by Staff Sgt. Scott Pangelinan, Operations Tasking
NCO, U.S. Army Operational Test Command
National
Hispanic Heritage Month has an odd date framework from
September 15 to October 15, with good reason.
This observance opens and closes
mid-month because Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate their independence on
September 15, and Spain and Latin American countries
celebrate the discovery of the Americas on October 12.
The commemoration also takes into
account the Independence Day of Mexico on September 16
and the Independence Day of Chile on September 18.
During Hispanic Heritage Month,
the U.S. Army celebrates the long-standing and
remarkable contributions that Hispanics have made in
building and defending the nation.
The Army and our nation draws
strength from the diversity that makes up America's
melting pot.
The valuable roles of American
Soldiers with ancestry from Spain, Mexico, the
Caribbean, Central and South America are treasured and
respected. Hispanic-Americans have decisively defended
and shown allegiance to our nation through exceptional
military service.
With more than 40 Medal of Honor
recipients dating back to the Civil War,
Hispanic-Americans represent the military with deep,
abiding patriotism and heroism.
Continuing this tradition, more
than 133,000 Hispanics currently serve in the Total
Force, and more than 66,000 of them are in the Army.
During this observance, the Army shows its appreciation
of all Hispanic-Americans who have served and those who
continue to serve today.
One Hispanic American Soldier that
always comes to mind during this observance is Master
Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez, who served in Vietnam.
While serving near Loc Ninh,
Vietnam, May 2, 1968, with the 5th Special Forces Group,
then-Staff Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez received a distress
call from another team. Upon reaching the scene,
Benavidez, who had already been seriously wounded on a
previous tour, leaped off the helicopter and ran through
75 meters of unrelenting fire, getting shot in his right
leg, face and head.
He carried wounded men aboard the
helicopter, then attempted to recover a fallen Soldier
and classified documents, sustaining even more severe
wounds in the process.
After the helicopter pilot was
killed, Benavidez organized a perimeter, returned fire,
called in air strikes and distributed ammunition,
medicine and water. When another aircraft was finally
able to land, Benavidez ferried his comrades to the
helicopter through devastating fire.
By the time he reached safety,
Benavidez was unable to move or speak and was riddled
with more than 30 wounds.
Just as he was about to be placed
into a body bag, he spit into a doctor's face. He
remained in the Army, retiring as a master sergeant in
1976. Benavidez's Distinguished Service Cross was
upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 1981 after
investigators located a witness to his actions.
In 1985, Hispanics represented
three percent of the Army's population. That percentage
has grown to 14 percent in 2016.
Just as America's diversity has
always been one of the nation's greatest strengths, the
Army's diverse force makes it stronger and more capable.
The legacy of Hispanic Soldier
courage and selfless service is certainly an inspiration
for future generations of Americans.
~~
As the Army's only independent
operational tester, the U.S. Army Operational Test
Command tests and assesses Army, joint, and
multi-service warfighting systems in realistic
operational environments, using typical Soldiers to
determine whether the systems are effective, suitable,
and survivable. OTC is required by public law to test
major systems before they are fielded to its ultimate
customer -- the American Soldier.