Mexico in the Second World War - From guest workers who filled in for American men to Aztec Eagles (Escuadrón 201, a Mexican Fighter Squadron).
Latest hand-picked WWII news.
Longoria Affair: Mexican American WWII hero they refused to bury in Texas because "the whites would not like it"
Documentary film "Longoria Affair" by independent filmmaker John J. Valadez: After the remains of Pvt. Felix Z. Longoria, Jr. -- killed by a Japanese sniper -- were returned to the U.S. in 1949 the only funeral home in Three Rivers, Texas, would not allow him to lie in state there because "the whites would not like it."
(technorati.com)
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force receives items from Mexican WWII Squadron
The Mexican air force foreign liaison officer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio presented National Museum of the U.S. Air Force officials with Second World War artifacts (a pilot's uniform, hat and boots, insignia and research materials) representing the 201st Mexican Fighter Squadron April 29. Called Aztec Eagles squadron it was the only Mexican military force to serve outside of their country's borders. Attached to the U.S. Army Air Forces 58th Fighter Group in 1945 in the Philippine Islands they piloted the P-47D Thunderbolt single-seat fighter aircraft for tactical air support missions.
(af.mil)
Braceros, World War II Mexican guest workers, rush to meet deadline
After nearly 70 years of waiting braceros - who first came to the U.S. from Mexico as guest workers during WW2 to fill in for the soldiers - are finally getting money long owed to them by the Mexican government. During the bracero program, the U.S. took 10% from the workers' paychecks and sent it to Mexico, but the braceros never saw it again. Most of them didn't even know the money was owed to them until a class action lawsuit was filed on their behalf 8 years ago. In October 2008, the Mexican government agreed on a settlement to return $3,500 to each bracero.
(azcentral.com)
Mexican diplomat in France saved tens of thousands during the Holocaust (Article no longer available from the original source)
Gilberto Bosques Saldivar ("Mexican Schindler") has never been the subject of a motion picture by Steven Spielberg, and American history books rarely bring up his name. But the former Mexican diplomat, posted in France during World War II, helped save 40,000 Jews and other refugees from Nazi regime. "It is still a chapter of the Holocaust that has not been written. I believe that there are a lot of other cases that we do not know about that are surfacing little by little," said Abraham Foxman, adding that, other than Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg, most non-Jews who defied the Nazis are not well-known.
(latimes.com)
Settlement will allow WWII Mexican Laborers in U.S. to collect back pay
Tens of thousands of Mexicans who labored in the United States under a World War II-era guest worker program will be entitled to collect back pay under a settlement to a long-crusaded case. 200,000-300,000 laborers, called braceros, worked as farmhands or railroad workers 1942-1946, and under the program, a portion of their pay was subtracted and transferred to the Mexican government to be given to the workers when they returned to Mexico. But many laborers never got the pay, and many never even knew that 10% of their wages was deducted. Under the settlement Mexico would give each bracero, or a living heir, 3500 US dollars.
(nytimes.com)
Film details Hispanic Marine's acts in the Second World War
Armed but alone, Marine Pfc. Guy Gabaldon roamed Saipan's caves and pillboxes, persuading enemy soldiers and civilians to surrender. He told the Japanese that Marines were not torturers as they had heard. He coaxed over 1,000 Japanese out of the caves. He got a Silver Star - later upgraded to a Navy Cross. His actions were recounted on tv and in movies. Now, 2 years after his death, there is a renewed campaign to give Gabaldon the Medal of Honor. New documentary "East L.A. Marine" asks whether his Hispanic heritage prevented him from getting the medal, however, others blame his outspoken nature.
(freerepublic.com)
A documentary recalls efforts of Mexican fighter pilots in World War II
Briefly mentioned in the annals of war are the accomplishes of a little-known military unit that fought as an ally of the U.S. in World War II. 38 Mexican pilots and support personnel assisted U.S. and Filipino forces liberate the Philippine islands from Japanese occupation. Their story will be told in 2 showings of the documentary "The Forgotten Eagles" at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville. "History, in general, has failed to recognize the contributions of this elite squadron, and someone needed to tell their story. I made the documentary because I wanted to add this Latino chapter to history..." told director Victor Mancilla.
(armchairgeneral.com)
Silvestre Herrera: Mexico-born Medal of Honor winner, dies at 90
Silvestre Herrera, the first Arizonan to win the Medal of Honor award during World War II, also had Mexico's highest honor for valor (the Premier Merito Militar), making him the only person to earn both. In 1945 he was granted the Medal of Honor for saving his platoon from machine-gun fire. The Army private first class with the 36th Infantry Division took out one emplacement, then charged through a minefield toward a second, losing both feet to explosions. The eight Germans manning the machine-gun nest threw down their weapons. "I was one of the lucky ones, to live to be awarded the Medal of Honor."
(tucsoncitizen.com)
Documentary film The Forgotten Eagles - Mexico in World War II
A documentary The Forgotten Eagles by Victor Mancilla will make its Northwest debut on August 2 in a special screening in Portland. The film tells the story of the "Aztec Eagle" fighter pilots of Fighter Squadron 201: the only Mexican military unit to serve in combat outside their country. Created by special accord between Franklin Roosevelt and Manuel Avila Camacho, the elite unit of aviators helped American forces liberate the Philippines. The pilots' exploits were highly publicized; they became national heroes in Mexico and symbols of U.S. - Mexico wartime solidarity. The unit was decorated by the governments of all 3 countries for valor in the cause of freedom.
(pacificu)