thedrifter
01-19-07, 08:04 AM
Latinos know up close the cost of Iraq war
In 1982, a Mexican immigrant named Simona carried her baby Jose across the border illegally. She found work as a housekeeper, while her son became a California kid who played high school football and dreamed of a career as a police officer.
In 1997, another Jose entered the country illegally, and alone, at age 22 from Guatemala. He lived with foster families. He liked soccer and chess and hoped to become an architect.
In 2003, the dreams of the two Joses abruptly ended. Corp. Jose Angel Garibay, of Mexico, and Lance Corp. Jose Gutierrez, of Guatemala, were among the first casualties of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were hailed as heroes even though their adopted country did not award them citizenship until after their deaths.
Their ultimate sacrifices and those of 3,000-plus other men and women in Iraq make me proud, yet sad. Like a growing majority of Americans, I think the USA should get out of Iraq. And a majority of Hispanics agrees.
A new Pew Hispanic Center study found that two-thirds of Latinos want U.S. troops home as soon as possible, while just 25% believe the United States made the right decision in invading Iraq. Even so, Hispanic enlistments have risen steadily. Hispanics made up 8.9% of the active Army in 2001 but 10.5% in 2005. Like other Americans, Latinos enlist for educational opportunities, adventure and love for country. About 7% of the active fighting force are citizens with green cards, the Christian Science Monitor has reported.
Yet Hispanic recruits face sobering statistics. Latinos are 9.4% of the armed forces, but 17.7% of combat troops and 11% of military deaths in Iraq, according to Pew. Both Jose Gutierrez and Jose Garibay were Marines, the service branch with the second highest casualty rate. Our community, like most of America, is deeply concerned with what is unfolding in Iraq. In a study by the University of Washington, Latinos rated the Iraq war as the No. 1 problem facing the country, ahead of the economy and illegal immigration.
Every soldier killed in Iraq leaves behind a broken family - a spouse, fatherless or motherless children, parents and friends. For Hispanics, where la familia is the sacred unit of our culture, this means more tías, primos, comadres and abuelos joining the circle of sorrow shared by so many military families.
So as President Bush prepares to sell his plan for a "surge" in Iraq to Congress, the message from the majority of Hispanics is clear: Ya. Enough. No más Joses.
Raul Reyes is an attorney in New York and a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors.
Ellie
In 1982, a Mexican immigrant named Simona carried her baby Jose across the border illegally. She found work as a housekeeper, while her son became a California kid who played high school football and dreamed of a career as a police officer.
In 1997, another Jose entered the country illegally, and alone, at age 22 from Guatemala. He lived with foster families. He liked soccer and chess and hoped to become an architect.
In 2003, the dreams of the two Joses abruptly ended. Corp. Jose Angel Garibay, of Mexico, and Lance Corp. Jose Gutierrez, of Guatemala, were among the first casualties of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were hailed as heroes even though their adopted country did not award them citizenship until after their deaths.
Their ultimate sacrifices and those of 3,000-plus other men and women in Iraq make me proud, yet sad. Like a growing majority of Americans, I think the USA should get out of Iraq. And a majority of Hispanics agrees.
A new Pew Hispanic Center study found that two-thirds of Latinos want U.S. troops home as soon as possible, while just 25% believe the United States made the right decision in invading Iraq. Even so, Hispanic enlistments have risen steadily. Hispanics made up 8.9% of the active Army in 2001 but 10.5% in 2005. Like other Americans, Latinos enlist for educational opportunities, adventure and love for country. About 7% of the active fighting force are citizens with green cards, the Christian Science Monitor has reported.
Yet Hispanic recruits face sobering statistics. Latinos are 9.4% of the armed forces, but 17.7% of combat troops and 11% of military deaths in Iraq, according to Pew. Both Jose Gutierrez and Jose Garibay were Marines, the service branch with the second highest casualty rate. Our community, like most of America, is deeply concerned with what is unfolding in Iraq. In a study by the University of Washington, Latinos rated the Iraq war as the No. 1 problem facing the country, ahead of the economy and illegal immigration.
Every soldier killed in Iraq leaves behind a broken family - a spouse, fatherless or motherless children, parents and friends. For Hispanics, where la familia is the sacred unit of our culture, this means more tías, primos, comadres and abuelos joining the circle of sorrow shared by so many military families.
So as President Bush prepares to sell his plan for a "surge" in Iraq to Congress, the message from the majority of Hispanics is clear: Ya. Enough. No más Joses.
Raul Reyes is an attorney in New York and a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors.
Ellie