HispanicVista Columnists
In Service to a Grateful Nation
- By Robert Miranda
- Special to HispanicVista.com
- June 27, 2005
A study released by the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center in 2003 showed that Latinos in general were not in full support of the war with Iraq. The study, released in April of that year, was conducted in English and Spanish and showed that 61 percent of Latinos supported the war, while 27 percent indicated that they opposed it.
Today, Latinos make up 11 percent of the armed forces and the Defense Department spends approximately $27 million of its $180 million recruitment budget on bilingual personnel and Spanish-language publications, according to department statistics.
Clearly Latinos are doing their part to help build a “free Iraq.”
Indeed, once these Latinos complete their tour of duty in Iraq, what do they come home to?
They are hit in the face with low wage jobs and no money to continue their education.
As Latino Soldiers and Marines return home from serving their country, many of them return to cities unable to provide them with employment that pays a decent wage. Latinos have a high rate of participation in the labor force, and yet, nearly 7% of Latinos with full-time jobs were living below the poverty line in 2001 (compared to 4.4% of African Americans and 1.7% for whites).
Now that the occupation of Iraq continues, many of our troops will be coming back home to be with their loved ones and to embrace the well wishes of a grateful nation.
However, some of those Latino veterans will be returning not only to some hero’s parade, they will also be returning to the poverty ridden barrios of their hometown.
They will be returning to neighborhoods that are segregated because of race, ethnicity and economic class.
They will be returning to communities with failing public educational systems and bankrupt opportunities to go on to college.
They will be returning to blocks infested with drug dealers and cops who harass them because they are simply driving a car, while being brown.
Finally, they will be returning as veterans and they will see that their Commander in Chief is continuing his efforts to cut benefits and medical programs from the Veteran’s Administration.
Hmmm, what did these Latinos fight and die for again?
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Miranda, a frequent contributor to HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com), is a national award-winning columnist, Latino community activist and columnist for the Milwaukee Spanish Journal. Email at: rmiranda@wi.rr.com