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    Cannon celebrates Hispanic heritage

    Cannon celebrates Hispanic heritage

    Photo By Staff Sgt. Whitney Amstutz | U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Anthony Diaz, 27th Special Operations Contracting Squadron...... read more read more

    CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, NM, UNITED STATES

    09.25.2015

    Story by Staff Sgt. Whitney Amstutz 

    27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

    CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Sept. 15, is a time to celebrate Hispanic and Latin American culture and recognize their contributions to the world.

    “Several of our states and many of our cities proudly bear Hispanic names and continue Hispanic traditions that enrich our national life,” wrote U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, in Proclamation 3869, which started Hispanic Heritage Month. “The people of Hispanic descent are the heirs of missionaries, captains, soldiers, and farmers who were motivated by a young spirit of adventure, and a desire to settle freely in a free land. This heritage is ours.”

    Hispanic Heritage Month originated in 1968 as a weeklong cultural celebration. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan extended it to a month.
    Several North and South American countries celebrate their independence the first week of the month: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua on the 15th, Mexico the 16th, Chile the 18th and Belize the 21st.

    “America's Hispanic community has the same dreams, values, trials, and triumphs of people in every corner of our country, and they show the same grit and determination that have carried us forward for centuries,” said President Barack Obama in the 2015 National Hispanic Heritage Month Presidential Proclamation. “During National Hispanic Heritage Month, let us renew our commitment to honoring the invaluable ways Hispanics contribute to our common goals, to celebrating Hispanic culture, and to working toward a stronger, more inclusive and more prosperous society for all.”

    Air Commandos and members of the local community gathered for an afternoon of festivities including dance, traditional Hispanic cuisine, and an address by one of Cannon’s own: Lt. Col. Anthony Diaz, 27th Special Operations Contracting Squadron commander.

    “Hispanic servicemembers have been making contributions to this nation since the 1800s,” Diaz said. “Looking back through history, it’s not difficult to find influential leaders of Latin descent and for that I am extremely proud, just as I am proud to have been asked to speak today.”

    Diaz, having served in both the Army and Air Force for a cumulative 26 years, spoke about rising from humble roots in New York City.

    “I was raised by an uneducated single mother of four,” he said. “But lacking formal education didn’t prevent my mother from instilling in me a sense of pride and ambition. Even so, if you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be standing here, addressing a room of distinguished service men and women with the ability to call them my peers, I wouldn’t have believed it. I am proud to serve alongside you, and to continue the legacy of Hispanic leaders who paved the way before me.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 09.25.2015
    Date Posted: 09.30.2015 10:13
    Story ID: 177622
    Location: CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, NM, US
    Hometown: NEW YORK, NY, US

    Web Views: 63
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN