1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:04,439 Speaker 1: Hello, dear listener. I'm Victoria Strada and I'm a producer 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: at Latino USA. One of the things I love most 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,559 Speaker 1: about my job is that I got to think about 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: new stories and ideas that we can bring to you. 5 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: On the show, I explore subjects that are fascinating and 6 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: important and that we know are not being covered anywhere else. 7 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening for these three decades, and happy 8 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: birthday to Latino USA. I hope that you stay with 9 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: us for thirty more years, which as it ask. 10 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 2: Yes, this is Latino USA, the radio journal of News 11 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 2: and Kurture Latino USA, Latin Latino USA. 12 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 3: I'm Mariainojosa. 13 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 2: We bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered 14 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 2: to you, overlooked by the wrestler media, and while the 15 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 2: country is struggling to deal with these week listen to 16 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 2: the stories of Black and Latino. 17 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 3: Studios United, Latino Front, a cultural renaissance. 18 00:00:55,720 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 2: Organizing at the forefront of the movement. I'm Maria Inojo. 19 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: Dear listener, Getri the radio Skucha. Before we start, a 20 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 2: heads up, there are mentions of suicide in this story, 21 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 2: so please take care while listening. 22 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 4: Yes, yes, I have just arrived at one of the 23 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 4: local cemeteries in Laredo, Texas, on the US Mexico border. 24 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 4: It's only about eight am, but the sun is already 25 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 4: out in full force. I'm making my way towards a 26 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 4: large section of the cemetery where veterans are buried. Its 27 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 4: Memorial day ollo Dozens of people from the community are 28 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 4: gathering for a ceremony to honor servicemen and women, both 29 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 4: the living and those who have passed. There are older 30 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 4: veterans wearing caps embroidered with the name of the war 31 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 4: they fought in. There's elected officials and other residents of Laredo, 32 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 4: a city of a quarter million reds where virtually everyone 33 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 4: is Latino. One by one, those in attendants take their seats, 34 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 4: some on bleachers under the sun, others on black chairs 35 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 4: under a white canopy. The atmosphere is solemn, except for 36 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 4: some yardwork that is taking place nearby. As I look around, 37 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 4: I spot Elizabeth Olgin and Victor Domingezy Is that new 38 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 4: or did they do that every time they're There's a 39 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 4: huge banner on a nearby fence with the image of 40 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 4: Elizabeth and Victor's son, Lance Corporal David Lee Espinosa on 41 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,079 Speaker 4: the banner, you can see David's face and his marine uniform. 42 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 4: He has dark brown eyes and light brown skin that shines. 43 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 4: He looks so young, like a teenager almost. 44 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 5: I am very thankful and very proud of him. 45 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 4: Elizabeth and Victor are special guests in today's ceremony. 46 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 6: Today we honor the men and women who made the 47 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 6: supreme sacrifice for our country and our freedom. Laredo has 48 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 6: a proud history of patriarchs. We have served our country 49 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 6: with distinction and honor. 50 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 4: There are more than one point four million Latino veterans 51 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 4: across the US, and on this Memorial Day, Elizabeth and Victor, 52 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 4: along with two other Latino families, will be recognized as 53 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 4: gold Star Families. It's an honor reserved to immediate relatives 54 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 4: of soldiers who died while serving. 55 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 7: Will you prestend up both our brothers, Juana Maria Rodriguez, 56 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 7: Cecilia Arizola, Elizabeth Orgi Espinosa. 57 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 4: Elizabeth and Victor lost their son two years ago in Afghanistan. 58 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 4: David was only twenty years old. 59 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 2: From Futuro Media and PRX, It's Latino Usa. I'm marian 60 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 2: No Josa. Today we remember Lance Corporal David Lee Espinosa, 61 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 2: and we're going to look at how his story helps 62 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 2: to illustrate the role Latinos and Latinas have played and 63 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 2: continue to play in the US military and why this 64 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 2: institution for so many years has targeted them to fill 65 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 2: its ranks. Lance Corporal David Lee Espinosa died on August 66 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:36,919 Speaker 2: twenty six, twenty twenty one. It happened during the chaotic 67 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 2: withdrawal of US troops and allies from Afghanistan, twenty years 68 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 2: after the start of the US invasion. At the time 69 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 2: of his death, David had been less than two years 70 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 2: into his career with the Marines. 71 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: The latest details in the bomb attack outside the airport 72 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: in Kable, the number of US service members were killed. 73 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 8: As a talibi and solidify their control of the city 74 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 8: and the country. 75 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 3: Five of the thirteen killed were only twenty years old. 76 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 9: They gave their lives to help others escape with their own. 77 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:15,239 Speaker 2: David was one of the thirteen US service members killed 78 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 2: in a series of suicide bombings on that day. About 79 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 2: half of those killed that day were Latino. An additional 80 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 2: one hundred and seventy Afghans also died. It was the 81 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 2: tragic conclusion to a commitment that US had agreed to 82 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 2: a little bit more than a year before, and that 83 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 2: was during the Trump administration. In twenty twenty, Trump signed 84 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,919 Speaker 2: a deal with the Taliban to withdraw all troops remaining 85 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 2: in Afghanistan by May of twenty twenty one. By then 86 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 2: President Joe Biden was in office and twenty five hundred 87 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 2: US soldiers were still stationed in Afghanistan. It became Biden's 88 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:02,920 Speaker 2: responsibility to bring them back home. Leaving Afghanistan marked the 89 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 2: end of the longest war in US history. It began 90 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 2: after the attacks of September eleventh, two thousand and one, 91 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 2: when then President George W. Bush announced the beginning of 92 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 2: what would come to be known as the War on Terror. 93 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 10: Our war on terror begins with Al Kada, but it 94 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 10: does not end there. It will not end until every 95 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:35,360 Speaker 10: terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated. 96 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 2: Many opponents of the war have called the invasion of 97 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:46,919 Speaker 2: Afghanistan illegal, and a lot of Americans have questioned its validity. 98 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 2: Brown University's Cost of War Project estimates that about seven 99 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 2: thousand US service members and more than eight thousand contractors 100 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 2: have died in the post nine eleven wars. That include 101 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:06,360 Speaker 2: Afghanistan and Iraq, and the aftermath has been even more deadly. 102 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 2: The Cost of War Project reports that more than thirty 103 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 2: thousand active members and veterans of these wars have died 104 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 2: by suicide. Additionally, more than three hundred thousand civilians have 105 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 2: been killed, and the Taliban, which the US originally sought 106 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:30,679 Speaker 2: to eradicate, is back in power. It's left so many 107 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 2: wondering was the war really worth it. The cycle of 108 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 2: David's life is tragic. He was born at the very 109 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 2: start of the war, and yet he was one of 110 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 2: the last people killed as the war officially came to 111 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 2: an end. 112 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 4: David Lee Espinoza born in Laredo. He called Rio Bravo home. 113 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 4: He's the oldest of four children. 114 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 11: He was a patriot who had a passion for service, 115 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 11: and our nation can never repay the debt that we 116 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 11: owe to David and to his family. 117 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 4: Bogan has a simple message to those mothers who have 118 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 4: children deployed overseas. 119 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 12: Just pray, pray, and hopefully they'll come back. 120 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 2: This year marked three decades that Latino USA has been 121 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 2: reporting on issues directly impacting Latinos and Latinas across the country, 122 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 2: and the War on terror is at the top of 123 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 2: the list. We dived into the different ways in which 124 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 2: that particular war has upended immigrants' lives, such as the 125 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 2: anti immigrant sentiment that flourished after the September eleventh attacks. 126 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 2: Everybody talks about it, thinks about it that some of 127 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:56,000 Speaker 2: the September eleventh hijackers got into this country on student visas. 128 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 2: It's made a lot of angry and frightened Americans call 129 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:03,719 Speaker 2: for immigration to reform. But what happens when Latinos are 130 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 2: caught up in the crackdown? We reported on Latino soldiers 131 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 2: and casualties. This week has been a nightmare for the 132 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 2: Manchaka Vasquez family of Texas. Their son, Christian Manchekavasquez was 133 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:21,679 Speaker 2: reported kidnapped along with another American soldier. And on the 134 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 2: history of the military targeting Latinos for recruitment, should the 135 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 2: military focus on immigrants to fill its recruiting ranks? 136 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 3: Is it even legal? 137 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 2: Latinos and Latinas have served in all military branches dating 138 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 2: back to the Revolutionary War in this country. Over sixty 139 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 2: of them have been awarded the Medal of Honor, which 140 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:47,839 Speaker 2: is the highest medal for valor. Today We're going to 141 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 2: focus on the so called war on terror, and we're 142 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 2: going to tell it through David's story. Latino USA producer 143 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 2: Rinaldo Leanos Junior is going to pick up the story 144 00:09:59,559 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 2: from here. 145 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 8: Wow, Hi, Hi, how are you coming? 146 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 5: Thank you so much. 147 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 13: Good to finally meet you. 148 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:16,440 Speaker 4: The Sunday before Memorial Day, I visited Elizabeth Ogin and 149 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 4: Victor at their home. 150 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 2: Oh wow, I'm just like taking everything in. 151 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 6: Wow. 152 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 4: The moment that I walk into their house, I mesmerized 153 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 4: by everything that I see in front of me. There's 154 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,840 Speaker 4: a narrow hallway with white walls, and nearly every square 155 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,199 Speaker 4: inn just covered with paintings of David. And there's a 156 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 4: lot of different flags, flowers, crosses, and so much more. 157 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 5: Well, that's the original picture of him. That's one he 158 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 5: took when he graduated. This one is that one was 159 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 5: given to us once he passed. 160 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 4: Elizabeth is wearing a necklace with the blue cross on it. 161 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 4: She says David was wearing it when he died, and 162 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 4: she also has on his military dog tags. As she 163 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 4: and her husband show me around, I suddenly noticed that 164 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 4: she has a large black and white tattoo on her 165 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:08,200 Speaker 4: right forearm. It's of David in his marine uniform. 166 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 5: I've never had a tattoo in my life. This summer 167 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 5: before David passed away, I just woke up. I called 168 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 5: him my husband, and I'm like, I want to do 169 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 5: this tattoo. 170 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 4: She saw that moment as a sign. 171 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 5: I didn't get the tattoo at the time because I 172 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 5: got sick, But then came August when he passed away, 173 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:32,319 Speaker 5: and so I went ahead and it. 174 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:33,719 Speaker 12: Came out beautiful. 175 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 4: In the hallway, there's also a massive glass display cabinet 176 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:41,079 Speaker 4: filled with so many items. 177 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 14: Those are actually the twenty one bullets from the twenty 178 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 14: one gun salute from his funeral. They gave us all 179 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 14: the casings. 180 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 12: That was his last bottle. That was the last one 181 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 12: he drank. No one's going to drink it after. 182 00:11:55,600 --> 00:12:00,040 Speaker 4: I also see commemorative shot glasses, soldier figurines, and the 183 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 4: military medallions. When you look at this, what goes on 184 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 4: in your head. 185 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 5: For y'all, Well, there's a little bit of everything. Sadness, 186 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,960 Speaker 5: but at the same time proud. 187 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaker 4: The house is like a museum to David's memory and 188 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:22,600 Speaker 4: a way for his family to feel like David is 189 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:23,440 Speaker 4: still around them. 190 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 14: He had so many other inspirations and he already had 191 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 14: a plan what do he wanted to do with his life? 192 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 14: And to him to that point that everything was coming 193 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 14: out and going the way he wanted and all this, 194 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 14: like I said, it is created. Is awesome because a 195 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,199 Speaker 14: lot of people remember. But at the end of the day, 196 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:45,960 Speaker 14: I'd rather have him and it's. 197 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 4: It's a one story home with four bedrooms and a 198 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:57,200 Speaker 4: green front yard. It was actually gifted to them by 199 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,960 Speaker 4: an anonymous donor around Christmas twenty twenty one, a few 200 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 4: months after David's passing. Before that, they lived in a 201 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 4: mobile home. Both Elizabeth and Victor grew up here in Laredo. 202 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 4: It's where they met and fell in love. Elizabeth had 203 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:18,080 Speaker 4: David from her previous marriage around two thousand and four. 204 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:21,439 Speaker 4: When David was just three years old, she introduced him 205 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 4: to Victor, and Victor remembers that day very clearly. 206 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 14: He stood next to me, he was looking up and 207 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 14: next thing I know, he started tucking my shirt. He 208 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 14: was luki straight at me and he goes poppy. 209 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,319 Speaker 4: Victor admits that he got nervous and he didn't say 210 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 4: anything back to David. 211 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 14: I didn't want to play with his emotions, but I 212 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:41,839 Speaker 14: didn't know how to react. I was single my whole 213 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:43,280 Speaker 14: life to that point. 214 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:48,320 Speaker 4: But Victor and Elizabeth continued dating and eventually decided to 215 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 4: move in together and start a family. Victor became a 216 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:55,679 Speaker 4: father figure in David's life. They have so many memories 217 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 4: of David as a kid. 218 00:13:57,880 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 12: He was a sweet little boy. 219 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 5: He was a He was like a little monkey, like jumping, 220 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 5: you know, in the house, and playing around and joking 221 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 5: around and sneaking things like because if we let him 222 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 5: eat like junk foot, he would not eat dinner. 223 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:17,079 Speaker 4: Elizabeth says. David loved to play with water and nerf guns, 224 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 4: starting at the age of three, and he pretended that 225 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 4: they were real guns. 226 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 12: Oh my gosh. 227 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 5: That is something we had to like watch out for 228 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,000 Speaker 5: because he would come out of his room. You know, 229 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 5: the mobile homes they're a little bit smaller and narrowed, 230 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 5: so he would just pop his head out of the 231 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 5: mobile home and we would be in the living room 232 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 5: and you had to watch out because he would be 233 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 5: shooting at you. 234 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 4: Guns as toys can be a thorny issue to some people, 235 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 4: but the fact is that playing with guns is a 236 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 4: part of many people's childhoods. I grew up not too 237 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 4: far from David in the Rio Grand Valley just south 238 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 4: of Laredo. And while I was never into guns or 239 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 4: video games that involved shooting, a lot of my cousins 240 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 4: and friends were. Even now as an adult, guns do 241 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 4: make me a little uncomfortable, especially after reporting on the 242 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 4: aftermath of mass shootings in El Paso and in Uvalle. 243 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,359 Speaker 4: But in a lot of ways, and for many reasons, 244 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 4: there is a gun culture in Texas, stemming from things 245 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 4: like intense militarization on the border both past and present, 246 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 4: or because people go hunting with their families growing up, 247 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,080 Speaker 4: or just having guns as a way of life, and 248 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,120 Speaker 4: in David's case, toy guns were just something to have 249 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 4: fun with, so much so that his parents even gave 250 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:34,800 Speaker 4: him a BB gun when he was just eight years old. 251 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:38,359 Speaker 4: They say he would go to the backyard and shoot bottles. 252 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 12: He was a very good shooter. 253 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 5: He would actually also put little soldiers and you know 254 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 5: how the little soldiers are smaller, and he would aim 255 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 5: at them. 256 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 4: His parents say that was an early sign of David's 257 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 4: interest in the military, but it wouldn't be until David 258 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 4: was seventeen, when he was a junior in high school, 259 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 4: when he finally told his family that he wanted to 260 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 4: become a marine. At first, it wasn't easy for Elizabeth 261 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 4: to process. 262 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 12: I don't know how to react. 263 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 5: But then I spoke to my husband and I told him, 264 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 5: you know what, I have to be behind him. 265 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 12: Because this is what he wants. 266 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 5: And you know, I if I don't sign for him, 267 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 5: he's going to leave when he can sign for himself, 268 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 5: and I'm going to lose him that day. You know, 269 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 5: I prefer to be behind him and support him because 270 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 5: this is. 271 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 12: What he wants. 272 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 4: Both Elizabeth and Victor have had family members in the military, 273 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 4: which has been recruiting in Laredo for generations. 274 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 14: In the back of your mind, you're always thinking there's 275 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 14: going to be a war here or a war there, 276 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 14: or it doesn't have to be a war. It could 277 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 14: be like a small conflict somewhere where you're at, you know. 278 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 14: And that's how I saw it even growing up as 279 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 14: me like me thinking when I was in high school 280 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:53,160 Speaker 14: and the recruits came and they wanted to in my mind, 281 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 14: they was like, no, I'm not joining because I'm not 282 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:57,680 Speaker 14: going to send me to some country or somewhere somehow 283 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 14: you're going to end up fighting. 284 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 4: And that war and conflict during Victor's time and David's 285 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:10,960 Speaker 4: would be taking place in Afghanistan. David was two months 286 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,640 Speaker 4: old when terrors attacked the United States on nine to eleven. 287 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,960 Speaker 4: The events of that tragic day would unleash the war 288 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 4: that would impact their lives forever. 289 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 5: I never thought that David was going to be part 290 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 5: of it and die like this, Like twenty years later, defending. 291 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 2: US coming up on Latino USA. We meet other people 292 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 2: that were close to David. Later, we hear about how 293 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:47,160 Speaker 2: the military has long strategically targeted Latinos and Latinas in 294 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 2: their recruiting efforts. 295 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 3: Stay with Us not Ways. 296 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 15: Peliss Latino USA. I've been listening for years now. It's 297 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 15: feels such a great need that our people are on 298 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,880 Speaker 15: the radio then that people can feel a sense of community. Anyway, 299 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 15: You are great and may you have fifty more years. 300 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 3: Hey, we're back. 301 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 2: When we left off, we met the late Marine David 302 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 2: Lee Espinosa's parents. Now we're going to meet more people 303 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:41,760 Speaker 2: who are close to David to get a better picture 304 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,679 Speaker 2: of who he was and to hear about the different 305 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 2: ways in which the military has and continues to actively 306 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 2: recruit Latinos and Latinas into its ranks. Here's Latino USA 307 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 2: producer Rinaldo Leos Junior once again. 308 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:09,119 Speaker 4: While in Lrato, I stopped by Lyndon B. Johnson High School, 309 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 4: where David went to meet up with one of his 310 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:15,199 Speaker 4: former teachers, mister Michael Garrio. We're supposed to meet at 311 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 4: the library. The bell has just rung and the hallways 312 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 4: are filled with students making their way to their next class. 313 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 4: When I get to the library entrance, the first thing 314 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 4: I noticed is a beautiful gold lettering that reads Lance 315 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 4: Corporal David Lee Espinosa Memorial Library. It was renamed in 316 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 4: his honor in April twenty twenty two. And there's also 317 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 4: a black plaque. On this plaque there's the photograph of 318 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:44,360 Speaker 4: David when he was in high school, class of twenty nineteen, 319 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 4: and then also right next to it is a photo 320 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 4: of David in his marine uniform the United States Marine 321 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 4: Corps from twenty nineteen to twenty twenty one. And underneath 322 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:59,480 Speaker 4: it you see also the purple heart. I can't help 323 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:02,399 Speaker 4: but to think how young David was when he was killed, 324 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 4: what I was doing at the age of twenty. It's 325 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:05,920 Speaker 4: a lot to take in. 326 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 14: So, how's your morning going. 327 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 6: It's going. 328 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 8: I got four shots of espresso. 329 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 4: And mister Carrio and I meet inside a small room 330 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 4: here in the library. He was David's audio and video 331 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 4: production teacher. 332 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 8: I love David. He was a very quiet student, very 333 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:28,280 Speaker 8: quiet individual, and he was in a class with some 334 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 8: very rowdy students as well that were very loud. Maybe 335 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 8: it's because there was a lot of very powerful personalities 336 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,119 Speaker 8: in that class that he decided to take it like 337 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 8: a step back. 338 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 4: Like David and his parents, mister Carrio also grew up 339 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:45,640 Speaker 4: in Laredo, and he too comes from a military family. 340 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,520 Speaker 8: Both my grandfather served in World War Two. My mom's side, 341 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 8: he was a part of the Air Corps with the 342 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 8: Army because there wasn't an air force back then. And 343 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 8: then my other grandfather was in the Navy. It's just 344 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 8: amazing how my grandfather and my mom's side light is 345 00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:01,720 Speaker 8: by his age to be able to go fight because 346 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,159 Speaker 8: there was just some kind of there's something that like 347 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,320 Speaker 8: lit a fire inside of them. When we're being attacked, 348 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:08,479 Speaker 8: He's just like, I want to go fight and protect 349 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 8: our country. 350 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 4: Mister Cardio has been teaching for about twenty years now. 351 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 4: The last ten at this school, so he's always around students. 352 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,399 Speaker 4: High school is about the age when many kids are 353 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:21,359 Speaker 4: figuring out what they want to do with the rest 354 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:24,359 Speaker 4: of their lives, and so one way or another, he's 355 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 4: always hearing conversations with students considering joining the armed forces. 356 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,680 Speaker 8: They want to be able to provide for their families. 357 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:35,200 Speaker 8: I know that's the number one reason why the students 358 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 8: do want to join the military. 359 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,560 Speaker 4: He says. It's the path towards a better future and stability. 360 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:43,479 Speaker 8: It gives them that opportunity where they see, wait, college 361 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:45,959 Speaker 8: can be paid for, but you can also go to 362 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,320 Speaker 8: college and then have a degree and also be an 363 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:50,879 Speaker 8: officer when you enlist. There's a lot of need in 364 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,720 Speaker 8: our area, and a lot of them take on very 365 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:58,399 Speaker 8: mature roles at such a young age, where they're taking 366 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:02,320 Speaker 8: care of all their younger brothers and sisters and getting 367 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 8: jobs to help pay for light or pay for water 368 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 8: and food. 369 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 4: Mister Carrio's assessment isn't just anecdotal. According to the US 370 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:15,119 Speaker 4: Department of Defense, Latinos represent about seventeen percent of the 371 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 4: active duty force, and they are the fastest growing demographic 372 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 4: in the military. Mister Cardio admits he didn't see David 373 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 4: as a student who would join the ranks, but for 374 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:28,680 Speaker 4: David's friends, his future was a little clearer. 375 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 16: He actually did mention it like a few times here 376 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,200 Speaker 16: and there when we were in middle school, and at 377 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 16: the time I was actually thinking, I'm like, is he 378 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,640 Speaker 16: joking or is he actually serious about it? 379 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 4: That is gabrieljime celedon a friend David grew up with. 380 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 4: I met up with him at a park he would 381 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,919 Speaker 4: visit often with David, and he told me about a 382 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,679 Speaker 4: conversation he had with David back when they were just 383 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 4: in middle school. 384 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 16: He wanted to join because he wanted to be the 385 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 16: best version of himself that he could, and he also 386 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 16: won to know open doors and get like a future 387 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 16: going for him, rolled up and everything, and he also 388 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:08,400 Speaker 16: wanted to help people. He also wanted to, you know, 389 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,919 Speaker 16: also make his family proud, his mother, his stepfather and everything. 390 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 4: David's determination would even inspire Gabriel to follow in his footsteps. 391 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 16: I kind of found myself thinking what am I doing 392 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:26,920 Speaker 16: to better myself? And that's where he kind of also 393 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:29,040 Speaker 16: like drew me into join in. 394 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 4: Choosing the military as their future. It feels almost natural 395 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,439 Speaker 4: for kids like David and Gabriel, they hear about it, 396 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 4: as mister Garriol said, right when they are trying to 397 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 4: figure out what they want to do after graduation. I 398 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 4: grew up around people who also chose to go into 399 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 4: the military around his age, and I have several family 400 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 4: members who have served in the Armed forces. Some of 401 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 4: them joined because they were drafted during Vietnam, while others 402 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,119 Speaker 4: joined because they didn't see college as an option for 403 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 4: them at the time. Say they joined because their dad 404 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:03,560 Speaker 4: told them that they needed to do something with their 405 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 4: lives once they turned eighteen, so the military was that something. 406 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 4: And another relative enlisted because, like mister Guario pointed out, 407 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:16,639 Speaker 4: he saw it as a form of upward mobility. Here's 408 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 4: mister Gario again speaking about the military's presence at David's school. 409 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 8: We do have a Junior ROTC people here on campus, 410 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 8: and one of them is a recruiter. 411 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 4: JROTC stands for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. It's an 412 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 4: elective class that is offered in many public high schools 413 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:39,399 Speaker 4: across the country. Each branch of the military has their 414 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 4: own JROTC program and their own mission statements, and in 415 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:48,400 Speaker 4: these classes, students wear military uniforms, do some physical training, 416 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 4: and learn about leadership and civics. 417 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,840 Speaker 8: If I ever hear a student telling me that they 418 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 8: may be interested in the military, I would highly encourage 419 00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 8: them they joined the ROTC because they they're there for years, 420 00:25:01,359 --> 00:25:04,399 Speaker 8: they get to automatically go into the military of they 421 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,120 Speaker 8: enlist as like a E three, which is like already 422 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 8: with a rank, and so they're not starting from the 423 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 8: very bottom, you know, And so I think it's great. 424 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 8: I think it teaches a kid's discipline, which is what 425 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 8: a lot of our students are kind of lacking at 426 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 8: this time. And I think it's a very structured environment, 427 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 8: which a lot of our students need. 428 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,439 Speaker 4: Growing up in Texas, myself, there were JROTC classes at 429 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,639 Speaker 4: my high school, but I didn't know much about it 430 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 4: because I spent most of my time involved in theater. 431 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,679 Speaker 4: And it's only now that I'm reporting on this story 432 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,359 Speaker 4: that I'm learning a lot more about the history of 433 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 4: JROTC programs. 434 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 17: Well, what we know is that JROTC programs tend to 435 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:49,400 Speaker 17: be more highly concentrated in areas of high poverty. Right, 436 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,399 Speaker 17: So if you look at urban areas like Chicago that 437 00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 17: has one of the most profound JROTC networks of any city. 438 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 17: The JERROTC network in the actually compares, even though it's 439 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:07,119 Speaker 17: a fraction of the size in terms of population. That's 440 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:12,160 Speaker 17: Jessica la Varriega. She's the co author of Approving Patriotismo, 441 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:16,880 Speaker 17: Latino Military Recruitment Service and Belonging in the US. As 442 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:20,160 Speaker 17: part of research for the book, Jessica spoke with several 443 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 17: JAROTC instructors. Many of them were very very clear that 444 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:27,960 Speaker 17: they did not see their role in schools as being 445 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 17: a recruiter, but in teaching leadership in the local schools. However, 446 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:39,640 Speaker 17: it was also really clear that students at the schools 447 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,400 Speaker 17: and some teachers and some of the leadership saw those 448 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:48,760 Speaker 17: instructors as part of the network of recruiters. And if 449 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 17: you had questions about how to get in touch with 450 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,920 Speaker 17: a recruiter, if you had questions about what military experience 451 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:57,200 Speaker 17: was like, those are people who were trusted in their 452 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:01,440 Speaker 17: local school communities to provide advice to students. 453 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:07,199 Speaker 4: Even though JROTC programs don't technically recruit students into the military, 454 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,359 Speaker 4: there are several schools across the country that do allow 455 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 4: military recruiters into their buildings. 456 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:18,199 Speaker 17: Federal funding for schools is tied to a requirement for 457 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 17: schools to give the same level of access to military 458 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:26,160 Speaker 17: recruiters as is given to colleges and universities. 459 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 4: Last year, The New York Times published an investigation that 460 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:32,880 Speaker 4: found that thousands of students of color and from low 461 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 4: income areas were being pushed into j ROTC programs. Some 462 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:41,119 Speaker 4: schools had even made the elective mandatory. In her book, 463 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:44,680 Speaker 4: Jessica writes about something called the poverty draft. She looked 464 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 4: at schools in the Rio grand Valley and their ties 465 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 4: to military recruitment efforts. 466 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 17: If you think about the Rio Grande Valley right as 467 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 17: a metropolitan statistical area, which most people wouldn't think of 468 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,920 Speaker 17: it that way, but it is one of the poorest 469 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 17: metropolitan area is in the United States, and we were 470 00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:05,680 Speaker 17: looking at schools that had poverty rates at near one 471 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:09,640 Speaker 17: hundred percent to about fifty percent, and what we saw 472 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:14,720 Speaker 17: was that recruitment was strongest in the schools that had 473 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 17: higher rates of poverty. 474 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:20,400 Speaker 4: She also says that the military has gathered a lot 475 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:22,720 Speaker 4: of data and has done a lot of research on 476 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,760 Speaker 4: the LATINX community, and they tend to go after a 477 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:27,360 Speaker 4: specific type of student. 478 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:32,479 Speaker 17: As we were beginning to research for this book. Was 479 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 17: the story of a colleague who was working with us. 480 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 17: Her son was in a local high school in the 481 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 17: Rio Grande Valley and he was in an ap course 482 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 17: in science, and the Marines came to recruit students in 483 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 17: that particular class and went to the brightest students in 484 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:59,280 Speaker 17: this really frankly economically poor school district and told the 485 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 17: students there, don't go to college, join the military, Come 486 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 17: and learn about the technology on a nuclear sub Come 487 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 17: see the world, Come be a patriot. 488 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:14,640 Speaker 4: Jessica points out that this goes against a common narrative 489 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:15,960 Speaker 4: that we often hear about. 490 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 17: The story that we had kind of been told for 491 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 17: a long time was the military was a last option 492 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:26,920 Speaker 17: for people who maybe didn't have other opportunities. And what 493 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,960 Speaker 17: we saw happening was the recruiters weren't going after at 494 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 17: risk students. They were going after students who were seen 495 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 17: as role models, who were doing well in school, who 496 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:41,840 Speaker 17: did have other options, and targeting and recruiting those students. 497 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 4: In particular, this is because many high achieving students with 498 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,600 Speaker 4: college ambition simply can't afford it, so they often turn 499 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 4: to the military. Recruitment shortfalls is something the military has 500 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:57,400 Speaker 4: grappled with for a long time. Just this year, the Army, 501 00:29:57,520 --> 00:29:59,720 Speaker 4: the Navy, and the Air Force expect to be between 502 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:03,400 Speaker 4: and ten thousand en listys short of their goals, which 503 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 4: probably means more recruitment efforts nationwide. Jessica explains another strategy 504 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,440 Speaker 4: that has been used to attract Latinos, in particular. 505 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 17: For the last thirty or so years, there has been 506 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 17: a series of messages going to Latino communities across the 507 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 17: United States that we are not wanted. Right, if we 508 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 17: think about the mid nineteen nineties, right, huge anti Latino, 509 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:39,840 Speaker 17: anti immigrant messages and rhetoric, and we see that even today, right, 510 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 17: We have seen this kind of occur cyclically over time, 511 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 17: and there has been this messaging that if you are Latino, Latina, LATINX, 512 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 17: you don't belong You're not American, you are foreign. 513 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 4: So the military does the complete oppice it using specific 514 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:04,480 Speaker 4: rhetoric to help create a sense of belonging. 515 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,200 Speaker 17: And all of a sudden, you have a recruiter who says, 516 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,760 Speaker 17: come represent the United States, Come be a part of 517 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 17: our community, Come be a part of this effort to 518 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 17: protect US security, protect our families and communities abroad. At 519 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 17: the same time where you're going to have these amazing 520 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 17: experiences as part of this group, and that is hugely 521 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 17: appealing to young people who have felt pushed away and 522 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:39,040 Speaker 17: alienated by these larger societal messages for most of their lives. 523 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 4: And yet thousands of veterans who enlisted as non US 524 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 4: citizens have been deported in the past decades, close to 525 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 4: one hundred thousand by some estimates, and Jessica also says 526 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:53,479 Speaker 4: that the military uses a lot of Spanish language ads 527 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:57,240 Speaker 4: and hones in on Latino cultural nuances. 528 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 14: Stemno important existing as even. 529 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:11,320 Speaker 12: The few in the pro. 530 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:13,800 Speaker 14: The Marines. 531 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 4: The military has also taken into account immigrant home countries' 532 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 4: histories and politics when developing very specific targeted campaigns and 533 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 4: language to recruit Latinos and Latinas, like the Yosoil Army 534 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 4: campaign that ran from two thousand and one to two 535 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,479 Speaker 4: thousand and five, something that Latino USA reported on. 536 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,720 Speaker 11: Varrella says that for years the Army was alienating Latinos 537 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 11: by using the word hercito. 538 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:47,840 Speaker 9: When the Army was translating the word army into hercito, 539 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 9: it was absolutely the wrong thing to do because most 540 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,840 Speaker 9: of the recent immigrants or descendants of immigrants have come 541 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:58,920 Speaker 9: from countries where the word of hersito is not something positive. 542 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:03,640 Speaker 11: So under Cartel Kreativo, the slogan an army of one 543 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:07,320 Speaker 11: has been transformed into Yosoi Alarmy. 544 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:11,360 Speaker 4: Specialist Tanya Ramos, I'm a soldier in the Army Reserve. 545 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:13,920 Speaker 4: I get the skills and experience to do it right. 546 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:16,920 Speaker 18: I make a difference as a civilian and a soldier 547 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 18: Yosoil Army. 548 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 4: Jessica notes that during this time, the military increased Spanish 549 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:29,200 Speaker 4: language advertising by fifty five million dollars. Last year, the 550 00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 4: US Army boosted the bonus at pace to future soldiers 551 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:35,400 Speaker 4: who shipped to basic training within forty five days of 552 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:38,680 Speaker 4: signing a four year contract from thirty five thousand to 553 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 4: forty thousand dollars, and, in a ruling that could benefit 554 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:46,719 Speaker 4: future enlisting numbers, in late June, the Supreme Court excluded 555 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:51,160 Speaker 4: military academies from its order to colleges to stop considering 556 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:55,520 Speaker 4: race in admissions. Another way that the military has historically 557 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:59,520 Speaker 4: tried to persuade people to join is probably its biggest straw, 558 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 4: a fast tracked citizenship. This clip is from a Latino 559 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,000 Speaker 4: USA episode from two thousand and six. 560 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,800 Speaker 2: Since World War One, more than half a million veterans 561 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:15,719 Speaker 2: have become citizens while serving in the US military. It's 562 00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:20,080 Speaker 2: all part of a provision offering citizenship to any immigrant, 563 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:25,080 Speaker 2: documented or undocumented who enlists in the military during a 564 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:28,680 Speaker 2: time of war. But as Nancy mulane reports from San Francisco, 565 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:33,399 Speaker 2: recruiters across the country are turning away undocumented immigrants who 566 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:34,280 Speaker 2: try to enlist. 567 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 4: Jessica says the military's promises like facilitating a naturalization or 568 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:43,399 Speaker 4: citizenship status have often fallen flat in the past or 569 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:49,520 Speaker 4: have come at a very high cost. According to Veterans Affairs, 570 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 4: thirteen percent of Latino veterans deal with the disability that 571 00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:56,760 Speaker 4: they acquired through their service. That's compared to about nine 572 00:34:56,840 --> 00:35:00,319 Speaker 4: percent of white veterans, and yet their efforts are not 573 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:04,400 Speaker 4: fairly acknowledged. Only about two percent of Latinos and duty 574 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:09,120 Speaker 4: hold high ranking military titles. This year, the Army has 575 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:12,360 Speaker 4: more than one hundred million dollars at its disposal just 576 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:15,760 Speaker 4: for recruiting. It's important to note that there are also 577 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:19,799 Speaker 4: efforts and organizations across the country whose primary goal is 578 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:23,880 Speaker 4: to show potential recruitings alternatives to enlisting in the military. 579 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:28,400 Speaker 4: They provide information about options to pay for college, job training, 580 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 4: and careers in peacekeeping and social change. But despite all 581 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,560 Speaker 4: of this, it's people like David and so many others 582 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:40,319 Speaker 4: who still decide to serve their country by enlisting. Not 583 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 4: because they want US citizenship, they already are US citizens, 584 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:46,839 Speaker 4: but it comes out of a sense of duty that 585 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:54,280 Speaker 4: they feel. As I'm getting ready to leave David's school, 586 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:58,040 Speaker 4: I stop by a wall with twenty one photos. They 587 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:00,719 Speaker 4: are all students who went on to service in the military, 588 00:36:01,239 --> 00:36:06,359 Speaker 4: and David's photo is in the center. David graduated high 589 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:09,520 Speaker 4: school in twenty nineteen, and a few weeks later he 590 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:13,479 Speaker 4: went to California for basic training. David would be leaving 591 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 4: behind his parents, his two brothers, sister, friends, and his community. 592 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 4: He would now officially be one step closer towards fulfilling 593 00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:26,040 Speaker 4: his lifelong dream becoming a US Marine. 594 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 13: You know, you spend the first six weeks in San Diego. 595 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:36,319 Speaker 13: After that we call it going up north, where you'll 596 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:40,560 Speaker 13: go north to Camp Pendleton and do all your hiking, 597 00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:42,520 Speaker 13: you do the rifle range out there, you'll sleep on 598 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 13: the field, and that's ultimately where you ultimately where you 599 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:46,640 Speaker 13: become a marine. 600 00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:50,840 Speaker 4: That's Angel Sanchez. We're sitting at a table by the 601 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:54,760 Speaker 4: pool of his apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas, near Dallas. 602 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 4: He became friends with David in California during the thirteen 603 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:01,879 Speaker 4: week long basic training they need to go through this 604 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:05,880 Speaker 4: in order to graduate and officially join the forces. They 605 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:09,520 Speaker 4: were still teenagers. For David, things seemed to be going 606 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:13,879 Speaker 4: well until he hurt himself. Angel recause an incident during 607 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:17,000 Speaker 4: a long beach hike. It's sandy, your boots are heavy, 608 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:18,919 Speaker 4: you got your pack on. You know, you sink when 609 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:22,480 Speaker 4: you get in and I know he broke his ankle. 610 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:25,360 Speaker 4: He stepped in a hole and he broke his ankle. 611 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:29,520 Speaker 4: All the way back. After this, David was transported to 612 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:33,399 Speaker 4: a special unit for recruits who need medical attention. That's 613 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:37,160 Speaker 4: where he met Angel, who tested positive for tuberculosis. 614 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 13: You know, and every day it'd be like, I'd be like, 615 00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:43,360 Speaker 13: shut up when it was like this, your ankle doesn't work, 616 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:45,440 Speaker 13: and you go shout up. San's like this, what your 617 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:47,919 Speaker 13: lungs don't work? So every day we go back and forth. 618 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:49,640 Speaker 13: That's the same thing all the time. 619 00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:54,520 Speaker 4: David had a sense of humor, something Angel really appreciated 620 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:59,200 Speaker 4: because being in that unit was really depressing. He describes 621 00:37:59,239 --> 00:38:02,719 Speaker 4: it as a type of bone people would u s I. 622 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 4: So we call it. 623 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:07,879 Speaker 13: They have a suicidal intention, of suicidal ideations. They put 624 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:09,840 Speaker 13: much just say hey, I'm going to hurt myself and 625 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:12,759 Speaker 13: just to get kicked out, you know, just to get processed, 626 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:15,319 Speaker 13: because if they got hurt, they just they didn't want 627 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:15,960 Speaker 13: to do it anymore. 628 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 4: And it was really hard to you know, stay motivated. 629 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:22,040 Speaker 13: You know, people there would get there, they'd see how 630 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 13: it is because it's gloomy, it sucks, no one's doing anything, 631 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:29,400 Speaker 13: and there with David keeping the morale up. David like 632 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:33,319 Speaker 13: he you know, he'd never was sad. He never like 633 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:35,880 Speaker 13: once thought about quitting. At least he never expressed that. 634 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:41,239 Speaker 13: He was always laughing. He always had like clever comebacks, 635 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:43,400 Speaker 13: like quick, like little zingers and stuff. 636 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:46,759 Speaker 4: Angel says that David also took on a sort of 637 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:48,040 Speaker 4: unofficial job. 638 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:51,200 Speaker 13: He'd always talk to the new guys, you know, when 639 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:53,200 Speaker 13: they come in. He'd always be the first one to 640 00:38:53,239 --> 00:38:56,640 Speaker 13: introduce himself. He always go up there, am Sveinoza. He's like, 641 00:38:57,080 --> 00:38:58,640 Speaker 13: you know, I broke my ankle, Like what are you 642 00:38:58,680 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 13: here for. 643 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,360 Speaker 4: Eventually, both David and Angel healed and they went on 644 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:06,080 Speaker 4: their ways. After graduating, they mostly stayed in touch via 645 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:12,600 Speaker 4: social media in the virtual world, and it was on 646 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:16,280 Speaker 4: social media that Angel learned about what happened to David. 647 00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:18,759 Speaker 13: You know, I'm just going through my Instagram stories looking 648 00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:23,160 Speaker 13: at stuff, and I see this recruiter he made a 649 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:25,920 Speaker 13: post and I click on it and in one of 650 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 13: the pictures it's David with his family. And I remember 651 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:30,959 Speaker 13: the first day I say, I was like, no way, 652 00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:33,040 Speaker 13: you know, I told myself, and I'm in the car alone. 653 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:36,400 Speaker 4: I was like, no way. I didn't believe it at first. 654 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:39,640 Speaker 13: I even texted Espinos on Snapchat and I was like, hey, 655 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:42,640 Speaker 13: are you okay, you know, or something like that, and 656 00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:45,960 Speaker 13: obviously like it's still on delivery, like it never got opened. 657 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:55,840 Speaker 2: Coming up on Latino usay how David's parents learned the 658 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:59,600 Speaker 2: news of his death, and they talk about the changes 659 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:01,680 Speaker 2: they like to see moving forward. 660 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:13,960 Speaker 3: Stay with us, yes, h. 661 00:40:28,239 --> 00:40:28,560 Speaker 4: M h. 662 00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:35,080 Speaker 10: M hm. 663 00:40:49,840 --> 00:40:53,560 Speaker 3: Hey, we're back when we left off. 664 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 2: We heard from those closest to David to learn a 665 00:40:56,239 --> 00:40:59,800 Speaker 2: little bit more about him. We also learned that the 666 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:06,480 Speaker 2: military has historically and continues today to actively recruit Latinos 667 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:09,359 Speaker 2: and Latinas into its ranks. Now we're going to hear 668 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:12,960 Speaker 2: from David's parents about the final conversations they had with 669 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:16,640 Speaker 2: him and how they want to see their son's legacy. 670 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:20,360 Speaker 2: Here's Lenardo with the rest of the story. 671 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:26,600 Speaker 4: Before David was sent to Afghanistan, he was deployed to Jordan, 672 00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:30,000 Speaker 4: where the US has a military base. Jordan is west 673 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:33,280 Speaker 4: of Afghanistan, and the countries are separated by both Iraq 674 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:37,440 Speaker 4: and Iran and between them. Elizabeth recalls David saying things 675 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:38,680 Speaker 4: there were slow. 676 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:42,800 Speaker 12: When he called me, he he just said. 677 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:47,320 Speaker 5: Mom, I'm bored here. It's very calm. I need some action. 678 00:41:48,200 --> 00:41:50,359 Speaker 5: And I was like, what are you talking about. He's like, Mom, 679 00:41:50,719 --> 00:41:53,440 Speaker 5: this is like being home, but without you, and we 680 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:58,319 Speaker 5: are training, you know, we are learning things. But if 681 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:00,879 Speaker 5: it wouldn't be for that, you know, it's like there's 682 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:02,600 Speaker 5: nothing I need action. 683 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:05,120 Speaker 12: I was like, oh, no, no, no, don't say that. 684 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:08,320 Speaker 4: Soon after, David also causes Dad Victor. 685 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,080 Speaker 14: I remember sitting in a rocking chair we had in 686 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:13,960 Speaker 14: the back of the house. He says, Hey, that they're 687 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:18,320 Speaker 14: going to send me to Afghanistan. And I was like, okay, 688 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:21,080 Speaker 14: and I told him, I said, to the point where, 689 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:24,360 Speaker 14: you know, try to keep his I guess him upbeat 690 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:27,320 Speaker 14: and me trying for him not to be scared or nothing. 691 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:30,200 Speaker 14: You know, I guess I did what I told him. 692 00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:32,239 Speaker 14: I was okay, who are you? You know, it's only 693 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:34,240 Speaker 14: a few days. Because this is almost. 694 00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:37,880 Speaker 4: All around this time in the summer of twenty twenty one, 695 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:40,040 Speaker 4: there was a lot of news about what was happening 696 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:41,040 Speaker 4: in Afghanistan. 697 00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:44,600 Speaker 18: Huge crowds are still gathering at the gates of Carbal Airport, 698 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:48,520 Speaker 18: despite warnings by Britain and the United States about threats 699 00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:52,520 Speaker 18: of a terror attack there. Military commanders say gihades from 700 00:42:52,520 --> 00:42:55,279 Speaker 18: the self styled Islamic State Group may try to carry 701 00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:58,720 Speaker 18: out suicide bombings in crowds trying to get onto a flight. 702 00:42:59,239 --> 00:43:03,320 Speaker 4: That's a situation in Afghanistan. Escalated videos were servicing of 703 00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:07,520 Speaker 4: people desperately hopping onto the wings of airplanes trying to escape. 704 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:11,360 Speaker 4: They were dire scenes, but Victor tried to stay strong 705 00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 4: for his son. 706 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 14: So so you get your soa you kick ass, you know, 707 00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:17,440 Speaker 14: and he was like, yeah that I won't go over 708 00:43:17,440 --> 00:43:19,920 Speaker 14: there and do that, you know, while inside it was 709 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:23,720 Speaker 14: killing me because look what you're saying, and I'm pretty 710 00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:27,399 Speaker 14: sure I'm not. I wasn't in his shoes, but I'm 711 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:29,560 Speaker 14: pretty sure he was scared too, because he knew what 712 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:31,640 Speaker 14: he was going to and he didn't want his mom 713 00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:31,920 Speaker 14: to know. 714 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:36,319 Speaker 4: It was an emotional call on August thirteen, Elizabeth was 715 00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:38,240 Speaker 4: in tears and had to walk away. 716 00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:40,520 Speaker 14: You go over there and if you need to kill 717 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:42,239 Speaker 14: seven or eight or ten or twenty, you know, you 718 00:43:42,320 --> 00:43:44,759 Speaker 14: do it or because that was his mentality, like his 719 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:46,200 Speaker 14: mom said, he wanted action. 720 00:43:46,320 --> 00:43:46,879 Speaker 12: He wanted it. 721 00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:50,560 Speaker 14: So I kept it in that sense to make sure 722 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:53,919 Speaker 14: that I know that you got me and we got 723 00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:56,360 Speaker 14: this and we're gonna take care of it. But in 724 00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:58,759 Speaker 14: the inside, it was killing me because I knew what 725 00:43:58,800 --> 00:43:59,760 Speaker 14: he was going into. 726 00:44:01,080 --> 00:44:05,360 Speaker 4: Hearing this is hard, especially when you're talking about having 727 00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:09,120 Speaker 4: to possibly kill someone. It makes me think about the 728 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:13,000 Speaker 4: entire human cost of this war and if David truly 729 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:17,360 Speaker 4: understood this before he enlisted because he was just so young. 730 00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:21,640 Speaker 4: But as his dad, Victor says, he was just trying 731 00:44:21,680 --> 00:44:27,520 Speaker 4: to put David in a survivalistic headspace. Just a few 732 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:31,279 Speaker 4: days after they spoke, David arrived in Afghanistan. It was 733 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:35,080 Speaker 4: mid August twenty twenty one. President Biden has just sent 734 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:38,600 Speaker 4: three thousand troops to the country to help evacuate both 735 00:44:38,640 --> 00:44:42,359 Speaker 4: Afghans who had helped the United States and personnel from 736 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:45,839 Speaker 4: the American embassy. A few days later, more troops were 737 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:49,440 Speaker 4: sent in, for a total of sixty five hundred. Some 738 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:52,319 Speaker 4: of those troops were brought in from neighboring countries where 739 00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:56,360 Speaker 4: the US had military bases, like Jordan, where David was stationed. 740 00:44:57,080 --> 00:45:00,919 Speaker 4: The administration said it needed military reinforcements because a number 741 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:04,560 Speaker 4: of US troops in Afghanistan had been dwindling for years 742 00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:07,360 Speaker 4: leading up to the evacuation, and they worried that the 743 00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:10,440 Speaker 4: collapse of the Kabble government was imminent and that the 744 00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:17,280 Speaker 4: Taliban would take over. Just ten days after David arrived 745 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:22,120 Speaker 4: in Afghanistan, news broke of a suicide bombing outside Kabbyl Airport. 746 00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:25,239 Speaker 4: Elizabeth was on break at work when she saw a 747 00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:29,320 Speaker 4: post on Facebook about what was happening. Victor was at home. 748 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:32,920 Speaker 14: She called me and told me, have you heard of 749 00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:36,080 Speaker 14: what happened on the news? And I said no, and 750 00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 14: she was like, well, turn it on. Something happened some soldiers, 751 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:42,200 Speaker 14: some marines, or something happened. Somebody some died. 752 00:45:45,080 --> 00:45:49,440 Speaker 4: Victor immediately turned on the TV. Elizabeth rushed home as 753 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:51,719 Speaker 4: soon as she could, and they were glued to the 754 00:45:51,760 --> 00:45:54,920 Speaker 4: TV the rest of the day. It started to get 755 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:58,440 Speaker 4: late and Elizabeth tried to go to bed, but she 756 00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:03,319 Speaker 4: couldn't sleep. Stayed up until around one am, waiting to 757 00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:06,360 Speaker 4: see if they got any news of David. But nothing. 758 00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:10,640 Speaker 5: So he goes to bed and he's like, you made it, 759 00:46:10,680 --> 00:46:11,799 Speaker 5: you know, we're good. 760 00:46:12,160 --> 00:46:12,799 Speaker 12: There's no call. 761 00:46:13,920 --> 00:46:20,600 Speaker 5: I'm like, okay, here comes about two am. 762 00:46:23,239 --> 00:46:27,239 Speaker 12: My phone rings. I knew it. No one cost me 763 00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:27,960 Speaker 12: at that time. 764 00:46:30,840 --> 00:46:33,759 Speaker 5: And as I answer it, you know, it's like they're 765 00:46:33,800 --> 00:46:36,120 Speaker 5: outside my home and we have a gate, so we 766 00:46:36,200 --> 00:46:39,640 Speaker 5: have to go open it. So he gets up and 767 00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:43,160 Speaker 5: we go and I see them out there and I knew. 768 00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:54,080 Speaker 5: I knew right away it was him. And you just 769 00:46:56,719 --> 00:46:59,759 Speaker 5: as a mom, you know, you just you just lose 770 00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:04,800 Speaker 5: it just to find out, you don't know what to expect, 771 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:12,520 Speaker 5: what's happening. You just find out that you lost your son. 772 00:47:14,480 --> 00:47:15,439 Speaker 12: It's just very hard. 773 00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:43,480 Speaker 4: The next morning, Elizabeth posted on Facebook that David was killed. 774 00:47:44,239 --> 00:47:48,480 Speaker 4: Friends and family organized a vigil, but Victor and Elizabeth 775 00:47:48,560 --> 00:47:52,080 Speaker 4: would have to miss it. David's body was being flown 776 00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:54,960 Speaker 4: back to the US and the Marines got them airplane 777 00:47:54,960 --> 00:47:56,600 Speaker 4: tickets to be there with their son. 778 00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:01,680 Speaker 14: It happened so fast, the news and then later that 779 00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:03,600 Speaker 14: day we had to leave. 780 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:08,759 Speaker 4: Then it was time for David's funeral. The procession took 781 00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:10,200 Speaker 4: his body throughout town. 782 00:48:11,120 --> 00:48:14,720 Speaker 14: The support was was in real just aired like every 783 00:48:15,080 --> 00:48:19,200 Speaker 14: street we went through, you know, in his school, and 784 00:48:19,400 --> 00:48:26,160 Speaker 14: just seeing how much respect he got, how much you 785 00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:30,400 Speaker 14: know how for what he went through, what happened to him. 786 00:48:30,840 --> 00:48:35,680 Speaker 14: And it was I mean, I don't think there's worse 787 00:48:35,719 --> 00:48:38,239 Speaker 14: to describe it. It was just it was beautiful. 788 00:48:39,600 --> 00:48:42,600 Speaker 4: It's now been two years since David's death and Elizabeth 789 00:48:42,680 --> 00:48:44,000 Speaker 4: recently started therapy. 790 00:48:44,960 --> 00:48:49,399 Speaker 5: He never got to finish his chapter and he had 791 00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:55,160 Speaker 5: a future. You know, there's people sometimes that before therapy 792 00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:59,440 Speaker 5: that would call me and tell me, don't do anything stupid, 793 00:48:59,719 --> 00:49:04,799 Speaker 5: meaning like don't suicide or something, and I would tell 794 00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:07,719 Speaker 5: him I would never do that. And let me tell 795 00:49:07,760 --> 00:49:12,080 Speaker 5: you why, because my son, he didn't have the opportunity, 796 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:17,080 Speaker 5: because I guarantee that if it was like a fair fight, 797 00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:20,400 Speaker 5: shooting or whatever, he would fight so hard to defend 798 00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:23,240 Speaker 5: himself and come back to us. 799 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:25,080 Speaker 12: But this was. 800 00:49:26,600 --> 00:49:30,640 Speaker 5: A coward act, so he didn't have that opportunity. So 801 00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:34,520 Speaker 5: I would never do that, you know, I owe it 802 00:49:34,560 --> 00:49:40,120 Speaker 5: to him, and so it's just therapy has helped, and 803 00:49:40,160 --> 00:49:43,120 Speaker 5: it's helping and something I'm looking forward, you know, to 804 00:49:43,160 --> 00:49:44,080 Speaker 5: get better. 805 00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:46,120 Speaker 12: Better. 806 00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:52,600 Speaker 4: How do you all want your son to be remembered? 807 00:49:52,960 --> 00:49:55,240 Speaker 4: What do you want people to know about David? 808 00:49:56,360 --> 00:49:59,439 Speaker 12: To always remember him that he was that great guy. 809 00:49:59,520 --> 00:50:01,800 Speaker 5: You know, like I said, he was quiet and shy, 810 00:50:01,880 --> 00:50:04,520 Speaker 5: but once you got to meet him, he was just 811 00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:06,080 Speaker 5: like he was the best friend. 812 00:50:06,120 --> 00:50:06,319 Speaker 14: You know. 813 00:50:06,400 --> 00:50:09,120 Speaker 5: He would always try to motivate you to be the 814 00:50:09,160 --> 00:50:12,759 Speaker 5: best you could, even though he would be on the 815 00:50:12,800 --> 00:50:14,360 Speaker 5: worst day of his life. 816 00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:17,160 Speaker 12: He paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. 817 00:50:17,239 --> 00:50:23,600 Speaker 5: So I'm just so thankful for not being forgotten. 818 00:50:24,400 --> 00:50:26,600 Speaker 14: He was a great kid. You know, we never had 819 00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:29,560 Speaker 14: trouble with him. He had his head straight. He knew 820 00:50:29,560 --> 00:50:32,640 Speaker 14: what he wanted to do with his life. And to 821 00:50:33,040 --> 00:50:37,680 Speaker 14: remember what he was there for. Remember the sacrifice that 822 00:50:37,680 --> 00:50:44,840 Speaker 14: those thirteen people did, because you know, they were helping 823 00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:48,799 Speaker 14: other people, and hopefully those people accomplish whatever they want 824 00:50:48,840 --> 00:50:52,880 Speaker 14: to do in their lives and be good, you know, 825 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:56,239 Speaker 14: accomplish something good out of what came out of it. 826 00:50:57,480 --> 00:51:01,160 Speaker 14: And I hope not only my son, with the other twelve. 827 00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:05,280 Speaker 14: There are always always been seen as heroes, and they'll 828 00:51:05,320 --> 00:51:06,360 Speaker 14: always be remembered. 829 00:51:13,800 --> 00:51:16,799 Speaker 4: One way David's memory is being carried on is with 830 00:51:16,880 --> 00:51:21,120 Speaker 4: the help of Hessus, Maria Kavasso's junior. He's a local veteran. 831 00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:25,320 Speaker 4: Hessue served in the Army in Afghanistan in twenty sixteen. 832 00:51:26,600 --> 00:51:29,640 Speaker 4: He says when he heard about David's death, it really 833 00:51:29,680 --> 00:51:30,319 Speaker 4: messed him up. 834 00:51:31,360 --> 00:51:35,240 Speaker 19: It was unbelievable. I was kind of angry and upset. 835 00:51:35,560 --> 00:51:37,440 Speaker 4: I met up with him at a gunshop that he 836 00:51:37,560 --> 00:51:40,520 Speaker 4: owns in Laredo, and in honor of David, he had 837 00:51:40,560 --> 00:51:43,600 Speaker 4: a mural of him commissioned outside his business. 838 00:51:44,040 --> 00:51:47,160 Speaker 19: He belongs in not only in history, he also definitely 839 00:51:47,160 --> 00:51:50,200 Speaker 19: belongs here as a membrance of the val and the 840 00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:52,000 Speaker 19: sacrifices that some of them have done. 841 00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:57,440 Speaker 4: Hessu's feels a strong connection to David. They're both Latinos 842 00:51:57,520 --> 00:52:00,200 Speaker 4: from the border who found purpose in the Armed force. 843 00:52:00,160 --> 00:52:02,759 Speaker 19: Is and I think one of the biggest reasons why 844 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:06,120 Speaker 19: I went was because I didn't want people to say 845 00:52:06,160 --> 00:52:08,719 Speaker 19: that we didn't belong in this country or that we 846 00:52:08,800 --> 00:52:12,600 Speaker 19: owed something to them. So me as as I want 847 00:52:12,600 --> 00:52:14,600 Speaker 19: to say, even though as a US citizen, I didn't 848 00:52:14,600 --> 00:52:17,920 Speaker 19: want to be less and I didn't want people to say, hey, 849 00:52:17,920 --> 00:52:21,000 Speaker 19: you owe something because for me and my name, we've 850 00:52:21,440 --> 00:52:23,400 Speaker 19: paid through through me serving my country. 851 00:52:24,080 --> 00:52:26,800 Speaker 4: Throughout the reporting of this story, I have to admit 852 00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:29,120 Speaker 4: that I had a lot of questions on my mind, 853 00:52:29,520 --> 00:52:32,759 Speaker 4: and sometimes questions that I didn't really want to vocalize 854 00:52:32,800 --> 00:52:36,200 Speaker 4: because they could be a little uncomfortable or come across 855 00:52:36,280 --> 00:52:38,800 Speaker 4: as off putting. But I did ask to sue something 856 00:52:38,880 --> 00:52:41,520 Speaker 4: that I have been wondering. Have you viewed that war, 857 00:52:41,760 --> 00:52:44,800 Speaker 4: you know, any differently, for maybe when you enlisted versus 858 00:52:44,840 --> 00:52:45,719 Speaker 4: like when you got out. 859 00:52:46,760 --> 00:52:51,680 Speaker 19: I think my ideology Afghanistan did change, especially just because 860 00:52:51,680 --> 00:52:54,040 Speaker 19: of the woodraw and the way that we went about it. 861 00:52:54,520 --> 00:52:58,920 Speaker 19: But I also think that anyone that served didn't do 862 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:03,120 Speaker 19: it for the big, big political image or picture. So 863 00:53:03,200 --> 00:53:07,920 Speaker 19: anyone that went there went for the sincereness of their heart. 864 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:10,760 Speaker 19: They wanted to serve. You know, a lot of people 865 00:53:10,840 --> 00:53:15,640 Speaker 19: have died, have gotten wounded within this twenty years of 866 00:53:15,680 --> 00:53:19,360 Speaker 19: sacrifice of our own men and women, and then for 867 00:53:19,520 --> 00:53:23,799 Speaker 19: us to leave. I do feel that many Afghan vets 868 00:53:24,000 --> 00:53:27,040 Speaker 19: it as what was a point of these injuries? What 869 00:53:27,120 --> 00:53:27,640 Speaker 19: was the point of. 870 00:53:27,640 --> 00:53:33,120 Speaker 4: Us going Jesus is proud of his military service and 871 00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:36,040 Speaker 4: of David. He got to meet David's parents after his 872 00:53:36,160 --> 00:53:40,240 Speaker 4: death and gifted them a special gun engraved with David's 873 00:53:40,280 --> 00:53:44,920 Speaker 4: name on it, a jester. Elizabeth and Victor appreciated. They 874 00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:46,719 Speaker 4: showed me the gun when I stopped by their home, 875 00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:54,520 Speaker 4: and moving forward, both Elizabeth and Victor emphasized that they 876 00:53:54,560 --> 00:53:58,440 Speaker 4: want to keep their son's story alive, and one thing 877 00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:01,680 Speaker 4: they're pushing for changes to how money from the GI 878 00:54:01,719 --> 00:54:10,000 Speaker 4: Bill is used. The bill was originally set up in 879 00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:13,879 Speaker 4: the nineteen forties to help returning veterans integrate back into 880 00:54:13,920 --> 00:54:16,799 Speaker 4: civilian life, so they'd get help with things like a 881 00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:19,800 Speaker 4: mortgage to buy a home, job training, or money to 882 00:54:19,840 --> 00:54:22,400 Speaker 4: go to school. The majority of the help at the 883 00:54:22,440 --> 00:54:27,680 Speaker 4: time overwhelmingly went to white veterans, and right now, if 884 00:54:27,680 --> 00:54:30,880 Speaker 4: a service member dies in action, some of those GI 885 00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:34,759 Speaker 4: Bill benefits go to the spouse or their children, but 886 00:54:34,880 --> 00:54:38,600 Speaker 4: David had neither, and his parents would like to see 887 00:54:38,600 --> 00:54:42,520 Speaker 4: some of those benefits, specifically, the funds for education be 888 00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:44,480 Speaker 4: given to David's sibilings. 889 00:54:45,239 --> 00:54:48,239 Speaker 14: Being our kids how they are, they're pretty smart, and 890 00:54:48,280 --> 00:54:51,000 Speaker 14: they looked up to him what he was accomplishing and 891 00:54:51,040 --> 00:54:53,040 Speaker 14: they want they're the same way. 892 00:54:53,719 --> 00:54:56,240 Speaker 12: They want to do something with their lives. 893 00:54:56,040 --> 00:54:59,000 Speaker 14: And that was one of the things that we did 894 00:54:59,239 --> 00:55:02,480 Speaker 14: want it to if it was any possible way where 895 00:55:02,560 --> 00:55:06,080 Speaker 14: they could use it for their colleague education. 896 00:55:10,719 --> 00:55:13,640 Speaker 4: As I say goodbye to Elizabeth and Victor, I can't 897 00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:15,880 Speaker 4: help but to think about all the people who have 898 00:55:16,000 --> 00:55:20,680 Speaker 4: lost their lives serving this country, specifically Latinos and Latinas 899 00:55:20,719 --> 00:55:23,360 Speaker 4: who were or were not born in the US, but 900 00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:27,480 Speaker 4: whose sense of duty and sacrifice was no different. As 901 00:55:27,520 --> 00:55:31,040 Speaker 4: the Latino and Latina demographics continue to grow in the US, 902 00:55:31,280 --> 00:55:34,360 Speaker 4: the military will continue to come to us to sustain 903 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:37,680 Speaker 4: its numbers, and that's something I also have to grapple 904 00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:41,960 Speaker 4: with because of how intentional the recruitment efforts are within 905 00:55:42,040 --> 00:55:46,400 Speaker 4: my and other communities of color. And this consistent targeting 906 00:55:46,480 --> 00:55:50,520 Speaker 4: means that Latinos will continue to experience stories of triumph 907 00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:54,480 Speaker 4: and economic upward mobility, but also of a lot of 908 00:55:54,560 --> 00:55:58,960 Speaker 4: loss and hardship. And yet despite their service, there will 909 00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:01,640 Speaker 4: always be people there that continue to think of our 910 00:56:01,640 --> 00:56:08,440 Speaker 4: communities as second class citizens or as foreigners. But for David, 911 00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:12,399 Speaker 4: as well as everyone before and after him, who now 912 00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:17,360 Speaker 4: rests wrapped in an American flag, His parents, loved ones, neighbors, 913 00:56:17,400 --> 00:56:20,600 Speaker 4: and so many others across the country will always view 914 00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:25,799 Speaker 4: him as a true American hero who had dreams and 915 00:56:25,960 --> 00:56:44,560 Speaker 4: wanted to serve his country. 916 00:56:52,480 --> 00:56:56,520 Speaker 2: This episode was produced by Rinaldo Leanos Junior and edited 917 00:56:56,560 --> 00:57:02,000 Speaker 2: by Andrea Nopez Grusado and mixed by Stephanie Lebau. Fact 918 00:57:02,040 --> 00:57:06,600 Speaker 2: checking for this episode by Monica Morales Garcia. Special thanks 919 00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:11,879 Speaker 2: to photojournalists Christopher Lee and The Texas Observer for collaborating 920 00:57:11,920 --> 00:57:14,520 Speaker 2: with us on this story. You can read a web 921 00:57:14,600 --> 00:57:17,520 Speaker 2: version of this audio piece on the website for the 922 00:57:17,560 --> 00:57:21,080 Speaker 2: Texas Observer. You can also pick up the latest issue 923 00:57:21,080 --> 00:57:24,040 Speaker 2: of The Texas Observer and find the story there too. 924 00:57:24,480 --> 00:57:29,400 Speaker 2: The Latino USA team includes Marta Martinez, Mike Sargent, and 925 00:57:29,560 --> 00:57:33,480 Speaker 2: mik Dorri Estrada, with help from Rodi mar Marquez. Our 926 00:57:33,520 --> 00:57:38,480 Speaker 2: senior engineer is Julia Caruso. Our marketing manager is Luis Luna. 927 00:57:38,760 --> 00:57:42,240 Speaker 2: Our theme music was composed by Sea Ruinos. I'm your 928 00:57:42,280 --> 00:57:45,040 Speaker 2: host and executive producer Maria Noojosa join us again on 929 00:57:45,080 --> 00:57:47,800 Speaker 2: our next episode. In the meantime, look for us on 930 00:57:47,840 --> 00:57:51,840 Speaker 2: all of your social media and remember Poteva Yes, Lunka Estada, 931 00:57:51,920 --> 00:57:52,919 Speaker 2: Proxima Choo. 932 00:57:54,840 --> 00:57:59,120 Speaker 1: Latino USA is made possible in part by the Annie 933 00:57:59,360 --> 00:58:03,080 Speaker 1: Casey found creates a brighter future for the nation's children 934 00:58:03,360 --> 00:58:08,440 Speaker 1: by strengthening families, building greater economic opportunity, and transforming communities. 935 00:58:09,080 --> 00:58:12,439 Speaker 11: Funding for Latino USA's coverage of a Culture of Health 936 00:58:12,760 --> 00:58:14,800 Speaker 11: is made possible in part by a grant from the 937 00:58:14,920 --> 00:58:19,280 Speaker 11: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Latino. 938 00:58:19,040 --> 00:58:23,680 Speaker 5: USA thirtieth Anniversary episodes are made possible with support from 939 00:58:23,760 --> 00:58:29,840 Speaker 5: our legacy sustainers, the Brett Family Foundation, Alonso Contu, Carmen Rito, 940 00:58:29,920 --> 00:58:37,760 Speaker 5: Wong Vamos Enterprises, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, April Gasler, doctor. 941 00:58:37,560 --> 00:58:42,880 Speaker 11: Elmo Randolph, Belinda de la Libertad, Angela Garcia Simms, and 942 00:58:43,040 --> 00:58:44,000 Speaker 11: Priscilla Rojas. 943 00:58:44,960 --> 00:58:50,320 Speaker 1: Additional donors include Jason Estrada, Amy Gomez, and Tiffany Joseph