Taxpayer Donations Sought for Statue

State Senate Majority Leader Richard Polanco is asking taxpayers to remember Mexican American veterans when they fill out their state income tax forms this year by checking off a contribution to upgrade the California Mexican American Veterans Memorial in Sacramento.

“The time has come now to build upon the statue, to make the memorial more visual and prominent in the capital,” he said Tuesday.

Polanco, appearing at a Los Angeles news conference, unveiled a public service announcement to be televised during the tax season, encouraging taxpayers to donate.

Flanked by Mexican American veterans of World War II, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War, Polanco said he hopes that taxpayers will donate at least $100,000 to enhance the memorial--a statue of a World War II soldier on a pedestal across from the Capitol. The project will cost about $1 million, with the balance to come from private fund-raising.

“This is an effort that is long overdue,” said Eddie Morin, a 56-year-old Vietnam War veteran.

The bill that established the California Mexican American Veterans’ Beautification and Enhancement Memorial Commission, the group responsible for raising funds for the upgrade, was signed in 1993 by then-Gov. Pete Wilson.

But Wilson waited five years--until just before he left office--to appoint seven commission members.

“The last administration wasn’t pushing at all,” said Tomas Alvarado, deputy director of the Department of Veterans Affairs under Wilson and now the undersecretary of the department for Gov. Gray Davis.

The law also required that fund-raising for the Mexican American Veterans Memorial begin only after completion of the California Veterans Memorial dedicated to all veterans. That memorial was dedicated in December 1998.

Mexican American veterans want the recognition they believe they deserve but have been largely denied, Morin said.

“There should be recognition for the heroes of our culture who have served this country,” said Daniel Ortiz, a 28-year-old veteran of the Persian Gulf War who lives in East Los Angeles.

Morin’s father, Raul Morin, a Vietnam veteran, wrote a book about the contributions that Mexican Americans made to World War II and the Korean War. The book, “Among the Valiant,” was published in 1961, six years before the author’s death but is now out of print.

“He thought it was odd that all the news items overlooked the Mexican American,” his son said. “It just seemed wrong.” The younger Morin and Polanco said they hope to return the book to print.

Frank Salvidar, 74, was born and raised in East L.A. and served in the Army during World War II. Wearing a jacket with the Veterans of Foreign Wars logo on it, Salvidar said his culture was a priority to him even in the middle of his tour of duty, prompting him to search for other Mexican Americans.

Dios de vendiga--God bless you, he recalled saying when he met other Mexican Americans at war.

“For that split second, the war is behind you,” he said. “You want to know where they’re from, their names. You even break rank because you’re so happy to see them.”