MAKING HERSTORY: PUERTO RICAN WOMEN IN THE MILITARY

We cannot forget HERSTORY. I was inspired to write about our Puerto Rican Women in the military because too much attention is paid to our Puerto Rican men that served, but not our brave Puerto Rican women. This is a beginning. Olga Custodio: Born 1954, in Puerto Rico, was the First Latina U.S. Military Pilot. She tried to join the Reserve Officer Training Corps program but was turned down because she was a woman. According to Olga Custodio, when the recruiter asked her to list three jobs she wanted, she responded “A pilot, a pilot or a pilot.” Hila Levy: US Air Force Captain: Born 1986, raised in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Levy earned Bachelor of Science degree in 2008 in biology with 3 foreign language, minors: Arabic, French and Spanish. She is an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force; first Puerto Rican to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. Colonel Maritza Sáenz Ryan (U.S. Army):  Head of the Department of Law  at the United States Military Academy; born in 1960.  She also has the distinction of being the most senior-ranking Judge Advocate. She graduated from West Point in 1982 as the first Latin West Point graduate. and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery. Colonel Maria Zumwalt: Originally from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, joined the University of Puerto Rico ROTC program to earn some money for college. After participating in military training, Zumwalt grew to appreciate and take advantage of the opportunities offered. Colonel Marta Carcana: Born in 1958, Bayamon, Puerto Rico. On September 4, 2015, she was confirmed as the first Puerto Rican woman to lead the Puerto Rican National Guard and be promoted to Major General. Zoppi (Irene Miller Rodriguez): On 2018, she became the first Puerto Rican woman with rank of United States Army, Brigadier General. She was born and raised in Canovanas, Puerto Rico. Deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia as a Military Intelligence Officer. Hilda I. Ortiz Clayton Spec: Born on May 21, 1991 in Augusta, Georgia; an Army combat photographer was killed in 2013. She captured the explosion that killed her and four Afghan soldiers. SPC Lizbeth Robles: Born 1973 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. She was the first female soldier to die in the War on Terrorism. She was serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom when she killed on March 1, 2005.  Captain Haydee Javier Kimmich (U.S. Navy): In 1998 she was the highest-ranking Latin female in the Navy and Woman of the Year in Puerto Rico. Captain Haydee Javier-Kimmich was also Chief of Orthopedics at Bethesda Naval Hospital. She is originally from Puerto Rico. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics Sports SPORTS IN PUERTO RICO: PUERTO RICAN WOMEN AT THE OLYMPICS 2021 September 17, 2021/No Comments SPORTS IN PUERTO RICO: PUERTO RICAN WOMEN AT THE OLYMPICS 2021 (Puerto Rico first partcipated at the Olympics Games in Read More SPORTS IN PUERTO RICO August 17, 2021/No Comments It has long been known that women have taken a historic back seat in all fields.  The  lack of exposure Read More BRIEF HISTORY OF SPORTS IN PUERTO RICO July 17, 2021/No Comments BRIEF HISTORY OF SPORTS IN PUERTO RICO The Taínos who inhabited Puerto Rico before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in Read More Load More End of Content.

MAKING HERSTORY: PUERTO RICAN WOMEN IN THE MILITARY Read More »

THE WELFARE STATE

Stop! Thousands of years ago, Jesus said “you will always have the poor.” Not much has changed but, accepting the stigmatic label of being part of broken homes full of lazy, addicted dependents often prone to crime and the exploitation of welfare opportunities is a grave error: You are not A repetitive, self-inflicted commodity to pacify with preordained meager rewards and punishments. That is what waits for many living below the poverty level! But it is your choice; to use or abuse resources and opportunities. You are an intricate part of a “catch all” safety net protecting a necessary political economic monster seemingly out of control and driven by fear, resentment, and greed. But Jesus went further to urge the well off to “extend the poor a helping hand.” Perhaps, weathering out possible “anarchistic” effects from the great depression, Franklyn D Roosevelt’s 1936 “New Deal” sought to keep citizens above, not below the poverty level. Institutionalizing his economic relief package hurled the nation into Welfare Status. 19 consecutive Presidents have fought to better stay the course of intent with sweeping changes: Regan/mutual accountability, Johnson/The great society, Clinton/mandatory work, Obama/Health care. But, of 36 countries listed as Welfare States, recent global performance polls list America as 22 with France being number one. But has the goal to protect and keep the national citizenship above the poverty level with temporary financial, education, housing and employment opportunities been met? Granted, where key institutions show signs of stumbling; financial aid keeps educational institutions alive, rent and food subsidies keep landlords, local merchants, and residents afloat as the “Hypocritical Oath” of the legal and medical machinery continues alive and well with steady pounds of fresh meat. Tax Dollars Unleashed! Yet with all the billions of dollars cited as a burden, only 8 % of the national budget is spent to keep the poor sucking Big Brothers Breast: Note! Only a Mothers breast gives free milk. So, what happened to the other 92% of the budget? There is little argument against, or long-lasting mention of, how the welfare State also bails out negligent corporations (e.g., Wall Street, Banks, Real Estate, Car manufactures).  Although President J.F. Kennedy’s 1963 speech specifically addressed the growing racial tensions of his time, he implicated and warned how individual and institutionalized social economic inequalities are culprits behind growing national disarray: “Legislation cannot solve this problem alone. It must be solved in the homes of every American in every community across our country.” His brother Robert Kenney added “We dissent from the sight of most mankind living in poverty, stricken by disease, threatened by hunger, and doomed to an early death after a life of unremitting labor.” No! You are not a burden but the fall out of a broken system in need of overhaul and occasional scapegoats. Against such forces igniting fear of unmet future wants, present acts of greed warn “No man, family, or neighborhood can stand alone”. Within the blinding sand and muck of the welfare state, there are still pearls to harvest through strong local community boards and non-profit organizations striving to initiate responses to neighborhood needs. Help and utilize them. Striving to serve as necessary vanguards, they need the support of residents organizing block associations to present and defend their cause: Better Representation through Stronger Residential Unity! So, for you still seeking to rise and succeed remember, Jesus said “All things are possible for those who believe.” Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics BETTER LATE THEN NEVER: WHY NATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH! April 17, 2022/No Comments BETTER LATE THEN NEVER: WHY NATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH! Women! Ha! What are they good for? Ha! ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! For starters, Read More “LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD” February 17, 2022/No Comments “LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD” Wow! February! Lovey dove time for couples to share flowers, chocolates, dinner, special gifts, and of Read More FOR WHAT’S ANOTHER NEW YEAR January 17, 2022/No Comments FOR WHAT’S ANOTHER NEW YEAR The New Year is a worldwide celebration mainly full of parties, costumes, drinking and resolutions Read More Load More End of Content.

THE WELFARE STATE Read More »

A NEW PRICE FOR FREEDOM OR JUST DOING THINGS THE WRONG WAY?

The question of safety/stability vs freedom has been a political and philosophical question since the very first settlements. While its meaning evolved and different societies took different stances on this topic over the years, never does this question become more pertinent in times of crisis like the one we are. The specific example we have today is the Covid-19 vaccination and the wearing of a masks. Our nation is all about personal freedom; I believe this is one of the values that makes us strong, innovative, and adaptable. The drawback, sadly, it gives people the freedom to ignore crucial information that is clearly to their benefit. Critical thinking and proper information could have certainly reduced this drawback. Unfortunately, the education and media in their present state, it’s understandable why we have senators believing in the Qanon+ conspiracy — an elaborate prank played by 4chan++ on the innocent. The drawback is obvious and dangerous. It can happen in any crisis, someone can bring down the whole ship just based on misinformation, manipulation – and lies! One can certainly make the argument that the only solution to the problem would be to mandate these things we know to be true; but as any politician in the United States fears, it will most likely be political suicide. I would like to bring up an important point as to why we must tolerate these conspiracy theorists. It is a very slippery slope that we have been down before. It first begins with doing X for the good of society.  Then comes Y, or even worse, when the political pendulum inevitably swings; now you are playing a game of political extremes where there is no middle ground. Unfortunately, this is how society becomes so politically divided. All they can hope for is a figure that can bridge the gap before it all collapses. This is even without speaking about the fact, that sometimes, those conspiracy theorists can be right, once in a blue moon, as we have seen with the World Health Organization (WHO),  and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) special relationship.  I think the solution to this dilemma is for us to stick to the belief that individuals can decide what is right, but we must emphasize the importance of “education”, as well as hold the media community accountable for providing unbiased and accurate information. If not,  the alternative is authoritarianism, as experienced by so many countries that took the easy way out. _____________________________________________________ +QAnon is a disproven and discredited far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against U.S. President Donald Trump, who is fighting the cabal.  ++4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website. Launched by Christopher “moot” Poole in October 2003, the site hosts boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics, from anime and manga to video games, music, literature, fitness, politics, and sports, among others. Registration is not available and users typically post anonymously; posting is ephemeral, as threads receiving recent replies are “bumped” to the top of their respective board and old threads are deleted as new ones are created. As of November 2020, 4chan receives more than 20 million unique monthly visitors, with more than 900,000 posts made daily. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics Sports RISH TAKING AND CAPITAL December 13, 2022/No Comments You may have heard recently how Elon Musk has been firing, at times illegally depending on region and contract, people Read More HOW TO CONSUME MEDIA WHILE AVOIDING PROPAGANDA October 13, 2022/No Comments HOW TO CONSUME MEDIA WHILE AVOIDING PROPAGANDA Let’s start by stating the obvious, corporate media not only lies but also Read More EMBRACE STREAMING September 13, 2022/No Comments EMBRACE STREAMING “Change your perspective and reality changes” — Aristoteles Last month we talked about one of the biggest questions Read More Load More End of Content.

A NEW PRICE FOR FREEDOM OR JUST DOING THINGS THE WRONG WAY? Read More »

Scroll to Top