Latinos in World War II: Heroes and Sacrifices

During the smoke, fire, blood, and despair of World War II, many US  Latino and Latina heroes emerged. These were our forebears who fought, volunteered, and contributed, despite facing discrimination, to save the world from the rising threat of fascist, authoritarian governments.

They understood something that can be hard to grasp: even though America was not perfect, and even as they served in segregated units, they recognized that democracy was the planet's greatest hope for freedom.

Regardless of where we are today as Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, and Venezuelan Americans—whether we're in  East LA, Miami, or the suburbs of North Carolina—we stand on the shoulders of those heroes, as does the world.

The fight against the worldwide fascist movement culminating in World War II was one of history's most significant events. The world would have been completely different if Hitler, Mussolini, and other imperialists and authoritarians had succeeded. All the world's people have benefited from the heroism shown by men and women who defeated authoritarianism across the globe.

Today, we face a threat from groups here in the US who believe democracy is failing them. While they say they are “conservatives” they are willing to toss out our constitutional order to place the former president in the Oval Office. They've lost elections, demographics have shifted in a way they feel unnecessarily threatened by, and the economy seems unstable. These ingredients mixed in the boiling cauldron of misinformation create a fatal poison.

This brew becomes a tool for authoritarian manipulators to exploit our fears and dishonor the bravery of our forebears.

In a democracy, there is give and take. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Ideas compete, and even prevailing ones are replaced when they fail in the marketplace, ideally by better policies based on our greater ideals.

This is the essence of a free people striving to improve the nation, unlike in authoritarian regimes that only seek enrichment for themselves.

As we approach the November election, we must remember our heroes—the men and women who defeated a global authoritarian movement. They fought, planned, and sacrificed to ensure future generations could hold onto freedom.

Some were Medal of Honor winners, many were forgotten, some were remembered only by their friends and families, and some were memorialized in various ways. While these are great efforts the best way to honor them is to preserve what they fought for: the right to vote.

We can honor their sacrifice by committing to vote now, if your state allows early voting or on November 5th, if that's your only option. That's how we honor our forebears.

Regardless of our political differences, ideals, or priorities, we can discuss and debate them after November 5th but only if we continue to hold the right to do so.

Vote to honor the legacy of our community's heroes. Vote to preserve democracy. Vote on November 5th and honor our community's legacy.