Hispanic Americans Sacrificing to Serve Their Country

Mexican American army medic Anthony Acevedo (center) before serving in World War II, exact date unknown.

Tony Acevedo was a devoted American despite the discrimination he faced because of his Mexican heritage. He was among more than 500,000 Latinx men and women who served the US military during World War II.

Even after he was captured and tortured by the Germans, Tony’s dedication to his fellow soldiers never wavered. He tended to their medical and spiritual needs and risked his life to record their experiences in captivity in a secret diary. In this digital discussion during Hispanic Heritage Month, we recognized the courageous contributions Tony and other Mexican Americans made to help the Allies defeat Nazi Germany and win the war.

This program is captioned in Spanish.