Mexican Americans and World War II
Title | Mexican Americans and World War II PDF eBook |
Author | Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Publisher | University of Texas Press |
Pages | 350 |
Release | 2005-04-01 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 9780292706811 |
A valuable book and the first significant scholarship on Mexican Americans in World War II. Up to 750,000 Mexican American men served in World War II, earning more Medals of Honor and other decorations in proportion to their numbers than any other ethnic group.
Among the Valiant
Title | Among the Valiant PDF eBook |
Author | Raul Morin |
Publisher | Pickle Partners Publishing |
Pages | 373 |
Release | 2016-11-11 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 178720328X |
First published in 1963, this book by Raul Morin, who served in the 79th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, was the first book to chronicle in detail the heroics of the Mexican-American soldier during World War II and Korea. It also provides information about the Chicano Medal of Honor recipients during these wars. The book is a tribute to all American fighting men, “be they white, red, black, yellow, or brown. We feel just as proud of the Colin Kellys, the Dobbie Millers, and the Sadio Munemoris as we are of the Martinez’, Garcias and Rodriguez’.”
World War II and Mexican American Civil Rights
Title | World War II and Mexican American Civil Rights PDF eBook |
Author | Richard Griswold del Castillo |
Publisher | University of Texas Press |
Pages | 256 |
Release | 2010-01-01 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0292779135 |
This historical study examines how Mexican American experiences during WWII galvanized the community’s struggle for civil rights. World War II marked a turning point for Mexican Americans that fundamentally changed their relationship to US society at large. The experiences of fighting alongside white Americans in the military, as well as working in factory jobs for wages equal to those of Anglo workers, made Mexican Americans less willing to tolerate the second-class citizenship that had been their lot before the war. Having proven their loyalty and “Americanness” during World War II, Mexican Americans began to demand the civil rights they deserved. In this book, Richard Griswold del Castillo and Richard Steele investigate how the wartime experiences of Mexican Americans helped forge their civil rights consciousness and how the US government responded. The authors demonstrate, for example, that the US government “discovered” Mexican Americans during World War II and began addressing some of their problems as a way of ensuring their willingness to support the war effort. The book concludes with a selection of key essays and historical documents from the World War II period that provide a first-person perspective of Mexican American civil rights struggles.
After the Blessing
Title | After the Blessing PDF eBook |
Author | Esther Bonilla Read |
Publisher | Texas A&M University Press |
Pages | 445 |
Release | 2022-02-08 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 0875658105 |
“This lieutenant gets up there and says, ‘American soldiers don’t huddle and put their hands in their pockets on a cold day. They stand at attention.’ . . . [there was a] buzz . . . in Spanish . . . ‘Hey, they called us Americans!’”—Armando Flores, Army Air Corps. Many Catholic families blessed their children before they left home. After the Blessing tells the stories of many young Mexican Americans who left home to fight for their country. During the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), many families fled Mexico to prevent their underage sons from being forced to fight. Ironically, the offspring of these immigrants often ended up across the ocean in a much larger war. Despite the bias and mistreatment most Mexican Americans faced in the US, some 500,000 fought bravely for their country during World War II. Their stories range from hair-raising accounts of the Battle of the Bulge to gut-wrenching testimony about cannibalism in the Pacific. In After the Blessing Mexican Americans reveal their experiences in combat during WWII—stories that have rarely been told.
Beyond the Latino World War II Hero
Title | Beyond the Latino World War II Hero PDF eBook |
Author | Maggie Rivas-Rodríguez |
Publisher | Univ of TX + ORM |
Pages | 388 |
Release | 2010-01-01 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0292793413 |
Maggie Rivas-Rodríguez ’s edited volume Mexican Americans & World War II brought pivotal stories from the shadows, contributing to the growing acknowledgment of Mexican American patriotism as a meaningful force within the Greatest Generation. In this latest anthology, Rivas-Rodríguez and historian Emilio Zamora team up with scholars from various disciplines to add new insights. Beyond the Latino World War II Hero focuses on home-front issues and government relations, delving into new arenas of research and incorporating stirring oral histories. These recollections highlight realities such as post-traumatic stress disorder and its effects on veterans’ families, as well as Mexican American women of this era, whose fighting spirit inspired their daughters to participate in Chicana/o activism of the 1960s and 1970s. Other topics include the importance of radio as a powerful medium during the war and postwar periods, the participation of Mexican nationals in World War II, and intergovernmental negotiations involving Mexico and Puerto Rico. Addressing the complexity of the Latino war experience, such as the tandem between the frontline and the disruption of the agricultural migrant stream on the home front, the authors and contributors unite diverse perspectives to harness the rich resources of an invaluable oral history.
Beyond the Latino World War II Hero
Title | Beyond the Latino World War II Hero PDF eBook |
Author | Maggie Rivas-Rodríguez |
Publisher | University of Texas Press |
Pages | 265 |
Release | 2009-12-07 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0292721153 |
Maggie Rivas-Rodríguez 's edited volume Mexican Americans & World War II brought pivotal stories from the shadows, contributing to the growing acknowledgment of Mexican American patriotism as a meaningful force within the Greatest Generation. In this latest anthology, Rivas-Rodríguez and historian Emilio Zamora team up with scholars from various disciplines to add new insights. Beyond the Latino World War II Hero focuses on home-front issues and government relations, delving into new arenas of research and incorporating stirring oral histories. These recollections highlight realities such as post-traumatic stress disorder and its effects on veterans' families, as well as Mexican American women of this era, whose fighting spirit inspired their daughters to participate in Chicana/o activism of the 1960s and 1970s. Other topics include the importance of radio as a powerful medium during the war and postwar periods, the participation of Mexican nationals in World War II, and intergovernmental negotiations involving Mexico and Puerto Rico. Addressing the complexity of the Latino war experience, such as the tandem between the frontline and the disruption of the agricultural migrant stream on the home front, the authors and contributors unite diverse perspectives to harness the rich resources of an invaluable oral history.
Patriots from the Barrio
Title | Patriots from the Barrio PDF eBook |
Author | Dave Gutierrez |
Publisher | Westholme Publishing |
Pages | 0 |
Release | 2019 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9781594163289 |
Named One of the 24 Best History Books of All Time by Book Riot The Inspiring True Story of a Segregated Unit Whose Exploits Underscore the Forgotten Latino Contribution to the Allied Victory in World War II As a child, Dave Gutierrez hung on every word his father recalled about his cousin Ramon, "El Sancudo" (the mosquito), and his service in World War II, where he earned a Silver Star, three Purple Hearts, and escaped from the Germans twice. Later, Dave decided to find out more about his father's cousin, and in the course of his research he discovered that Ramon Gutierrez was a member of Company E, 141st Infantry, a part of the 36th "Texas" Division that was comprised entirely of Mexican Americans--the only such unit in the entire U.S. Army. The division landed at Salerno, Italy, in 1943, among first American soldiers to set foot in Europe. In the ensuing months, Company E and the rest of the 36th would battle their way up the mountainous Italian peninsula against some of Nazi Germany's best troops. In addition to the merciless rain, mud, and jagged peaks, swift cold rivers crisscrossed the region, including the Rapido, where Company E would face its greatest challenge. In an infamous episode, the 36th Division was ordered to cross the Rapido despite reports that the opposite bank was heavily defended. In the ensuing debacle, the division was ripped apart, and Company E sustained appalling casualties. The company rebounded and made the storied landings at Anzio and ultimately invaded southern France for a final push into Germany. The men of Company E distinguished themselves as rugged fighters capable of warring amid the rubble of destroyed villages and in the devastated countryside. Based on extensive archival research and veteran and family accounts, Patriots from the Barrio: The Story of Company E, 141st Infantry: The Only All Mexican American Army Unit in World War II brings to life the soldiers whose service should never have gone unrecognized for so long. With its memorable personalities, stories of hope and immigration, and riveting battle scenes, this beautifully written book is a testament to the shared beliefs of all who have fought for the ideals of the American flag.