Photo By 2nd Lt. Christopher Garibay | A trooper plays the bongos during the Hispanic Heritage Observation at the Trooper Chapel.... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - The 525th Military Police Battalion hosted a Hispanic Heritage Observation for the Joint Task Force at the Troopers’ Chapel on Oct. 9, at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The event was hosted to commemorate Hispanics from Spanish countries, specifically U.S. residents and citizens born from parents of Latin American countries, serving among our ranks in the military and civilian workforce. The panel consisted of a “Who’s Who” of GTMO – Hispanic edition, with Navy Capt. Maria Moreno-Chow, director of Nursing Care with Joint Detention Group; Dana Lake, Assistant Manager of the Cuban Community Center; and Navy Lt. Nelson Guadalupe, NAVSTA Department Head for the Nutrition Management Department. All three spoke to a crowd of more than 60 people about the way their culture influenced their lives, rise to success in the military and civilian workforce and what it means to them to be Hispanic. “It reminds us of our humble beginnings,” said Moreno-Chow. “As a Hispanic female in the armed forces, it has been an honor and privilege to serve with the greatest military our world has known. We share in the same freedoms and it’s an honor be a part of this
joint environment.” The common thread among the three panel members was how their lives are woven into the fabric of American society. Currently, 11.2 percent of service members claim to be Hispanic.
Hispanics have played a part in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War. Nelson, a Puerto Rican and self-proclaimed “Army brat,” said his great uncle, Spc. Hector Santiago-Colon, is a Medal of Honor recipient. Santiago-Colon displayed heroic actions in Vietnam by saving the lives of the men around him, but cost him his own. Santiago-Colon is one of nine Puerto Ricans to be awarded the Medal of Honor. During a portion of the panel, Nelson walked around the chapel and asked audience members what they claimed as their nationality, all proudly said “American,” to which he responded “me too.” After the panel discussion and awards of appreciation, the audience turned their attention to the back of the chapel where a table of tacos, flan, empanadas and other Hispanic-inspired dishes awaited Troopers. “We didn’t want to bore people with Power Point slides,” said Army Sgt. Roxanne Flores, preventative medicine noncommissioned officer with the 525 MP Bn. “We wanted to bring different foods and desserts that highlighted different cultures. I’m proud of how the Latin community came to put this event together and all the people who participated in the event.”
Toward the end of the event, Troopers listened to GTMO resident disc jockey, Army Sgt. Isabel Polanco, operations NCO with J3 Operations Directorate. She and five others broke out into song, playing various
instruments, a scene reminiscent of movies depicting Spanish Harlem’s neighborhood musicians. Polanco said she and the others wanted to show the audience something different by coming together to play various Latin beats. “We often lose sight of what the real celebration is about,” said Guadalupe. “We (Hispanics) are proud to be Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Peruvian, but we are even more proud to call ourselves American.”
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.02.2016 08:51 |
| Story ID: | 190804 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 150 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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