21st TSC hosts Hispanic American celebration

***image1***The Soldiers, families and civilian employees of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted a KMC Hispanic American Heritage Month celebration with a program at the Kaiserslautern Community Activities Center on Daenner Kaserne Oct. 15.

Tables were set up to display the different clothing, national treasures and specific foods of the various Hispanic countries represented. There were displays provided by Soldiers and families from Honduras, Panama, El Salvador, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile, Guatemala, Cuba and Mexico.

There were also tables set up by representatives from Army Community Services and the University of Maryland with information for Soldiers and families in English and Spanish.

Members of the audience were treated to an exhibition of folkloric, meringue, bachata and salsa dances.  After the dancers performed, they pulled members of the audience onto the dance floor to try the different dances.

“It was a very comfortable environment. I liked that they got the audience involved,” said Spc. Crystal Samull, a radiology technologist at the Army Health Clinic, Kaiserslautern.

The guest speaker was Command Sgt. Maj. Ismael Rodriguez, command sergeant major for the 405th Army Field Support Brigade.
“The contributions made by Hispanics are woven into every segment of our nation’s history,” said Command Sergeant Major Rodriguez. “A cultural diversity has made its fabric strong.” 

Command Sergeant Major Rodriguez also talked about having pride in one’s heritage.
“Celebrate your cultural heritage as well as others,” he said.
He concluded his speech with a “did you know?” portion that included such facts as “a woman named Loretta Janet Velasquez fought for the Confederacy disguised as a man.”

After the speech, audience members were able to sample the cuisine from a multitude of Hispanic countries and cultures.

“The program had a lot from the different countries,” said Spc. Vinette Perez, a lab technologist at the Army Health Clinic, Kaiserslautern. “I learned that the CEO of Coca Cola was a Cuban-American.  He (the guest speaker) had a lot of good facts.”
The Equal Opportunity Office holds eight ethnic observances a year.

“It gives Soldiers an opportunity to learn about the different cultures that make up the Army,” said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Crumpler, equal opportunity advisor for 21st TSC.
To find out when the next observance is, contact your unit’s EO representative.