Latino veterans' stories take center stage in new San Antonio exhibit
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The exhibit is open to the public at MACRI on Buena Vista. Photo: Madalyn Mendoza/Axios
As flags are lowered for Memorial Day, an exhibit in San Antonio is raising recognition for Latino veterans whose service shaped U.S. history.
Why it matters: Latinos have long served in the U.S. military — often in large numbers through the draft and aggressive recruitment — and today, they make up more than 19% of active-duty service members.
- Yet their stories are frequently overlooked in preservation efforts, and the window to capture their experiences is closing as veterans age.
Driving the news: "Images of Valor: U.S. Latinos and Latinas in World War II," is on display at the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI) on the West Side through June 5.
- Curated by the University of Texas' Voces Oral History Center, the bilingual exhibit highlights Latino veterans' experiences through archival images, oral histories and portraits.
What they're saying: "As a hub for military activity, it just makes sense for us to make a concerted effort to capture these stories," Sarah Zenaida Gould, executive director of MACRI tells Axios.
Between the lines: Gould says military service brought pride and mobility to Latino families.
- That impact is clear in the words of veteran Armando Flores, a WWII veteran from Mission, Texas, who is included in the exhibit.
- "I'd been called a lot of (ethnic slurs) ... that was the first time I had been called an American."
Yes, but: She says there was a "high price to pay" — from high schools losing many Latinos to war to the lasting impact of PTSD in a community already hesitant to talk about mental health — and ongoing discrimination after service.
- That inequity extends to remembrance. Arlington National Cemetery recently removed online information on Black, Hispanic, Indigenous Americans and women veterans from its website, following a federal directive to eliminate DEI-related content.
- "You go and put your life in danger in the name of our Constitution, and then those constitutional protections aren't necessarily extended to you after your service. And that's a very difficult thing to swallow," Gould says.
- She points to Joe Bernal — a World War II veteran, educator and former Texas state senator — as someone who transformed his experience with discrimination into a lifelong fight for equity. Bernal, who died earlier this year, championed bilingual education, led efforts to end school segregation and helped establish the University of Texas at San Antonio.
What's next: MACRI recently received a $20,000 grant from Latinos in Heritage Conservation to launch a new oral history project.
- The funding will support equipment, volunteer training and "history harvest" days to help collect and preserve personal stories, including those of veterans.
Worthy of your time: The Voces Oral History Center, which marked 25 years last fall, features dozens of San Antonio veterans' stories. Explore them here.
- "American Sons," a documentary that premiered in March at South by Southwest, follows a group of U.S. Marines grappling with PTSD and the loss of their friend, San Antonio native Cpl. Jorge "JV" Villarreal Jr., who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. Follow americansonsfilm.com for updates on future screenings.