Nov. 5, 2007 :: No. 92

Of the nearly 1.8 million soldiers who served during the Korean War, more than 180,000 were Latinos. Of the 36,574 men who gave their lives, 2,721 were Latinos.

To honor those who served in the Korean War, Latino Advocates for Education Inc. and Cal State Fullerton are hosting a Veterans Day commemoration Saturday, Nov. 10, on campus. The 11th annual event is open to the public free of charge.

“A Tribute to Mexican American Veterans of the Korean War” will be held at 10 a.m. in the Titan Student Union’s Portola Pavilion. The event is expected to draw more than 1,000 visitors and 500 veterans.

Congressional representatives Edward Royce (R-Fullerton), a CSUF alumnus, and Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove), along with state Sen. Lou Correa, also a CSUF graduate, are expected to attend. ROTC units from the university and from Santa Ana and Anaheim High schools will participate in the ceremony.

At the event, Latino Advocates for Education will be selling its latest book, “Freedom Is Not Free: Mexican Americans in the Korean War.” The book, which sells for $25, profiles 225 who served in the Korean War.

According to Latino Advocates for Education, of the 2,611 Californians killed in action during the Korean War, 518 were Latinos. At that time, Latinos constituted about 5 percent of the state’s population. Of the 55 Orange County men who were killed in action during that war, 17 were Latinos.

“Those facts prove that we served and died at a higher number than our percentage of the population and that most of our soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen served in combat duty,” said Fredrick P. Aguirre, president of Latino Advocates for Education and an Orange County Superior Court judge. “We do not glorify war. However, the patriotism and sacrifice displayed by our Latino veterans must be honored and documented.”

Latino Advocates for Education is a nonprofit organization based in Orange and is dedicated to ensuring that Latino students in Orange County achieve academic excellence. For more information, visit www.latinoadvocates.org or call 714-225-2499.

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