Paul Ortiz: Honoring all of Florida’s military veterans, The Gainesville Sun, by Dr. Paul Ortiz, November 10, 2013.
Dr. Paul Ortiz wrote the following editorial for The Gainesville Sun on Veterans Day weekend about the importance of recognizing the service of all military veterans, including African Americans, whose service is frequently ignored in historical narratives. Ortiz points out the great irony of memorials throughout Florida that recognize honor white Confederate soldiers, including one on the grounds of the Alachua County Courthouse in Gainesville, while no such remembrances are accorded to African American soldiers who risked their lives in WWI.
Black Floridians deserve special recognition for their service to this nation during the Great War because they fought on behalf of a country that did not recognize their rights to equal citizenship either before or after the war.
-Dr. Paul Ortiz