used in 007 movies. the producers are revving up for the next movie slated for release in 2015. so mark your calendars. thanks for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. "inside story" is next. their heroism, we will tell that story and the look at service in america's wars on this inside story. >> hello, i'm ray swarez. at the battle of gettys burg, a young corp. rail, his unit repelling the ill paymented con fed rate assault called pickets charge, captures the rebel colors, his

name was joseph decastro, he would become the first hispanic american awarded the medal of honor. in the next century and a half, latinos serves with distinction in every war, their service eventually recognized with more than 60 medals of honor. now, the president has added to the long march of heros recognizing service minute whose valor was overlooked or even down played due to prejudice back in wartime. these new recipients were from ethnic, racial, backgrounds whose equality was prompted by law, but not always affirmed in reality. >> after years of review, these two dozen soldiers among them, hispanic, african-american, and jewish veterans, were identified as having earned the medal of honor. >> out of the 24 decorated only three could attend because they are the only ones still alive. their service ending decades ago. >> some of these soldiers

fought, and died, for a country that did not always see them as equal. >> this appreciation comes after a congressional order review cases of veteran whose may have been wrongly denied the nation's highest military honor, because of their religion or race. >> their extraordinary deeds merited the highest recognition. and today, we have the chance to set the record straight. >> green beret sergeant is one of the recipients, now living in a small town in florida, maris remembers that fateful day in vietnam in 1969. he went back to retrieve the body of a fellow soldier, and was shot three times. >> i seen the incident, and when he returned home to the u.s., morris received the military second highest award, the distinguished service cross. the only reason the military denied him the

highest award was institutional racism, and president barack obama called him personally to tell him that. >> he said i want to apologize to you, you should have receive add medal of honor 44 years ago. and i'm presenting you with the congressional medal of honor. and i dropped down on my knees. i was overwhelmed. >> sergeant santiago and master sergeant jose robust response dell low were also heros in the vietnam war, but were denied the award in the late 1960's, again, because of discrimination. >> on behalf of a grateful nation, we all want to thank you for inspiring us, then and now, with your strength, your will, and your heroic hearts. please give them a big round of applause. >> out of the 24 vietnam war korean war, and world war ii veterans honored tuesday, more than half were hispanic, in the

medal of honor history just 61 hispanic men received the award out of the more than 3,000 medals awarded how a third of the total were given during the civil war. three went to hispanic servicemen during that war. last year, more than 150,000 hispanics were on active duty and in 2011, they made up nearly 17% of all new recruits. they came from mexico, and puerto rico, from chicago, and los angeles, and spanish harlem, farm tunes across the southwest, they fought in all branches of the service, in every war since the civil war, 150 years ago, the latino story has been part of america's story since the sen teen century, but we don't often talk about the contributions to the defense of the country. today's medal of honor ceremony highlighted their valor and that of others joining us to look at the president's actions today and take a

look back are from mashville tennessee professor of history, in our washington studio, danny lopez, programming and marketing manager for the smithsonian latino center, and in austin texas, maggie reeves rodriguez associate professor of journalism at the university of texas in austin, and director of the u.s. latino and latino oral history project. let me start with you, maggie, you have been collecting stories and we celebrate our military as a place where that's a kind of level tear takes poo emfrom all walks, all stations in society, and makes them equal in one uniform, what kind of stories did you hear about unequal treatment that makes these medal of honor investigations ring true? we have -- one story we hear over and over again, is

that when the latino men were in the military, they felt this kinship with one another, this brotherhood, so they didn't distinguish so much between the italian, and the irish guys and the injuryish guys they really did feel like these -- these really were a band of brothers. only the other hand, another kind of story is that they were -- they sometimes did the same things they had the same heroics as someone who is not la tyne know, and of course latinos did not serve normally in segregated units they were part of the general population. so we hear both of those things one that they felt a kinship with their brethren, but the other one that they did feel different, and sometimes they were treated differently. that's an important distinction, during the days of is segregated

military, if you are a mexican guy from san antonio, either from the island or from new york, you served in the general population, not in an all brown unit. >> well, the exception to that are latinos who are of african dissent. we have done interviews with men in what they called colored units because they were afterow puerto ricans and they felt much more comfort national the color battalions. so we do have those incidents of men that served in segregated units. the other part. that were the sixty-fifth coast guard artillery, that ended up going to the philippines and was taken prisoner. those were largely latinos that served in that.

and we do have other national guard units that were largely spanish speaking units. that they were based in areas where the population was really spanish speaking population, so that when they went in, they were speaking spanish most of the time. >> professor swartz if you look back at the 90's and the first decade of this century, there have been many occasions when presidents of both parties and all different kinds of backgrounds themselves. military and non, have given awarding to aging gentlemen that served in previous conflict. so that idea of going back and checking a service record isn't new, but how should we understand this latest one. as part of a defense authorization, appropriation bill, a promise to go back and look atrd robust responses to see if men were cheated out of a higher accommodation. >> yes, i think it's partly obviously it has

elements of political desire to rectify wrongs but also to comment, in a sense, i think there is a background to this of trying to say that the united states is always been more diverse than many accept that. i think in this sense president is trying to do that in a way that i think is very positive, or will be seen as positive. namely honors him tear service. >> do you think it was oversight, or systematic exclusion when we look back, for instance, in the last decade or so, black men that served in pearl harbor, they were recognized for their tremendous her requirism during the japanese attack, is this a matter simply of othersight, or something darker

than that? no, i think for world war ii -- in which the leadership was much more systematically racist. that is simply the way to understand it. for korea and vietnam, i think way are getting into more cases of oversight. but i think in world war ii, there's this real devicing line that's from world war ii. in terms of racism. >> is it important to bring out of retirement, somewhere in small town america, bring him how the white house, and put a medal around his neck, and if so, why. >> that's a great question. one of the things that this service and this ceremony today signifies

is what it does is bring latinos out of the margin. and that's something we are working to do not just in terms of our own culture, but in terms of military service. there's an exhibit at the history museum, we produced a publication, called latino patriots so i think it is important that we honor these individuals that gave their lives. their family suffered during this time as well, and it brings us out of the margins. and it is important. i have been touched with various family members that have served. he receive add purple heart, but he never talked about it. not only the segregation

and the racism that was taking place during these times but i think it is just the humble nature of latinos. notn't waying to necessarily call attention to their service and i think it speaks tons when they are honored on a stage in d.c. for their service. you said it is important, is it important for other latinos or important for all-americans to see these men, in uniform, wearing the highest declaration the country can give? >> sure, i think military service should be color blind. it is obviously important to the latino community, but it is important to every american to see that we are treating each other fairly, and going out recognition, and honoring ourselves, in the most equitable manner possible. so gone, it's not just

for latinos i think it speaks to our spirit of inclusion, that we appear to and wanting to be as inclusive as possibility, and it just warms my heart, to see this act taken today, and i think it will inspire not just my generation, but a younger latinos and other minorities wanting to serve the country. >> we are going to take a short break, and when we come back, we will talk about the role the military has historically plays in the country, of making people from everywhere into americans. this is inside story.

another one of the latino servicemen honored was

staff sergeant man weal mendoza who fought in italy. he broke off german counter attack firing on heavily armed troops charging his units position, and killing more than 30 enemy soldiers during the action. all while heavily wounded. latinos in the armed forces on this edition of inside story. professor schwartz let me turn to you. there were irish immigrant units on both sides in the civil war, there werener german speaking units in the union army. and they went on to join veterans organization and become american citizens. has this been historically part of the role of military service? >> it has been. it has been the idea is that the military is a pipe of melting pot of bringing together different ethnicities and creating an american citizen ship. it hasn't always worked very evenly. african-americans fought for the union during the war, they didn't

necessarily though receive their full citizen ship after the war. so it's not been always a smooth process. the 20th century, though, i think it's taken on that element of the word war one saw a fusing oa lot of the different groups that fought in europe. world war ii even more so. the end of segregation, and the beginning of an attempt at a color blind military, so it has taken on a greater morns, and has certainly served as a key in creating opportunities for minority groups. a lot of black and brown servicemen came home and found they weren't equal citizens at home yet. s this one of the sparks maybe underrecognized of the modern civil rights movement? >> absolutely.

for mexican americans in particular, who came from segregated communities throughout the southwest, and the midwest, they came back and after serving in the military. they were ready to take their place. and full of enthusiasm, and they were told well it is time for you to go back to business as usual. for them it was the beginning but another part of this came from the g.i. bill. and so they not only had this sense of injustice, and wanting to right wrongs but may also began to acquire the where with all. to sha generation was able to make great use of the g.i. bill. and from that generation narks' where you have the creation of all the

people amended created as with the american g.i. forum. because he organizes and registers veterans and their families to vote. >> that's right. >> you know -- >> hector -- >> go ahead. >> i was just going to say that dr. hector, in corpus christi, he inspires a lot of people throughout the southwest, and in the midwest, and g.i. forum continues to stand up for latino veterans. >> it is a striking thing. you and i are too young for vietnam, but if you go to the wall in washington, d.c., a tremendous number this

was no college deferment. we celebrate the veterans but sometimes we forget to celebrate the vietnam veteran. and that was a tough country they came home to. >> yeah, it was -- i mention add family member that served in vietnam, and my father was a couple years younger than him, and he didn't go. so -- it was interesting to hear the stories told about some that went to war and some that didn't. and the price they paid during this time. and in the subsequent conversations that i have had with my family and my uncle in particular about his service, i mentioned it earlier the humility they bring, and them wanting to share their story, and wanting to honor them, but it was a difficult time, and i think you know it is hard -- it's great to see

this recognition, given the -- even if it is late, i guess. i think it is an important gesture, and it's something that is owed to these people to these young men and women. that served that are serving because it is the price they pay and could pay. >> we are going to take a short break, when we come back, we will talk about the way ways that americans changing and with an all volunteer force, how the arm ad forces are going to look different in subsequent decades. this is inside story.

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then an america tonight: special edition, only on al jazeera america >> every sunday night, al jazeera america presents... award winning documentaries >> revealing secrets... >> taking chances... >> everyone that was involved in the movement, had a code name. >> al jazeera america presents every sunday night, [on the occasion of award of two dozen medals of honor. we are looking at latinos in the military today on the program. among those honors today.

damageny, lo pose. whey a smithsonian center. thetino story intoert the main narrative. >> sure. that's a great question, and something we are going back and forth, i think we -- different discussions that we have. >> a complex story, but it goes -- back generations and generations. and just like the african-american story, the native american story, the asian pacific narrative story, they all are part of the american experience. 59 times it is too complex and too big to fell, and to have one museum charge with that, is daunting.

and i think what we aspired to do is we are -- i think showing that our contributions our part of that american experience, through the latino lenes. and i think anything that we do is set in again in that context of trying to center the margin. and trying to bring our experience back into the main stream. so i think anything we do, any programs we offer, any honors that we devil out is done with that spirit, of we have been contributing to this country since the beginning. but it takes often times more than one -- just one museum to tell that very complex, very rich beautiful story. >> professor, rivas rodriguez as the country changing and we are right now in the midst of tremendous change, will those histories that you gather from hundreds of world war ii veterans and their families become

only more valuable once we can't talk to the veterans themselves? >> absolutely. we expanded to the korean and the vietnam era, a few years ago, ray. we are still interviewing world war ii veterans and we are looking at those experiences that today's young people can't possibly understand. what they went through. i teach a class, called oral history of journalism, and we are going to a small town in texas this coming weekend to interview people about the voting rights act. in 1975, a lawyer there had written to barbara jordan his congresswoman, and said here in texas, here in this little town, we are still prevented from voting can you help us out. one of the people we will be interviewed is a world war go veteran, who came back and was still adamant about trying to get better treatment, and better inclusion of latinos. he ran for city council

five times before he was elected. so it's -- still living with our history, and our young people really need to understand, that voting is something that wasn't just handed to people. people had to -- african-americans and latinos really had to struggle to vote. and to -- for their vote to be recognized. so it is important for us to understand that these are privileges that even though it should be civil rights and it should be that we all enjoy them, there was a lot of people that had to fight very hard to get those civil rights recognized. >> professor swartz we move to an all volunteer force after the vietnam war, and now that latinos and especially among young people, is huge. latinos will probably be overrepresented in the armed forces because they make up such a large part of young america. s it a good time to recall how the army is

both a reminder, sometimes in our history of the changes needed in vanguard position sometimes. getting society used to social change, whether it's the role of women, allowing gays in the military, advancing the ambitions of black and latino service members? >> that's absolutely right. it is the army is in that sense -- certainly in the recent years with both women and gay rights the army has been ahead of society, is becoming ahead of society. and if you look at the integration that took place in the efforts that took place after vietnam to make the army truly color behind and equal, i think the army can continue to serve in that role. i think it is clear that the army will continue to be a vanguard of rights. >> with an army that looks more like young america, in the coming

years, i mean i'm not going to suggest we start coming out with g.i. jose, but will americans have to think about who is defending us in a different way? >> absolutely. no it will be a different -- this was all already i think starting to come in the 90's when general colin powell was the commander, in the persian gulf war, and you were already seeing this difference coming. and i think this is going to be accelerated over the next decades as we see army leadership increasingly represented in the latinos african-americans and others. >> professor thomas schwartz, professor thank you all for being with me today. that brings us to the end of this edition, thank you for being with us, in washington, i'm ray swarez.

welcome to al jazeera america. i'm dell waters. these are the stories we're following for you. russian forces taking over a ukrainian naval base. these heart-wrenching scenes from malaiysia as family member wait for news. the justice department telling toyota to pay up for misleading the public about a safety recall.