 "Photo: Illustration by Angela Schwengler")
Notice: The American GI forum will announce it's first college chapter in the nation at Del Mar College on Wednesday at the Hector P. Garcia ceremony.
Tomorrow, the state of Texas will honor the late Dr. Hector P. Garcia with a statewide day of remembrance.
In May, Senate Bill 495, authored by State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, was passed and signed into law by Governor Rick Perry. Under this legislation, every third Wednesday of September Garcia’s achievements and contributions are remembered through ceremonies and activities.
Festivities at Del Mar College will be held in the Retama Room in the Harvin Student Center starting at 5 p.m. with a performance by the Veterans Band followed by a reception, remarks from community dignitaries and viewing of the KEDT documentary “Justice for My People … The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Story.”
Garcia’s parents moved him and his siblings to Mercedes, Texas during the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920. In Mercedes, Garcia and his family experienced segregation, poverty and limited professional opportunities.
Not unlike many Hispanic people during that time, the Garcia children helped supplement the family income by picking cotton. For food, they rummaged through discarded fruits and vegetables in local warehouses.
Unlike many Hispanics, however, the Garcia children strived to succeed. Garcia’s father, Jose, was determined that each of his children would become a medical doctor and encouraged each by teaching them what he learned about mathematics, literature and history, including the heritage of the Aztecs.
Garcia himself had an extra motivation after a teacher told him, “No Mexican will ever get an ‘A’ in my class.”
The added motivation showed as each of the Garcia children succeeded at the University of Texas Medical School during a time when the school only accepted one Mexican-American student per year.
Garcia finished in the top 10 of his class. However, he was forced to fulfill his residency in Nebraska because no Texas hospital would accept a Mexican-American.
After completing his internship, Garcia volunteered to serve in the United States Army during World War II. He was placed in command of an infantry company and later, with the combat engineers.
After seven months, he was transferred to the Medical Corps, where he served as a first lieutenant, captain and major from 1942 to 1945. He earned the Bronze Star medal and six Battle Stars.
In 1946, Garcia returned to South Texas with his new wife, Wanda, and settled in Corpus Christi to practice medicine. What he returned to was a new fight against racial discrimination.
Mexican American farm laborers in labor camps were enduring inhumane living conditions, disabled Mexican-American veterans were starving or sick because the Veteran’s Administration (VA) failed to send financial or medical benefits and local school officials admitted to segregating Mexican-American children.
These conditions were what led Garcia and others to form and establish the American GI Forum during a March 26 meeting at Lamar Elementary School in Corpus Christi.
Garcia was elected chairman of the new organization and by December 1948, American GI Forum chapters were established in 40 Texas communities.
In 1949, the American GI Forum made national headlines after the Felix Longoria incident. A native of Three Rivers Longoria was a Mexican- American World War II hero who was killed in battle.
When his body was returned to Three Rivers, the local funeral home refused to provide services because “The Whites won’t like it.” Longoria’s widow also was told that her husband’s body would be placed in a segregated cemetery separated by a barbed-wire fence.
Dr. Garcia intervened and contacted then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson informed Garcia that the government could not change the stance of private businesses, but arranged for Longoria’s remains to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The relationship between Johnson and Garcia flourished and became advantageous for Mexican Americans during Johnson’s presidential years.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy appointed Garcia to help create a mutual defense treaty with the Federation of West Indies Islands, making him the first Mexican American to represent a US president.
Two years later, Garcia was appointed as Johnson’s representative with rank of Special Ambassador for the inauguration ceremonies of Dr. Raul Leoni, president of Venezuela.
In 1967, Johnson appointed Garcia as an alternate ambassador to represent the United States in the United Nations. His speech in October was the first by an American before the U.N made in a language other than English.
Garcia’s accomplishments continued through the 70s and into the 80s and in 1984, President Ronal Reagan presented Garcia with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a civilian can receive in the United States.
Throughout the years, Garcia received awards and recognitions for his dedication to serving the public and in 1991 Corpus Christi State University awarded Garcia with the university’s first “Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters” degree.
On March 8, 1996, Garcia closed his medical office on Bright Street. Just over three months later, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi dedicated the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Plaza featuring a nine-foot statue of Garcia.
On July 26, 1996 Garcia died surrounded by his family and friends. Two days later, President Bill Clinton issued a statement that read, “Dr. Garcia was a real American hero. We should honor him best by committing ourselves to continue the work of his life.”
Today, Garcia’s commitment to service continues through the American GI Forum and his legacy as the medical doctor to the barrios, a decorated war veteran, a civil rights activist and a presidential confidante will remain through history.
Be the first to comment on this article!