Hispanic Heritage Month |
Author: William Sturkey
| Reviewed by Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, chaplain, colonel (US Army, retired), US Army War College Class of 2010
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Dr. Wylie W. Johnson presents a review of a recent publication on one of the most celebrated Hispanic war heroes in US history—Medal of Honor recipient Roy Benavidez. Johnson overviews author William Sturkey’s biography of Benavidez, which discusses Benavidez’s “perseverance against racial prejudice, poverty, substandard education, bureaucratic inertia, popular bias against patriotism, anti-military sentiment, and physical disabilities” and also his heroism in the Vietnam War and his lifetime of service afterward. Johnson recommends the book as “military leaders need to be reminded about our heroes and honor the examples they set.”
Keywords: Medal of Honor, determination, Hispanic Heritage Month, veterans, selfless service, overcoming obstacles, Vietnam War