VMM News Services (English)
(c) 2001 Valley Multimedia, Corp. McAllen, TX
Why
they served?
By
Emilio D. Santos
Memorial Day is set aside in America to honor those who have served in
our armed forces. But what if we spent this Memorial Day not just honoring those
who served, but also recalling why they served?
Before the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention people in the thirteen
states spoke the same language and possessed a common background of English
customs. But on the other hand , there were substantial differences. The
northern states involved mainly in trade and small farming, their economies
differed considerably from those of the Southern states, where slavery formed
the mainstay of the plantations. During the Colonial Period there were three
types of colonies: Royal, Proprietary, and Corporate.
Royal colonies belonged directly to England. Proprietary Colonies where
colonies whose territory was granted by the king to an individual, Maryland was
originally granted to Lord Baltimore as a refuge for Catholics. Corporate
Colonies were funded without any authorization from the English government. The
Puritans in Massachusetts traveled to the New World
to build a godly community purer than any found in Europe. Quakers in New
Jersey and Pennsylvania also set themselves apart with their religious beliefs.
Forming a single nation out of thirteen different and independent states
was impossible? In 787 the Constitutional Convention
reached a compromise between the less and more populous states they
framed the Constitution, which still governs the United States of America.
The Founding Fathers set out a clear list of ideals, that began with
"All men are created equal". This nation, which rest of the will of
the people, but also depend upon the people to support its ideals. Patriotism is
the essence of this ideal. Patriotism is the glue that holds all us together.
With one flag and one pledge, we are bound together as Americans
On this Memorial Day, I would hope every American would remember those
who have sacrificed to establish the liberties we enjoy today, like
- Maquez De
Galvez (1746-1786) who commanded the Spanish troops,
during the revolutionary war and captured for our first Commander George
Washington, the cities of Mobile,
Pensacola and St. Louis, and
-Captain Francisco de Saavedra who was the main military
strategist
-Company A, first New Mexican infantry, and to names
like Anselmo
-Jose Benito Salazar Company A, Alfredo Gutierrez,
Martin Padilla,
-The Angelino PFC Guy "Gaby" Gabaldon, mortar
crewman who working
-to many Americans of Hispanic ancestry
who also gave their lives in Korea,
-Marine Sargent Alfredo "Freddy" Martinez of
Edinburg, Texas, who posthumously was awarded the Medal of Honor for his brave
actions in Vietnam and many hundreds who gave their lives in the Vietnam war.
Americans of Hispanic ancestry are a patriotic bunch. They are the most
highly decorated ethnic group in the United States, with 38 having received the
Medal of Honor , the highest prize
of valor than can be awarder to a
person serving in the U.S. armed forces.
We the Americans of Hispanic ancestry have provided for over two
.