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the Second world war and its aftermath 1940–1965 7 in the annals of American history, the second World War was probably not as momentous in its consequences for many Americans as had been the Great War a generation before, but such is not the case for Mexicanos in this country. World War ii altered life in the Mexicano community profoundly. its heaviest impact was on the nascent middle class, which grew in both size and influence. in the aftermath of the war, this middle sector, largely composed of children of immigrants rather than immigrants themselves, was eager to win acceptance into American society, but only on its own terms. Much maligned by chicano historians in the 1960s and 1970s for its lack of concern for the welfare of the ethnic community at large, in recent years this middle class, thanks largely to the efforts of the brothers Mario t. and richard García, Guadalupe san Miguel Jr., and like-minded historians, has been reevaluated in a much more positive light. Given the intellectual and moral climate engendered by the war, it is clear that options available to this generation were rather limited. Moreover, it is now clear that a substantial number of the middle class did attempt to ameliorate working and living conditions for the Mexicano community as a whole, with surprising success. MexicAnos in tHe MiLitAry the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 december 1941 forced the United states into the war. for Mexicanos, the colossal conflict represented an opportunity to enter the American mainstream. By the 1940s, there were many more of them in the country than there had been during World War i, so their participation was much higher. the military at the time simply counted Latinos as “whites,” so accurate numbers are unavailable. According to University of texas journalism uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu mexicanos 164 professor Maggie rivas-rodríguez, the director of an ambitious Austin-based oral history project to record the experiences of Latinos and Latinas active during the global conflict, estimates of Latinos engaged in active military service vary between 250,000 and 750,000.1 estimates for Mexicanos in particular, both immigrants and native-born, run between 250,000 and 500,000, huge numbers considering an overall population of 2.7 million. Most Mexicanos were drafted into the service, like their compatriots—altogether, 10 million men were inducted, twice the number who volunteered. Many Mexicanos, however, were volunteers. indeed, as is true of other military conflicts in the twentieth century, notably Korea and Vietnam, the Mexicano enlistment rate was probably greater than that of the population at large. there were a number of reasons for this apparent enthusiasm. first of all, the service represented one of the few opportunities for Mexicanos to improve their low socioeconomic status. often isolated in small communities or trapped in the barrios of larger cities, poorly educated and lacking job skills, they saw the military as the easiest and most immediate way of improving their position. secondly, while some of them still fostered notions of returning to Mexico, many newcomers, as was typical of immigrant communities, felt a sense of gratitude to their new homeland and joined up out of a sense of sincere patriotism. finally, the high enlistment rate owed something to the macho ethic permeating Mexicano society; doing military service was a way of proving manhood. in contrast to World War i, when they were recruited almost exclusively in the southwest, many Mexicano servicemen now came from other regions. the Midwest was well represented. the illinois town of silvis, near Moline, for example, sent 110 Mexicanos off to war, which, according to the U.s. defense department, was more than any other comparable town of its size. As the historian raúl Morín, a native of Lockhart, texas, and himself a veteran of the war, has illustrated, Mexicanos were one of the most highly decorated ethnic groups in the U.s. Armed forces. they served with distinction in both the Pacific and the Atlantic theaters, where they won scores of medals, including the silver star, the Bronze star, the distinguished service cross, the Purple Heart, and the most prestigious military citation of all, the congressional Medal of Honor. this last decoration, conferred by the U.s. congress for valor, was first established in 1861. since that time some thirty-four hundred individuals have been awarded the Medal of Honor, more than three-quarters of them posthumously. Among the recipients have been forty-three Hispanic soldiers...

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