Bill Text: CA SCR80 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Latino Veterans Day.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-06-11 - In Assembly. Held at Desk. [SCR80 Detail]
Download: California-2019-SCR80-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Concurrent Resolution
No. 80
| Introduced by Senator Archuleta (Coauthors: Senators Hurtado and Rubio) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Arambula, Ramos, Robert Rivas, Blanca Rubio, and Salas) |
January 28, 2020 |
Relative to Latino Veterans Day.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 80, as introduced, Archuleta.
Latino Veterans Day.
This measure would proclaim September 20, 2020, as Latino Veterans Day.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NOBill Text
WHEREAS, The history of California veterans of Latino descent abounds with acts of heroism and exhibits a heritage of valor which has brought honor and earned the gratitude of our country; and
WHEREAS, As early as 1863, the United States government authorized the military commander in California to raise four companies of native Mexican American Californians in order to take advantage of their extraordinary horsemanship; and
WHEREAS, Several thousand Latino volunteers, mostly from the southwestern United States, fought with distinction in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War. Captain Maximiliano Luna and others who comprised a portion of the famous 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry with Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, better known as the “Rough Riders,” fought in Cuba; and
WHEREAS, Discrimination, racism, and language barriers meant that many Latinos were relegated to menial jobs or served in segregated units. A number of Mexican-American cavalry militias chased bandits and guarded trains and border crossings for the Union during the Civil War; and
WHEREAS, Admiral David G. Farragut, a Latino of great renown and hero of the Civil War, distinguished himself as a military strategist whose concepts and accomplishments served as examples of military excellence. Admiral Farragut was responsible for, among other things, establishing the Mare Island Naval Yard at Vallejo; and
WHEREAS, During the Civil War, Loreta Janeta Velázquez, who was born in Cuba, masqueraded as a Confederate soldier using the name of Lieutenant Harry T. Buford, enlisting in 1860 without her soldier husband’s knowledge. She fought fearlessly at the Battles of Bull Run, Ball’s Bluff, and Fort Donelson, and spied in both male and female disguises. Her bravery in the Civil War showed extraordinary courage and commitment; and
WHEREAS, The bravery of countless Latinos in World Wars I and II and the conflicts of Korea and Vietnam is consistent with the greatest acts of heroism known in our history, as exemplified by the 20th and the 515th Coast Artillery Battalions, which were comprised of a majority of Latinos, many of whom were from California, who fought to the bitter end at Bataan in World War II; and
WHEREAS, During World War II, General 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 Latino soldiers; and
WHEREAS, During World War II, Marine Corps Private First Class Guy Louis Gabaldon of Bellflower, California, distinguished himself with conspicuous gallantry by capturing 800 enemy soldiers in seven hours; and
WHEREAS, The 65th Infantry Regiment, “the Borinqueneers” from Puerto Rico, served valiantly in both World War II and Korea. Fighting as a segregated unit from 1950 to 1952, the regiment participated in some of the fiercest battles of the Korean War, and its toughness, courage, and loyalty earned the admiration of many who had preciously harbored reservations about Puerto Rican soldiers based on lack of previous fighting experience and negative stereotypes, including Brigadier General William W. Harris, whose experience eventually led him to regard the regiment as “the best damn soldiers that I had ever seen”; and
WHEREAS, During their service in the Korean War, the 65th Infantry Regiment won four Distinguished Service Crosses and 125 Silver Stars. The Borinqueneers also were awarded the American Presidential and Meritorious Unit Commendations, two Korean Presidential Unit Citations, and the Greek Gold Medal for Bravery. President Barack Obama signed House Resolution No. 1726 to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Borinqueneers on June 10, 2014; and
WHEREAS, During the Korean War, Marine Corps Private First Class Eugene A. Obregon of Los Angeles, California, armed only with a pistol, unhesitatingly dashed from his covered position to the side of a wounded fellow Marine. Still under enemy fire, while he was bandaging the man’s wounds and hostile troops of approximately platoon strength began advancing toward his position, he placed his own body as a shield in front of the wounded soldier and lay there firing accurately and effectively into the hostile group until he was fatally wounded by enemy fire, earning him the Medal of Honor; and
WHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, First Sergeant Maximo Yabes of Lodi, California, distinguished himself when he used his body as a shield to protect others in a bunker, moved two wounded men to a safer position where they could be given medical treatment, and destroyed an enemy machine gun position before being mortally wounded. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor; and
WHEREAS, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm provided another opportunity for Latinos to serve their country. Approximately 20,000 Latino servicemen and women participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; and
WHEREAS, During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Moses Cardenas from Fullerton, California, distinguished himself by leaving his safe position behind a vehicle and fought his way across 50 meters of fire-swept open desert against five armed insurgents to rescue a fallen Marine. After sustaining a gunshot wound to the neck that knocked him to the ground, he calmly reloaded his squad automatic weapon and continued his assault until he reached the wounded Marine. Throughout this close and fierce fight, he ignored his own severe wounds, remained fixed on his task, and saved the life of a fellow Marine, earning him the Silver Star; and
WHEREAS, Today, Latinos make up approximately 14 percent of America’s fighting force. Since the beginning of this century, Latinos have been the boots on the ground in antiterrorism operations; and
WHEREAS, Latino veterans, both men and women, have shown and continue to show a superb dedication to the United States, evidenced by the award of 60 Congressional Medals of Honor, the greatest number received by any ethnic group; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That September 20, 2020, be proclaimed as Latino Veterans Day; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
