La Prensa San Diego

Remembering a forgotten force on Veterans Day By Jim Estrada     In the Latino culture there are many sayings (dichos). One of my favorites is “Las palabras son enanas, los ejemplos son gigantes,” (Words are dwarfs, examples are giants). Most English speakers recognize the meaning of this adage as, “Actions speak louder than words” — [...]

Commentary: By Jose Apolinar Olivera    Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder was killed in Iraq, and his body was sent to his family for a proper burial. On the day the Snyder family was to lay their son to rest, the Phelps family picketed the funeral. They carried signs that read “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” [...]

By Katia Lopez-Hodoyan      It was just a quick glimpse in a mirror. But that’s all it took. Olga Mireles knew she was ready for war. Her camouflage uniform fit perfectly. The vest felt secure. Even the heavy weapon, that once felt so awkward across her chest, felt just right. Boot camp was over. Iraq [...]

    The Ethnic Studies Program, Communication Department, & the National Latino Research Center (NLRC) at California State University San Marcos are proud to cosponsor a special screening of the film, “The Longoria Affair.” This documentary film narrates the story of Mexican American veterans and their struggle for civil rights, on Friday, March 18, at 6:30 [...]

By John W. Flores     Sixty-six years ago my uncle, Louis B. Flores, was a paratrooper serving with Easy Company (alternately with HQ Company) in the 101st Airborne Division during the D-Day invasion at Normandy—later at the Battle of the Bulge and he had more than 50 jumps in combat conditions. He was with the [...]

Guest Editorial: By Aaron Glantz The Progresssive Media Project Insurance companies should not be allowed to cheat the families of dead American soldiers and Marines.    But that’s what Prudential is accused of: siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars in interest on service members’ life insurance policies.    Rather than paying a lump sum [...]

By Aaron Glantz New America Media It’s been seven years since Fernando Suarez del Solar buried his son, Jesus. Seven years since March 27, 2003, when just one week into the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Lance Corporal Jesus Suarez del Solar stepped on a piece of unexploded ordnance and came home in a flag-draped coffin. [...]

By Jeremy P. New America Media  Editor’s Note: A soldier returns safely after surviving sniper fire and roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the hypervigilance and suppressed emotions that kept him alive have taken a heavy toll. Jeremy P. wrote this for the Veterans Workshop, a New America Media writing project for military veterans. [...]

By Pilar Marrero La Opinión Not even the most decorated and honorable military service can protect U.S. war veterans from ruthless immigration laws, which consider a long list of non-violent crimes as grounds for deportation. More and more cases have come to light of veterans who, after serving in this country’s Armed Forces and armed [...]

By Emily Mullin Scripps Howard Foundation Wire  WASHINGTON – Lisa White is not your average third-grade teacher.  “I guess you could say that I run a tight ship,” said White, a veteran of the Air Force and a teacher at Lamont Elementary School in New Carrollton, Md.  White, 42, served as a military command and [...]

By Cindy Von Quednow Scripps Howard Foundation Wire  WASHINGTON — On the day of the presidential inauguration, Marguerita Clarkson, who injured her head during Army training, was living in a homeless shelter, and sometimes on the streets of Washington.  She came to the nation’s capital looking for work, but wound up without a home for [...]

By Jim Estrada  Millions of Latinos are proud of their history of military service to our nation. To discover they have defended the USA against all enemies, from the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in Afghanistan, one must cull through volumes of research, academic dissertations, or tomes of Spanish-language and Latino literature, because this [...]