A History of Serving our Nation
By David Triana
The title of this article is this year’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month. When it comes to Hispanics in the U.S., the population and economic statistics are impressive.
The Census recently announced that it is estimated that there are 59.9 million Hispanics in the United States, which equates to 18.3% of the total population.
Hispanic growth accounted for 52% of ALL the growth of the U.S. population between 2008 – 2018 and Florida now has the 3rd largest Hispanic population (26.1%) in our nation.
When it comes to spending power and business, the figures are tremendous, U.S. Hispanics’ spending power is $1.7 trillion, which is higher than the Gross Domestic Product of Canada, and Hispanic-owned businesses contribute more than $700 BILLION annually to the nation’s economy.
It is estimated that by 2025, there will be 68 million Hispanics! With that in mind, and the fact that Hispanics, with a media age of 28, are the youngest ethnic group in America, it is easy to see that both in the present and in the future, Hispanics have and will continue to have a huge impact in our nation.
Personally, as a retired United States Air Force person, I am most proud of Hispanics’ military service to our nation. This service can be traced to Bernardo de Gálvez, the governor of Louisiana, who fought together with General George Washington in 1777.
Hispanics’ bravery in combat is demonstrated by the 60 recipients of the Medal of Honor, from the Civil War to Afghanistan. One of them was Sergeant Roy Benavidez, whom I knew. At his medal presentation, Ronald Reagan stated, “If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it!” Why not? Because on May 2, 1968 in Vietnam, Roy was shot more than 7 times, bayonetted twice, clubbed on the head several times, wounded by numerous shells, and was still able to save the life of SEVEN soldiers! He was so badly wounded they thought he had died, but he survived.
Service to our nation is a proud tradition of Hispanics in the U.S.!
I invite you to our annual “Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off.” Friday, Sep 13, 6pm – 9pm at Brooks-Beal Center en Fort Walton Beach. We’ll have Latin food, entertainment, and door prizes. This is an annual event that Conexion Media Group organizes for the membership of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce and our guests. If you would like to attend, you must contact me at [email protected]. It will be free, but we are asking everyone to bring a new toy donation. The toys will be gifted to needy kids during the 15th Annual Emerald Coast Christmas Miracle Children’s Fiesta. For more information on the children’s fiesta, go to: https://unitedforagoodcause.org/christmas_miracle_2019.html
