Hispanic Heritage Dinner
Celebrating the accomplishments of Hispanic graduates
by MAJ Adam Grijalba, Equal Opportunity Office
Guest Speaker, Dr. Saldívar, giving his remarks.
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WEST POINT (OCT. 15, 2001) -
On October 15th, West Point celebrated the accomplishments
of Hispanic graduates at the Hispanic Heritage Dinner.
The guest speaker for the event was Dr. Samuel Saldívar,
who is a professor of Spanish and the Director of Instruction
in the Department of Foreign Languages.
Dr. Saldívar has
seen firsthand the contributions of many Hispanic graduates
since he came to the Department of Foreign Languages in 1966.
In addition to his comments about the many graduates who have
served and continue to serve our nation in military and
civilian capacities, he noted that, "Hispanic Heritage
is American Heritage..." The rich traditions, values,
and customs of the Hispanic culture have become a part of
American culture.
The event was a fitting tribute to our Hispanic graduates
during West Point's bicentennial year celebration.
Distinguished Hispanic Graduates
MG Luis Esteves, USMA 1915
(Photo at right) MG Esteves was the first Puerto Rican Graduate of West
Point. He was the first graduate of his class to become a
general officer, ahead of classmates Dwight D. Eisenhower
and Omar Bradley. During World War I, he was commander of
three Officers' Training Camps in Puerto Rico. He founded
the Puerto Rican National Guard after resigning his active
duty commission in 1919. In 1937, he was made Adjutant General,
a position he held until his
retirement in 1957. He died March 12th, 1958
Bishop Maurice Benitez, USMA 1949
(Photo at right) Bishop Benitez was commissioned in the US Air Force in 1949.
After his pilot training, he served in the 527th Fighter
Bomber squadron from 1950-1953. He was ordained an Episcopal
Priest in 1959 and became the Bishop of the
Episcopal Church of Texas in 1980.
Richard Morales, Jr., USMA 1976
(Photo at right) Dr. Richard Morales was the first Hispanic First Captain.
After Graduation, he went on to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
After completion of his studies in Oxford, he served in the
1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment. He later went
on to Yale University and earned a medical degree in 1983.
Former Secretary of the Army, Louis Caldera, USMA 1978
(Photo at right) Louis Caldera became the 17th Secretary of
the Army in July of 1998. He was commissioned in the MP Corps
in 1978 and served as platoon leader, battalion intelligence
officer and battalion executive officer before resigning his
commission in 1983. He earned a law degree and an MBA from
Harvard in 1987 and entered private law practice for
three years. After representing Los Angeles county as
Deputy County Counsel for one year, he served for five
years as an Assemblyman in the California legislature.
Before he became the Secretary of the Army he moved to
Washington to serve as the Managing Director and Chief
Operating Officer for the Corporation for National Service.
As Secretary of the Army, he managed a work force of more
than 1 million soldiers and 270,000 civilian employees.
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