With Hispanic Heritage Month in effect from September 15 to October 15, 2025, the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families (VMF) Caucus is pleased to honor once again the countless contributions to America by proud Hispanic Americans.
From the arts to business enterprises to voluntary military service and everywhere in between, Hispanic Americans have made their mark in American culture and society.
“In my home state of New Mexico, there wouldn’t even be an economy if it weren’t for Latinos and Latinas working hard, paying taxes, and being fully immersed in our communities. I’m proud to have grown up in the Southwest, where it didn’t matter what color your skin is; we all experienced the same problems and shared in the same celebrations. We all punched in on the clock, earned an honest pay, took care of our neighbors’ kids, and learned from our elders. At the end of the day, Latinos, Latinas, Native Americans, Blacks, Anglos – everyone – we all held common values and we’re all proud to identify as American,” stated Kee Evans, VMF’s Vice Chair.
Michael Ramos, VMF’s Chair, added, “There are so many Hispanic Americans worthy of formal recognition – and that’s a good thing. It goes to show that Donald Trump is embarrassingly incorrect when he makes generalized negative comments about Hispanic Americans being ‘rapists’ and ‘gangbangers’. For this year, I personally would like to salute all the Democrats Abroad members worldwide who voluntarily fill leadership positions and make our Party stronger and more diverse. For instance, I’m incredibly proud of Jessica – one of our VMF members in Belgium of Puerto Rican heritage who honorably served an entire career in the Marine Corps. I tip my cap to Katie in Albania – one of our VMF members of Guatemalan ancestry who’s rolled up her sleeves and committed to one of America’s most successful ever diplomatic programs, the Peace Corps. Within VMF we have endless stories of everyday heroes who are worthy of recognition this Hispanic Heritage Month, and I ask all VMF members to join with Kee and me in honoring, recognizing, and celebrating these notable Hispanic Americans.”
In 1968, President Johnson started “Hispanic Heritage Week” and twenty years later President Reagan extended the recognition to cover a thirty-day time frame. Since then, federal and state officials have highlighted the contributions of prominent Hispanic-American astronauts, athletes, politicians, singers, actors, and more.
However, it should be noted that Hispanic Americans were not always embraced by our government. The current Administration has chosen to ignore some historical facts on race and diversity and have subsequently banned certain books from military schools and removed persons of color from official government websites. To be clear, VMF abhors such actions by this Administration, and unapologetically sides with those not afraid to teach and pass on to future generations the glorious truths and uncomfortable realities of America’s past. Hispanic Heritage Month 2025 is absolutely an appropriate time to teach about the full range of Hispanic contributions to American culture and society.
U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.
The VMF Caucus, proudly consisting of veterans, military family members, DoW (formerly DoD) civilians, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes, has over 1,400 members located in dozens of countries.
For questions pertaining to this statement, please reach out to
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