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ANTONIO GIL MORALES,
National Commander & Board Chairman
March 16, 2007 Contact:
Antonio Gil Morales, National Commander, American GI Forum of the United States
Tel; 817-346-9521-Cell 817-781-8731- Fax 817-423-1145
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Contact: Antonio Gil Morales, National Commander
American GI Forum of the United States
Tel;
817-346-9521-Cell 817-781-8731- Fax 817-423-1145
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PRESS RELEASE -PBS-Ken Burns
The American GI Forum of the United States, a National Congressional Charter
Hispanic Veteran's organization with over 500 chapters nationwide and Puerto Rico, adopted a resolution showing a
rejection of the Ken Burns WWII documentary because of its exclusion of
Hispanics.
Hispanics have contributed to the defense of this nation since
its inception over 230 years ago. Our role in WWII is constantly
overlook and/or ignored by major media networks such as NBC'sTom
Brokaw's "Greatest Generation.." Now a publicly funded
network adds insult to injury by setting aside its responsibility to
the nation's largest minority by relegating responsibility to local
stations to correct a total injustice to the Hispanic legacy of
contributions to WWII.
The American GI Forum of the United States calls for assistance
and support from its Congressional representatives, National Hispanic
organizations, Veteran service organizations, Native-American Veterans,
Corporations and others who donate to PBS to demand that PBS correct
this injustice to our community. Donors should question the discriminatory
practices of the present administration of PBS.
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The American
G.I. Forum calls for an immediate boycott of PBS and its 354
affiliate stations across the nation until such time that the Latino
experience is included in Ken Burns "The WAR" PBS WWII
documentary that is scheduled for release on September 23, 2007;
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The American
G.I. Forum calls on all Latinos/Latinas and concerned others in the
nation and Puerto Rico to withhold
all membership and monetary pledge donations to PBS and affiliate
stations until the Ken Burns "THE WAR" documentary is
inclusive of the Latino WWII experience;
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The American
G.I. Forum calls for an immediate Congressional investigation of PBS
funding and grant awarding process to determine if existing review
standards for all existing and proposed new programming is
non-discriminatory and inclusive of the Latino experience in this
country;
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The American
G.I. Forum calls on all American Corporations to refrain from making
future monetary contributions to PBS until such time that the Latino
experience is included in the Ken Burns "THE WAR" PBS WWII
documentary;
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The American
G.I. Forum calls on PBS and affiliate stations to refrain from airing
Ken Burns "THE WAR" PBS WWII documentary on September 23,
2007 until such time that the Latino experience is included in the
documentary;
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The American G.I
Forum calls on all Latino/Latina organizations in the nation to join
us in our fight to DEFEND OUR HONOR and rightful place in recorded
history. WE ARE ALL AMERICANS.
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AMERICAN GI FORUM OF THE UNITED STATES
RESOLUTION- PBS/Ken Burns Documentary,
THE WAR
WHEREAS, The American GI Forum of the United States, is the only
Congressionally Chartered Hispanic/Latino Veterans Organization in the
United States whose primary purpose is to serve Hispanic/Latino
Veterans and their families;
WHEREAS, The American GI Forum was founded by Dr. Hector P.
Garcia in 1948 because of the inequities and discrimination inflicted
upon returning Mexican-American Veterans after their distinguished
service in World War II;
WHEREAS, Hispanic/Latino individuals, as members of the Armed
Forces of the United States, served with valor and distinction during
World War II;
WHEREAS, In World War II, Hispanic/Latino individuals fought and
died for the principles of equality, justice and freedom for all.
WHEREAS, Hispanic/Latino individuals during World War II were the
most decorated minority group to receive this Country's highest award,
"The Congressional Medal of Honor";
WHEREAS, Hispanic/Latino Americans, as an ethnic group, made
tremendous and significant contributions during World War II, for
example:
. . . In 1940, while America was still at peace, two National
Guard units from New Mexico,
the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery (Anti-aircraft) battalions were
activated and dispatched to the Philippine Islands. Largely made up of
[Mexican Americans]-- both officers and enlisted men from New Mexico, Arizona,
and Texas -- the two units were
stationed at Clark Field, 65 miles from Manila.
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise
attack on the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, forcing America
into war. Within days, Japanese forces attacked the American positions
in the Philippines.
Outnumbered and desperate, General Douglas MacArthur moved his forces,
including the 200th and 515th, to the Bataan
Peninsula west of Manila. Here,
fighting alongside their Filipino comrades, they made a heroic
three-month stand against the large, well-equipped invading forces. As
the weeks passed, rations, medical supplies, and ammunition diminished
and became scarce. On April 9, 1942, starving and greatly outnumbered,
most of the surviving troops were ordered to surrender. After their
capture, the American and Filipino soldiers had to endure the 12-day,
85-mile "Death March" from Bataan
to the prison camps, followed by 34 months of captivity. Three years
later, General Jonathan Wainwright praised the men of the 200th and
515th units, saying that "they were the first to fire and the last
to lay down their arms and only reluctantly doing so after being given a
direct order."
In the Pacific theater, the 158th Regimental Combat Team, known as the
Bushmasters, an Arizona National Guard unit comprised of many Hispanic
soldiers, saw heavy combat. They earned the respect of General
MacArthur who referred to them as "the greatest fighting combat
team ever deployed for battle." Company E of the 141st Regiment of
the 36th Texas Infantry Division was made up entirely of [Hispanic]
Americans, the majority of them from Texas. After 361 days of combat in Italy and France, the 141st Infantry
Regiment sustained 1,126 killed, 5,000 wounded, and over 500 missing in
action. In recognition of their extended service and valor, the members
of the 141st garnered 31 Distinguished Service Crosses, 12 Legion of
Merits, 492 Silver Stars, 11 Soldier's Medals, 1,685 Bronze Stars, as
well as numerous commendations and decorations. In all, twelve Hispanic
soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their services during World
War II.
From 1940 to 1946, more than 65,000 Puerto Ricans served in the American
military, most of them going overseas. The 295th and 296th Infantry
Regiments of the Puerto Rican National Guard participated in the
Pacific theater, while other Puerto Rican soldiers served in Europe.
(Excerpts from:
Houston Institute for Culture, The Hispanic Experience, Hispanics in
Military Service, Hispanic Contributions to America's
Defense, by John Schmal. - Originally published by the
Puerto Rico Herald, November 11, 1999.);
WHEREAS, The PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) has announced it
is airing in September, 2007, the new Ken Burns documentary series, THE
WAR. This seven-part, 14 hour, documentary series, is directed and
produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.
It explores the history and horror of World War II from an
American perspective. It follows the fortunes of so-called ordinary men
and women who get caught up in the greatest cataclysm in human history;
WHEREAS, This documentary exposes the racism of World War II
directed at African-American and Japanese-Americans, however, it fails to
outline the same as it affected Hispanic/Latino Americans;
WHEREAS, This documentary purports to honor the heroism of all
Americans, when in fact, it glaringly fails to honor those heroic
Hispanic Americans who have earned such an honor;
WHEREAS, Whether intentionally or inadvertently, the
contributions of Hispanic/Latinos in World War II were omitted;
WHEREAS,
This oversight appears to have violated PBS's own policy on
"Diversity" i.e.,
. . . Content
diversity furthers the goals of a democratic society by enhancing
public access to the full range of ideas, information, subject matter,
and perspectives required to make informed judgments about the issues
of our time. It also furthers public television's special mandate to
serve many different and discrete audiences. The goal of diversity also
requires continuing efforts to assure that PBS content fully reflects
the pluralism of our society, including, for example, appropriate
representation of women and minorities. . . .
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,
1. That the American GI Forum of the United States
condemns this documentary as not presenting the contributions of
Hispanic Americans during World War II and until such time as Hispanics
are fairly and adequately represented, demands that it not be aired,
2. That the American GI Forum of the United States
requests that the Public Broadcast System forthwith correct this
omission.
3. That failure to correct this omission will result in
the institution of a nationwide boycott of PBS and its affiliates. Further, we would lead an effort
requesting that all public and private funding be curtailed.
For it was Abraham Lincoln who said, "History is
not history unless it's true."
Adopted on the 13th
day of March, 2007
By the American GI Forum
of the United States
National Board of
Directors Meeting in Las Vegas,
NV
ANTONIO GIL MORALES,
National Commander & Board Chairman
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PRESS
RELEASE –PBS-Ken Burns
The
American GI Forum of the United States,
a National Congressional Charter Hispanic Veteran’s organization with
over 500 chapters nationwide and Puerto Rico,
adopted a resolution rejecting the forthcoming Ken Burns WWII documentary
because of its exclusion of Hispanics.
Hispanics have
contributing to the defense of this nation since its inception more than
230 years ago. Our role in WWII is constantly overlooked or ignored by
major media networks such as Tom Brokaw’s “Greatest Generation,” on
NBC. Now, a publicly funded
network adds insult to injury by setting aside its responsibility to the
nation’s largest minority by relegating responsibility to local station
for correcting an injustice to Hispanic Americans by excluding the
contributions to WWII.
The American GI Forum of
the United States
calls for the support from its Congressional representatives, national
Hispanic organizations, veteran service organizations, Native-American
veterans, corporations and others who donate to PBS by demanding that PBS
correct this injustice. Donors should question the discriminatory
practices of the present administration of PBS.
- The American GI Forum calls for an immediate
boycott of PBS and its 354 affiliate stations across the nation
until such time that the Latino experience is included in Ken Burns
“The WAR” PBS WWII documentary scheduled for release on September
23, 2007;
- The American GI Forum calls on all
Latinos/Latinas and concerned others in the nation and Puerto Rico to withhold membership and monetary
donations to PBS and affiliate stations until the Ken Burns “THE
WAR” documentary includes the Latino WWII experience;
- The American GI Forum calls for an immediate
congressional investigation of PBS funding and its grant awarding process
to determine if existing review standards for all existing and
proposed new programming is non-discriminatory and inclusive of the
Latino experience in the country;
- The American GI Forum calls on all American
corporations to refrain from making future monetary contributions to
PBS until such time that the Latino experience is included in the
Ken Burns “THE WAR” PBS WWII documentary;
- The American GI Forum calls on PBS and
affiliate stations to refrain from airing Ken Burns “THE WAR” PBS
WWII documentary on September 23, 2007 until such time that the
Latino experience is included in the documentary;
- The American GI Forum calls on all
Latino/Latina organizations and
the nation to join us in our fight to DEFEND OUR HONOR and
rightful place in recorded history.
WE ARE AMERICANS ALL.
- The American GI Forum calls on the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a federally funded oversight
and funding body, to withhold support to PBS and to inquire into its
production grant-making until such time that it can be assured that
exclusionary practices such as that of the Burns documentary are
non-existent.
AMERICAN GI FORUM OF THE UNITED STATES
RESOLUTION-
PBS/Ken Burns Documentary, THE WAR
WHEREAS, The American GI
Forum of the United States is the only Congressionally Chartered
Hispanic/Latino Veterans Organization in the United States its primarily
purpose is to serve Hispanic/Latino Veterans and their families;
WHEREAS, The American GI
Forum was founded by Dr. Hector P. Garcia in 1948 because of the inequities
and discrimination inflicted upon returning Mexican-American veterans
after their distinguished service in World War II;
WHEREAS, Hispanic/Latino
individuals, as members of the Armed Forces of the United States, served
with valor and distinction during World War II;
WHEREAS, In World War II,
Hispanics/Latinos individuals fought and died for the principles of
equality, justice and freedom for all.
WHEREAS, Hispanic/Latinos
during World War II were the most decorated minority group to receive
this County’s highest award, “The Congressional Medal of Honor”;
WHEREAS, Hispanics/Latinos
Americans, as an ethnic group, made tremendous and significant
contributions during World War II, for example:
. . . In
1940, while America
was still at peace, two National Guard units from New Mexico, the 200th and 515th Coast
Artillery (anti-aircraft) battalions were activated and dispatched to the
Philippine Islands. Largely made up of [Mexican Americans]-- both
officers and enlisted men from New Mexico,
Arizona, and Texas
-- the two units were stationed at Clark Field, 65 miles from Manila.
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise
attack on the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, forcing America
into war. Within days, Japanese
forces attacked the American positions in the Philippines. Outnumbered and desperate, General
Douglas MacArthur moved his forces, including the 200th and 515th, to the
Bataan Peninsula
west of Manila.
Here, fighting alongside their Filipino comrades, they made a heroic
three-month stand against the large, well equipped invading forces. As the weeks passed, rations, medical
supplies, and ammunition diminished and became scarce. On April 9, 1942,
starving and greatly outnumbered, most of the surviving troops were ordered
to surrender. After their capture,
the American and Filipino soldiers had to endure the 12-day, 85-mile
"Death March" from Bataan to
the prison camps, followed by 34 months of captivity. Three years later, General Jonathan
Wainwright praised the men of the 200th and 515th units, saying that
"they were the first to fire and the last to lay down their arms and
only reluctantly doing so after being given a direct order."
In the Pacific theater, the 158th Regimental Combat Team, known as the
Bushmasters, an Arizona National Guard unit comprised of many Hispanic
soldiers, saw heavy combat. They
earned the respect of General MacArthur who referred to them as "the
greatest fighting combat team ever deployed for battle." Company E
of the 141st Regiment of the 36th Texas Infantry Division was made up
entirely of [Hispanic] Americans, the majority of them from Texas. After 361 days of combat in Italy and France, the 141st Infantry
Regiment sustained 1,126 killed, 5,000 wounded, and over 500 missing in
action. In recognition of their
extended service and valor, the members of the 141st garnered 31
Distinguished Service Crosses, 12 Legion of Merits, 492 Silver Stars, 11
Soldier's Medals, 1,685 Bronze Stars, as well as numerous commendations
and decorations. In all, twelve
Hispanic soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their services during
World War II.
From 1940 to 1946, more than 65,000 Puerto Ricans served in the American
military, most of them going overseas.
The 295th and 296th Infantry Regiments of the Puerto Rican
National Guard participated in the Pacific theater, while other Puerto
Rican soldiers served in Europe.
(Excerpts from: Houston Institute for Culture, The
Hispanic Experience, Hispanics in Military Service, Hispanic Contributions to America’s Defense, by John Schmal - originally published by the Puerto Rico Herald,
November 11, 1999.);
WHEREAS, PBS (Public
Broadcasting Service) has announced it is airing in September 2007, the
new Ken Burns documentary series, THE WAR, this seven-part, 14 hour,
documentary series, is directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn
Novick, it explores the history
and horror of World War II from an American perspective it follows the
fortunes of so-called ordinary men and women who get caught up in the
greatest cataclysm in human history;
WHEREAS, This documentary
exposes the racism of World War II directed at African-American and
Japanese-Americans, but it fails to outline the same as it affected
Hispanic/Latino Americans;
WHEREAS, This documentary
purports to honor the heroism of all Americans, when in fact, it
glaringly fails to honor those heroic Hispanic Americans who have earned
such an honor;
WHEREAS, Whether
intentionally or inadvertently, the contributions of Hispanic/Latinos in
World War II were omitted;
WHEREAS, This
oversight appears
to have violated PBS’s own policy on "Diversity" i.e.,
. . . Content diversity furthers
the goals of a democratic society by enhancing public access to the full range
of ideas, information, subject matter, and perspectives required to make
informed judgments about the issues of our time. It also furthers
public television's special mandate to serve many different and discrete
audiences. The goal of diversity also requires continuing efforts to assure
that PBS content fully reflects the pluralism of our society, including,
for example, appropriate representation of women and minorities. . . .
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED,
1. That the American GI Forum of the United States
condemns this documentary as not presenting the contributions of Hispanic
Americans during World War II and until such time as Hispanics are fairly
and adequately represented, demands that it not be aired.
2. That the American GI Forum of the United States
requests that the Public Broadcast System forthwith correct this
omission.
3. That failure to correct this omission will result in
the institution of a nationwide boycott of PBS and its affiliates. Further, we will lead an effort
requesting that all public and private funding be curtailed.
For it was Abraham
Lincoln who said, "History is not history unless it's true."
Adopted
on the 13th day of March, 2007
By the
American GI Forum of the United
States
National
Board of Directors Meeting in Las
Vegas, NV
ANTONIO GIL MORALES,
National Commander & Board Chairman
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