The history of a great nation is the history of the individuals who have shaped it. The United States of America is what it is today because of extraordinary men and women who stepped in to make significant contributions. However, not all historical contributions came from the Natives, considering that the U.S. has been a nation of immigrants. In this regard, the nation’s journey and successes would not be possible without the generations of immigrants who came to its shores from every corner of the globe. One such immigrant is Hector Perez Garcia, whose historical significance to the U.S. this paper addresses. Born in 1914 in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, Garcia grew up in Mercedes, Texas (Del Valle np). Notably, his parents had been forced to move to the U.S. (when he was 3) by the violence of the Mexican Revolution. Upon his graduation from the University of Texas in 1936, Garcia went on to make notable contributions to the U.S. history: he opened a medical practice where he transformed the lives of many poor people and veterans; he founded the American G.I. Forum that brought veterans together in their advocacy for benefits and their fight against all forms of racial discrimination; he set history as the first American to receive the U.S. most decorated civilian award — Presidential Medal of Freedom. Physician and pioneering activist Hector Perez Garcia is one of the American figures of Mexican ancestry who significantly impacted U.S. history.
In 1946, Garcia set up a medical practice in Corpus Christi, where he had moved after World War II had ended. Here, he witnessed the challenges that veterans as well as migrant workers were going through. Garcia offered low and no-cost treatment to impoverished patients; he provided affordable, quality care to the poor, migrants, and veterans, which earned him the name “doctor to the barrios” (Del Valle np). Garcia’s work, which offered him the opportunity to know more about his patients and the injustices they were being subjected to, inspired a lifetime commitment to social reform; he became inspired to take action. In this connection, he joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Mexican American civil rights organization. Notably, LULAC’s primary goal was to fight discrimination, as it had been founded in response to racial segregation and political disfranchisement — it addressed the exclusion of Mexican-Americans from political representation, the requirement for them to pay to vote, bossism, and their exclusion from participating in juries (Kells 49). Therefore, Garcia partnered with this organization to respond to these vices as well as the segregation of public accommodations and housing. Their collaboration attempted to address the poverty problem among marginalized communities. Therefore, Garcia was a man who enriched America’s history through his dedication to not only offering affordable medical care to the less privileged but also fighting discrimination of any kind. There is little to dispute that racial discrimination has served as the backbone of the majority of vices across the U.S. In this sense, Garcia’s work cannot go unnoticed.
Garcia’s impact on U.S. history can also be explained through the founding of the American G.I. forum. Despite his commitment to addressing racial discrimination and political disfranchisement, Garcia felt more action was necessary. For instance, he saw the need to help Mexican American veterans; it had dawned on him that they were being subjected to uncalled for psychological torture in their attempt to access Veterans Administration Services, including the GI Bill, treatment at V.A facilities, and home loans (Estrada np). Therefore, in 1948, he founded the American G.I. Forum to address such concerns. Garcia meant this forum to bring the voices of veterans together in their fight for medical and educational benefits (Taylor np). Later, it would organize them to fight against school segregation and poll taxes. Notably, he had become aware that Mexican-Americans were required to pay to be allowed to participate in elections, could not attend white-dominated schools and enjoy public places, and were only confined to owning land inside segregated places; they could not buy land elsewhere. In March 1948, Garcia organized the forum’s first meeting, attended by a significant number of Hispanic-American veterans.
The unfair treatment of Private Felix Longoria, his fellow Mexican-American, was one incident that contributed to the G.I. Forum’s significance. Longoria was serving in the military and had been killed while on duty in the Philippines (Perez np). However, the mortuary owner could not permit a Mexican-American to have chapel services simply because ‘it would not go well with the whites.’ This prompted his family to seek the assistance of Garcia. Consequently, Garcia reported the matter to the media and public figures, including senators and governors. Moreover, he sent telegrams to members of Congress. Upon learning of the incident, which had now become a national story, senator Lyndon Johnson arranged for the burial to take place in Arlington Cemetery instead of Three Rivers, Longoria’s hometown. The injustice led to the expansion of the G.I. Forum to other states such as Colorado and New Mexico. By 1954, the organization had established to the extent it could hold national conventions (Perez np). Garcia could take the slightest opportunity to advocate for fairness and equality in court proceedings and promote civic affairs; he guided the AGIF in fighting against segregation of any kind. Additionally, the forum continued to fight for other civil rights. For instance, it initiated the case that would result in a Supreme Court ruling that Mexican-Americans were entitled to serve on Texas grand juries. The organization also advocated for all people, even the undocumented, to have better working conditions. García’s exemplary work did not go unrecognized as President Reagan presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is worth noting that this is the most decorated civilian award in the U.S. Furthermore, he was honored as the U.S. treasury recognized his effort to improve the welfare of veterans and that of the general public.
Garcia’s advocacy was straightforward — all Americans deserved the same access to opportunity and freedom. He stood against any form of discrimination and committed his efforts to help the less privileged. He opened a medical practice where he inspired a lifetime commitment to social reform and treated veterans and the poor. Moreover, he founded the American G.I. Forum, which brought veterans together to fight against poll taxes and school segregation and also advocate for educational and medical benefits. The nation recognized his excellent work that transformed the lives of many Mexican-Americans, and he set history as the first Mexican American to be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the U.S highest civilian award — by President Reagan. Therefore, there is little to dispute that Hector Garcia is one of the American figures of Mexican ancestry who significantly impacted U.S. history.
Works Cited
Del Valle, Aracelis. “Garcia, Dr. Hector Perez.”
Estrada, Richard. “Garcia Sought Equality Via Inclusiveness,” The Dallas Morning News, August 1996.
Kells, Michelle Hall. Hector P. García: Everyday Rhetoric and Mexican American Civil Rights. SIU Press, 2006.
Perez, Toni. “Dr. Hector Perez Garcia: Founder of the American G.I.”
Taylor, Lisa. “The Inspiring Life of Texan Hector P. Garcia” (2016).
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