September 15 was the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time for Americans to celebrate, honor and learn about the many contributions Hispanics have made to the United States. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law National Hispanic Heritage Week back in 1968. It was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. The begin date was chosen as Sept. 15 because it is the date that the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua all declared their independence in 1821. Mexico, Chile and Belize also celebrate their independence in September.
There are over 50.5 million Hispanic/Latinos in the United States making up nearly 17% of the population. They are the second fastest growing minority in the country next to Asians. Hispanics have been in what is now the United States since before the landing of the Pilgrims. They have been a part of American history from the beginning. During Hispanic Heritage Month communities will be celebrating the achievements and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans with community events, government sponsored activities and educational activities for students.
To honor Hispanic and Latino Americans some stories of their achievements and history will appear in the paper throughout the month.
Marcario Garcia
Marcario Garcia was born on Jan. 20, 1920 in Villa de Castaños Mexico in the state of Coahuila. He was one of 10 children born to Josefa and Luciano Garcia. When Marcario was four years old his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Sugarland, Texas where they worked in the fields picking crops. In November 1942, Macario was working as a field hand when he was drafted into the United States Army.
Marcario participated in the D-Day landings at Normandy in June 1944 where he was wounded. After his wounds healed he returned to his unit and the front lines. On Nov. 27, 1944 near the town of Grosshau, Germany, Marcario, acting as a squad leader, found himself and his men pinned down by German machine gun nests. The Americans came under fire from mortars and artillery as well as the machine gun fire. Marcario although wounded in the shoulder and foot crawled forward across ground with little cover. He advanced towards the machine gun nests taking them out with hand grenades. He killed six Germans and captured four allowing his men to move forward and capture their objective. For his valorous actions he was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor and promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
On Aug. 23, 1945 at a ceremony at the White House, President Harry Truman presented Marcario Garcia the Medal of Honor. Marcario became the first Mexican immigrant to receive our nation’s highest honor. He also received a Bronze Star for Valor and a Purple Heart. He would later receive the Meritor Militar, Mexico’s equivalent of the Medal of Honor from the Mexican government.
A month later, Marcario returned to Sugarland, Texas a hero. Texas newspapers told his story and he was invited to meetings and banquets around the state. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) honored him at a special ceremony in Houston.
One night in September in the small town of Richmond a few miles south of Houston, Marcario while wearing his uniform entered the Oasis Cafe to get a bite to eat. The owners refused to serve him because of his Mexican heritage. Outraged that he had fought for his country but was being refused service, he began arguing with the owners. It soon turned into a fight and the police were called. One of the owners struck Marcario on the back with a baseball bat.
The police took Marcario to the police station but did not arrest him even though they later claimed that he was drunk and had fought with them. A few days after the incident, Walter Winchell told the story to the nation on his popular radio show. He talked about the prejudice in Texas and asked the question of how an American hero could be denied service after risking his life for his country fighting for liberty and justice for all.
A few days later, Marcario was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. It was alleged that he had struck the female owner of the Oasis Café and had damaged some of the café’s property. Marcario denied committing any violence. LULAC came to the support of Marcario and soon many citizens began donating money for Garcia’s defense. Vice President of the Richmond chapter of LULAC Johnny Herrera was a defense attorney and became Garcia’s lawyer. Herrera had also been the one that notified Walter Winchell about the story. Texas newspaper editorials soon began taking up Marcario’s cause and disparaging the Fort Bend County officials and the town of Richmond. Winchell charged the people of Fort Bend County with “racial discrimination”.
The trial was originally scheduled for December 1945 but was postponed until February 1946. A few days before the February trial, a Mexican American veteran by the name of Bruno Garcia, no relation to Marcario, was refused service at the Oasis Café. The police were called and Bruno was arrested for trespassing. He was found guilty the following day and fined $132. The publicity from this case brought up Marcario’s story once again. The trial was then postponed until June 1946.
A new attorney of record for Marcario soon appeared. His name was James V. Allred. Allred was an icon of the Anglo Texas political and legal establishment. He was a former attorney general and governor of the state of Texas. He had been a federal judge before stepping down to run for governor. He would be reappointed as a federal judge by President Truman following the Marcario Garcia incident. He was a rarity in Texas, a true liberal Democrat.
The authorities of Fort Bend County, seeing the writing on the wall as well as the mounting criticism by the media, quietly dropped all charges against Marcario. Marcario would become a U.S. citizen in 1947. He would marry and raise three children. He would rise to the rank of Sergeant Major in the Army Reserve. He worked as a counselor for the Veteran’s Administration (VA).
On Nov. 21, 1963, Marcario greeted President John F. Kennedy at the Rice Ballroom in Houston at a gathering of Hispanic civil rights advocates, veterans and political activists. The President spoke on the subjects of American foreign policy towards Latin American countries and the importance of recognizing and acknowledging Hispanic organizations such as LULAC. First Lady Jacqueline gave a speech in fluent Spanish of encouragement and hope for the Hispanic community. This unprecedented meeting with Hispanics by the President is considered by many to be the beginning of the emergence of the Latino vote in the U.S. The next day Kennedy was assassinated.
Marcario would work for the V.A. for 25 years. He even volunteered to go to South Vietnam in 1968 and counsel soldiers who were returning home. He was killed in a car accident in 1972. He was buried in the Houston National Cemetery with full military honors. The city of Houston renamed a street in his honor. In 1983 Vice President George Bush dedicated Houston’s new Marcario Garcia Army Reserve Center. A middle school in Sugarland is also named after him.