7Salutes: Virginia man shedding light on Hispanic military history

LEESBURG, Va. (7News) — A Virginia man is on a mission to share a hidden history about Hispanics in the U.S. military.

His efforts have brought him recognition in the halls of Congress and his hard work will soon be enjoyed by generations to come.

Throughout Danny Vargas’ seven years in the Air Force, his Puerto Rican heritage served him well. He was a Spanish linguist, and after he left the military, he helped stop South American drug traffickers.

All the while, he developed an interest in Hispanic military history and learned of stories not widely known.

“We’re not taught the fact that Latinos have been founding communities and settlements in what is now the United States of America long before the British got to Jamestown in 1607,” he said.

“General Washington would likely not have won the war of independence had it not been for Latino and Hispanic contributions. So everybody hears about [Marquis de] Lafayette but nobody hears about General Bernardo de Galvez who was this Spanish General and governor of the Louisiana territory. He and over 10,000 troops that came from the New World, the Caribbean, from Central America, to help stem the advance of the British from the south,” Vargas explained. “If we fast forward to the Civil War, we have the first full admiral in United States Navy history- David Farragut who famously said ‘Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!’ That was a Latino.”

There are so many stories to share, like how 59 Hispanics have earned the Medal of Honor and today more than 18% of active duty military members identify as Latino.

So, Vargas put his interest to good use. He became the only veteran appointed to a Congressional board that eventually approved D.C.’s newest Smithsonian- The National Museum of the American Latino.

“The stories were not shared in the fact that our community is so rich and diverse, you know, we’re not a race, we’re a culture. We’re Afro-Latinos, Asian Latinos, we’re blond-haired and blue-eyed, Mulattos, Mestizos, Native American and in between,” he said.

Plans are still in the works for the museum’s design and construction but right now you can visit a preview exhibit at the National Museum of American History.

But Vargas is not done.

In 2020, Vargas founded ALVA, the American Latino Veterans Association. It provides workforce development and job opportunities for Latino veterans and is dedicated to sharing the brave history of Hispanics in the military.

It’s a mission that’s ongoing, and thanks to the thousands of Latinos currently serving, this legacy is getting better by the day.

“We need to change the narrative of Latino veterans in this country. I think it's important that we recognize that we have been essential to the founding, the shaping, the defending of this nation from the very beginning,” Vargas said.

Vargas said it’ll be another few years before construction on the museum begins.

Meanwhile, ALVA will hold a career expo on November 6th at the AT&T Forum for veterans transitioning out of the military.