Photo By Sgt. Michael Roach | Carlos Gomez, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas...... read more read more
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The halls of Riley’s Conference Center filled with the sounds of “Maria Maria” as the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, hosted a luncheon to observe Hispanic Heritage Month on Fort Riley, Kansas, Sept. 20.
The event featured music from the 1st Inf. Div. Band’s jazz combo, as well as keynote speaker Carlos Gomez, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City.
Gomez’s father trained at Fort Riley before serving during the Korean War, Gomez said, adding that this made the opportunity to speak to the group gathered at the luncheon something special for him.
Gomez said his father had told him the Army was the first place where he did not experience racism during that era.
“Fortunately, I did not experience anything my parents went through, nowhere near,” Gomez said on the subject of challenges before going on to explain that he believes economic factors to be the leading challenge of this era.
Gomez spent a large portion of his discussion on the value of immigration in American society and the influences that immigrants of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin have had in the United States.
“So when I see these immigrant kids, whether they’re Latino, whether they’re Vietnamese, whether they’re Somalian, it’s something to be embraced,” Gomez said. “I think, what are they going to create? What CEO are they going to become? How are they going to lead us? Because these kids are so smart, so talented. And you know what? Nothing has changed. This is a country made of immigrants. Unless we’re Native American, we all came from somewhere else, and everyone brings something powerful to this country, brings something powerful to this military. So I’m going to encourage you this week and next week, ask someone ‘what is your story?’ and you’re going to surprised (by) who you work next to.”
Hispanic Heritage Month lasts from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 annually and celebrates the traditions, contributions and cultures of Hispanic people in the United States.
President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed National Hispanic Heritage Week in September 1968, to be observed on the week including Sept. 15 and 16. In 1988 President Ronald Regan then increased the observance to a full month.
The Hispanic population in the United States is estimated at 55.4 million people, according to the United States Census Bureau in 2014. More than 66,000 active-duty Soldiers are of Hispanic heritage, making up more than 14 percent of the formation.
“It’s real simple — if you’re in uniform or you’re supporting someone in uniform, you’re essentially one in 300 in this population,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding general, during his closing remarks at the event. “That’s one in 300 who made the choice to serve — had the choices to do things otherwise — (and is) smarter than the average American and physically dominates the average American. They chose to serve, and 14 percent in the United States Army are Hispanic and they’ve been making contributions for a long, long time.”
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2017 14:30 |
| Story ID: | 249554 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ‘Big Red One’ observes Hispanic Heritage Month, by SGT Michael Roach, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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