Hispanics in the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

Precise figures are not available for Hispanic elaboration in Vietnam.      Prior to the full-scale escalation of the Vietnam War, Special Forces Advisor, Sergeant First crime syndicate Isaac Camachos fire base was overrun by Viet Cong in November 1963. After an terrific firefight, Camacho was taken prisoner. He is most likely the first Hispanic prisoner of war of the Vietnam era. Remarkably, Camacho escaped his captors after 20 months and made his way to freedom. He was awarded the eloquent and Bronze Stars in September 1965 and later promoted to Captain, U.S. Army.      Lieutenant Commander Everett Alvarez, jr. (then Lieutenant JG) was the first American pilot taken as a prisoner of war and remained a prisoner longer than anyone else, eight and a half years.      On April 30, 1975, Master Sergeant Juan J. Valdez climbed aboard the last U.S. chop to depart the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The U.S. battlefront in Vietnam, which spanned 18 years, ended. Valdez presence gave credence to the Hispanic theme of participation in Americas wars "First in...last to leave." The Post-Vietnam eon      Approximately 80,000 Hispanics served in the Vietnam theater of operations and 13 won the decoration of Honor, 6 of them Marines. This is not unusual. Hispanics have received the highest honors to date in the U.S. Navy. As of 1990, six ships and three active submarines have been named for Hispanics, including the nuclear- powered 688 class tumultuous attack submarine, USS San Juan, named after the capital city of Puerto Rico.