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: Mustering in the great Southwest desert, the unit was mainly Mexican-American and North American Indian from 20 tribes. Expanded in Panama, it was one of World War II's few organizations to complete the trail from Down Under to Japan. [ 3]
Cries of "Banzai" rang through the jungles -- the staccato of enemy machine guns, mortars and rifles broke through the jungle silence. The bayonet charges were suicidal, but the 158th Regimental Combat Team, the "Bushmasters," repulsed the enemy and advanced. It fought day after day in critical battles, to open the Visayan passages for allied shipping in the Pacific. The merciless campaign lasted two months in terrain laced with tank traps, wires, mines and bamboo thickets. The Texas National Guard's 141st Infantry Regiment fought in France and Italy for one year and suffered thousands of casualties. The entire list of mostly Hispanic units that were cited for valor in World War II would be several pages long. Countless Hispanic Soldiers served in other integrated units that fought bravely, earning countless medals for valor and bringing victory for the United States and its Allies in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation. A total of six Hispanic-Americans were flying aces in World War II and the Korean War.