War I. Of the 23 names, one New Mexican, Nicolas Lucero, received the French Croix de Guerre for "destroying two German machine-gun emplacements and keeping a constant fire on enemy positions for over three hours."

World War II witnessed the participation of 400,000 Hispanics, which was more than any other ethnic minority. Many of New Mexico's Hispanics were among the first in combat in World War II, since thousands were in the National Guard, which was immediately activated after the outbreak of hostilities with Japan.

Those troops, many serving in the Field Artillery, were dispatched to European and Pacific war zones owing to the shortage of trained manpower at the beginning of the war. Many Hispanics were among the artillery troops that covered the American retreat from Bataan and who became prisoners of war after the surrender to the Japanese. It is estimated that one-fourth of the casualties of the Philippines engagement and Bataan Death March were Hispanos (many of them New Mexicans).

As in WWII, thousands of Hispanics (many New Mexicans among them), were called into service during the Korean conflict, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.

Perhaps no other symbol better represents the bravery and heroism of American soldiers than the Congressional Medal of Honor or "CMH," as it is popularly and reverently referred to in the military. It is appropriate, as we New Mexicans reflect on the memories of those wars, that we recall the heroism of our own Hispanic soldiers whose actions and exploits in the service of their country earned them the nation's highest military decoration.

One of the first efforts to recognize some of that service of our Hispanic war heroes was a book authored by Raul Morín titled Among the Valiant: Mexican-Americans in WWII and Korea. The Congressional Medal of Honor did not come into existence until 1861 when Congress first authorized the medal for the Navy.

The following year (1862), it was authorized for the Army. Actually, the first American military commendation (and thus predecessor to the CMH) was established by George Washington in 1782 when he awarded Revolutionary War soldiers the "Badge of Military Merit," for acts of unusual bravery. That award was not used again until 1932 when it became the "Purple Heart," which is still awarded to soldiers wounded in battle.

Of the 3,400 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the medal since its inception, 37 are Hispanic-Americans. Three Hispanics received the CMH shortly after it was created, for their service during the Civil War, Philip Bazaar, a seaman from Massachusetts; Joseph H. De Castro, a corporal in the Massachusetts Infantry; and John Ortega, a seaman from Pennsylvania. France Silva, a Marine private from Hayward, Calif., received the CMH for heroism in the Boxer Rebellion in 1901. David W. Barkley of Laredo, Texas, was awarded the CMH posthumously for his actions as an infantrymanduring WWI.

Of the remaining Medal of Honor recipients in WWII and after, five were born in New Mexico.

Private Jose P. Martinez of the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division was born in Taos. Martinez served with Company K of the 32nd Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division when he received the award. According to the citation, Martinez's unit was involved in an offensive operation in the Aleutian Islands in May, 1943. They were involved in an effort to drive the Japanese enemy from a defensive position in the mountains between East Arm Holtz Bay and Chichagof Harbor.

Armed with a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle), Martinez led the advance that resulted in the capture of the enemy. Even though was mortally wounded, his leadership helped end the hostile resistence on the island.

Private First Class Jose F. Valdez was born in Governador, New Mexico. Valdez served with Company B of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division in January 1945. His unit was engaged in an operation near Rosenkrantz, France. In January 1945, Valdez and five others, was on outpost duty 500 yards beyond American lines when the Germans counterattacked with an overwhelming force.

With his automatic rifle, Valdez forced the withdraw of an approaching German tank, killed three German soldiers in a firefight and engaged two full infantry companies while serving as cover so the rest of his patrol withdrew. Valdez was shot in the stomach, but it didn't stop him from calling for artillery and mortar fire.

For 15 minutes he continued his fire until he was convinced the artillery barrage had stopped the attack. Valdez made it back to his own lines and eventually died from his wound. But he not only made it possible for his comrades to escape to safety, but repulsed the attack of the superior enemy force.

Born in Carlsbad, PFC Alejandro R. Renteria Ruiz served with an infantry company of the 165th Infantry Regiment, of the 27th Infantry Division, in Okinawa in April 1945.

Engaged in patrol, his unit was stopped by a rain of machine gun fire and grenades coming from a camouflaged enemy pillbox. Finding his unit pinned down; Ruiz seized an automatic rifle and lunged forward through the exploding grenades and rifle fire to the top of the emplacement.

An enemy soldier charged him, but Ruiz's rifle jammed, so the two engaged in hand-to-hand combat. After winning , Ruiz ran back to his position, grabbed another automatic rifle and ammo and Leaped from opening to opening in the enemy pillbox killing 12 enemy soldiers. Specialist Fourth Class (Spec 4) Daniel Fernandez was born in Albuquerque on June 30, 1944.

He was serving with Company C, of the 1st Battalion, 5th Mechanized Regiment, 25th Infantry Division in the vicinity of Cu Chi, Hau Nghia Province, in the Republic of Vietnam, in February, 1966. Fernandez's unit was on patrol near Cu Chi when they were ambushed by a Viet Cong rifle company and driven back by a hail of automatic weapons fire. One of their comrades was wounded and unable to withdraw. Spec 4 Fernandez, a sergeant and two other volunteers immediately fought their way through automatic weapons' fire and exploding grenades to reach the fallen soldier.

As the group took cover, "an enemy grenade landed in the midst of the group, although some men did not see it." Realizing that there was no time for the other men to protect themselves, Spec 4 Fernandez vaulted over the wounded sergeant and threw himself over the grenade as it exploded, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Fernandez literally sacrificed his life for that of his comrades.

Sergeant First Class (SFC) Louis R. Rocco was born on November 19, 1938, in Albuquerque. Rocco was assigned to Advisory Team 162, U.S. Military Assistance Command, serving in Vietnam in May 1970.

On May 24, Rocco volunteered to accompany a medical evacuation (medevac) team on an urgent mission to evacuate critically wounded South Vietnamese personnel in an area northeast of Katum. As the helicopter approached the landing zone, it became the target for intense enemy automatic weapons' fire. The helicopter crash landed and Rocco sustained a fractured wrist and hip and a bruised back.

Notwithstanding his injuries, Rocco extracted the survivors to safety by carrying them through 20 meters of exposed terrain while under fire. Rocco helped administer first aid to his comrades until he himself collapsed from his injuries. He survived and went on to become a Warrant Officer (WO).

The courage and valor exhibited by these Hispano soldiers from New Mexico not only represent the highest level of patriotism toward the United States but are a distinct part of our Hispanic-American heritage.