Title: History | Hispanics in the United States Army
Headings: 
History
Civil War
1861-1865
1850
Spanish-American War
1898
World War I
1914-1918
World War II
1939-1945
Korean War
1950-1953
Vietnam War
1959-1973
Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
1990-1991
1950
Profiles
War Against Terrorism/Contigency Operations
2003-Present
2000

Content: Theodore Roosevelt -- better known as the "Rough Riders" -- fought in Cuba. George Armijo, another Rough Rider, later became a member of Congress. Pictured above: Soldiers of the 65th Infantry are shown after an all-day schedule of maneuvers at Salinas, Puerto Rico, August 1941. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Center of Military History. World War I
1914-1918
In May 1917, two months after legislation granting United States citizenship to individuals born in Puerto Rico was signed into law, and one month after the United States entered World War I, the authorized unit of volunteer Soldiers were transferred to the Panama Canal Zone. U.S. Army policy at the time restricted most segregated units to noncombat roles, even though the regiment could have contributed to the fighting effort. According to House concurrent resolution 253, the U.S. Army had approximately 200,000 active personnel at the beginning of the war. An Act of Congress was passed in 1917 to obtain needed manpower, and the Hispanic community was eager to serve its country. They included both native-born Soldiers, mostly of Mexican descent, and new immigrants from Latin America, Mexico and Spain.