Posted on 09/23/2007 9:14:44 AM PDT by Racehorse
"They don't deserve this," said Garcia, a retired nurse. "They were dignified and respectful people who became servants in their community after they came back from the war. They kept on giving back."
The sisters were among about 100 people who came to the sidewalk outside KLRN, San Antonio's public television station, to protest tonight's start of "The War," a 14-hour documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns that weaves the stories of so-called ordinary Americans into the fabric of global war. Burns mingled wartime facts and film footage with narratives from people in four American communities who talked about the impact that the war had on their lives.
Latino perspectives and contributions were not included until after the documentary was completed and Hispanic groups complained. Burns tried to settle the nationwide controversy by adding 30 minutes of footage onto the end of the first, fifth and sixth episodes that tell about Latino and Native American war perspectives.
But that wasn't enough in the eyes of local Hispanic veteran and community groups, who organized the Defend the Honor San Antonio Coalition and came out Saturday to urge people to boycott the broadcast and its PBS corporate sponsors.
"This is the nation's story and we are being excluded from the nation's story," said historian Gilberto Hinojosa. "This is crumbs. They gave us the crumbs."
(Excerpt) Read more at mysanantonio.com ...
Now NOT making a point about some one race makes you a rude bigot
That is BS. I served with several 'Latino' sailors and I never met one who considered a rough cultural classification term invented by Napoleon III to alienate the US to be more important than being an American. Many of these sailors were certainly proud of their heritage, but never to the detriment of in competition with their Americanness. Your slam at active duty service members and veterans is NOT appreciated.
Burns isn’t a liberal, he’s a Marxist.
Thanks for your service!
I was Burns’ production of Baseball. It was largely the biography of Jackie Robinson.
I think the slam was intended for "hispanic veterans" who are indignant about Burns failure to insert policical correctness into a documentary.
I haven't seen the documentary yet of course, but in my opinion the only valid focus on ethnicity in a history of Americans in WWII would be on the institutional segregation of black Americans, and the story of the American Indian code talkers, and the Japanese Neisi. It has some relevance in those cases.
I have Mexican blood, and a Mexican great uncle who fought at Tarawa. I know he would have been disgusted at the transparent manner those activists try to inject modern politics into history. He (that great uncle) did by the way tell me often when I was a young boy that he had nothing but contempt for Mexico and wouldn't consider living in that country as a king. He also had a brother (who I never knew) who was severely wounded at the Remagen Bridge.
bump for later
The travesty of war lies in those who have to live after it's over.
*My uncles and grandfather......sheesh
Lol, I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that.
My heartfelt respect and gratitude to those gentlemen.
My own father, though not hispanic was a 20 year old sergeant on Corregidor, and was also a "guest of the Emperor."
I have at times cause to receive email from relatives of World War II veterans. They're seeking information and referrals to trace the service of a father, grandfather, uncle or granduncle.
The most common line from their email is, "He never talked about . . ."
This is a point Burns makes in each interview I've seen. Now, because there are so few of them left and they want their stories told, they're talking.
Unlike other nations, the remaining Greek forces actually were formed into a battalion which continued to fight the Axis powers.
This photo, taken in Camp Carson, Colorado in early 1943, pictures the first and only time a foreign flag was allowed to fly next to the American flag leading a United States Armed Forces group on American soil. Passing in review for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and General George C. Marshall, the soldiers were Greek-American and Greek Immigrants, many of whom were not yet American citizens.
The Greek Battalion was designated the 122nd in honor of 122 years of Greek independence from the ottoman empire.
History of the Greek Battalion
That said, I think the protests here are more about present day political victimology rather than acknowledging those who served with honor.
What a silly question. They are not protected minorities. Gosh, I thought everyone understood the game!
susie
My next door neighbor when I was growing up had the neatest collection of Japanese artifacts all taken by him in probably the worst and least talked about theatre of the war, the Aleutian Islands. He was an American, through and through who happened to be of Mexican extraction. If Hispanic surnames were slighted in the documentary then that would be too sad.
PBS in LA (to cover their butts) has been showing documentaries about Hispanics and WWII but not the right ones not the quiet ones who did their duty as heroes as Americans.
Did not know that; learned something today (as usual).
Good Lord, I’m not slamming active-duty Hispanic servicepeople, I’m slamming the whining complainers in the article!
Hey, Snook! You have my respect and admiration for your service.
Right on. I'm sick of the various Crybaby Lobbies, who think factionism is so important. When was the last time some Mediot reported on some Black, Hispanic, Asian, or whatever, veteran who just said "I'm not a hero, I was just doing my job."
That would be poison to the disgusting, worthless, lying, Mainly Sleazy Mediots.
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