Hispanic service members from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force state their names and family backgrounds during the filming of the final National Hispanic Heritage Month video at the north gate. Photo by Sam Campbell.
The 14th Military Police Brigade hosted National Hispanic Heritage Month virtually through a series of seven videos — created and produced by the Public Affairs Office and posted to social media — that featured command messages and testimonials of Hispanic service members around the post.
“I’m from Arlington, Virginia,” said Pvt. Marvin Gutierrez, Company D, 787th MP Battalion, in a video posted to Facebook. “My parents are from Quelepa, El Salvador. They migrated here back in the late ‘80s for a better future for me and my older brothers. I am the first person in my family to serve in the United States military.”
The month, which is observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 annually, is meant to draw attention to the “countless contributions of more than 60 million Hispanic Americans to our culture and society,” according to the 2020 presidential proclamation.
“My step dad decided to join the Marine Corps when he was 33, so I moved from Puerto Rico to Hawaii when I was 13,” said Staff Sgt. Danetta Rosado, a drill sergeant with Company B, 787th MP Battalion. “It was very challenging, I had no experience with English … and I’m the first female (in my family) to join the Army.”
Col. Robert Arnold, 14th MP Bde. commander, praised the sacrifices Hispanic American service members have made for the country.
“We are currently in unprecedented times, and now more than ever we have an obligation to show our Soldiers, families, community and the American people what we stand for as an organization,” he said. “We stand for teamwork, diversity, inclusion and excellence.”
Under normal circumstances, heritage month celebrations are typically held at the Pershing Community Center with two-hour luncheons. But COVID-19 has resulted in many observances going virtual.
Lt. Col. Kathryn Shaw, 14th MP Bde. deputy commander, said the goal was to highlight just how diverse the post is.
“We wanted … to showcase what these Soldiers are doing in different organizations,” she said. “We really wanted to get all of these videos in so we could show just how far reaching our military members of Hispanic heritage are.”
