Carmen García Rosado
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PFC Carmen García Rosado (born October 29, 1926 - 2016) was an educator, author and activist for the rights of women veterans who was among the first 200 Puerto Rican women to be recruited into the WAC's during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Her book "LAS WACS-Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Segunda Guerra Mundial" (The WACs-The participation of the Puerto Rican women in the Second World War), is the first book to document the experiences of the first 200 Puerto Rican women who participated in said conflict as members of the armed forces of the United States.


Early years

García Rosado was the seventh of nine siblings born in
Humacao, Puerto Rico Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
to Jesus García Doble and Maria Rosado Arce de García. Her father was the foremen of a sugar plantation who would often be assigned to work in
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
, thus inspiring the desire within García Rosado to travel and see the world beyond Puerto Rico. She received her primary and secondary education in the towns of Las Piedras and
Caguas Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...
. She continued her education in Santurce and graduated from Santurce Central High School. In 1944, at the age of 18, she earned her teachers diploma from the
University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...
and worked in her profession in the mountainous areas between the towns of Las Piedras and
Humacao Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
. On September 17, 1944, " El Mundo", a local newspaper, announced that the United States were seeking women volunteers for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAC's).Hispanic link weekly report, Volume 6, Page 122


World War II

By this time the
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had entered
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and therefore needed to boost its military capabilities; as a result, the Army ordered Puerto Rico's
65th Infantry Regiment The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" during the Korean War for the original Taíno Indian name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen), is a Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. The regiment's motto is ''Honor et Fidelita ...
to full war strength and drafted many Puerto Ricans — even those whose knowledge of
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
was minimal. As a result, the Army recognized the need for bilingual personnel to fill in the clerical positions left empty by the male soldiers who were sent to the front lines. In 1944, the Army sent three WAC (Women's Army Corps) recruiters to the island to organize a unit of 200 WACs. Over 1,500 women responded to the call and applied, however only 200 were selected, among them, against her parents wishes, was García Rosado. After being sworn in during the ceremonies held in San Juan, García Rosado and the other 199 women were sent to
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for their basic training. The women were tested for their abilities and were given further training. Their duties varied, some were assigned as dental assistants, others as clerks and so on. García Rosado was assigned to the position of dental assistant. The women were assigned to Company 6, 2nd Battalion, 21st Regiment of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, a segregated Hispanic unit, and upon the completion of their training were sent to the port of embarkation of
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.Puerto Rican Woman in Defense of our country
According to García Rosado, one of the hardships which the women were subject to was the social and racial discrimination against the Latino community which at the time was rampant in the United States.


Post World War II

The American participation in the Second World War came to an end in Europe on May 8, 1945 when the western Allies celebrated "
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
" (Victory in Europe Day) upon Germany's surrender, and in the Asian theater on August 14, 1945 "
V-J Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...
" (Victory over Japan Day) when the Japanese surrendered by signing the
Japanese Instrument of Surrender The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan and from the Allied n ...
. The women of Company 6, 2nd Battalion, 21st Regiment of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps returned to Puerto Rico on January 6, 1946, where Garcia Rosado and the others were Honorably Discharged from the military. After the war, Garcia Rosado, like so many other women in the military, returned to civilian life. From 1946 to 1948, García Rosado continued in her profession as a teacher, during which time she earned her
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree from the Interamerican University, then known as the Polytechnic Institute at San German, Puerto Rico. She traveled through various states of the U.S. to work on her thesis, titled "Career Education," and worked on her doctorate in supervision and administration in education.Latinamerica press, Volume 21, Page 22, Publisher: Noticias Aliadas (1969), ASIN: B0000EDML0


Later years

García Rosado retired in 1979, but continued to work at Ana G. Mendez's Puerto Rico Institute Jr. College and later as the Resident Director of the "Señoritas de la Universidad del Sagrado Corazon" ( University of the Sacred Heart). In 1989, she was named consultant to the Director of Veterans Affairs in Puerto Rico. In her position she became an activist and worked for the rights of the Puerto Rican women veterans. Among the things that she sought and her accomplishments, while in her position, were the following: # That the rights earned and back up by law number 13,1980, also known as the Letter of rights of the Puerto Rican Veteran, be respected. # That a register of all the Puerto Rican women veterans be made and that an Association of United Puerto Rican Female Veterans be organized. # That the veterans receive a funeral with full military honors and that they be permitted to be interred in whichever cemetery their families choose. # That a monument dedicated to the Puerto Rican women veterans be erected. # García Rosado was named president of the Association of United Puerto Rican Female Veterans. # In 2018, García Rosado was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame of Distinguished Puerto Rican Veterans.The Hall of Fame of Distinguished Puerto Rican Veterans
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Written works

In 2006, García Rosado published her book titled "LAS WACS-Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Segunda Guerra Mundial" (The WACs-The participation of Puerto Rican women in World WarII), the first book to document the experiences of the first 200 Puerto Rican women who participated in said conflict as members of the armed forces of the United States.


Honors and recognitions

#Tribute from the "Female Mentorship Training" # Named "Distinguished Veteran of the Year" (2006) # Resolution from the Puerto Rican Senate, in name of all the female veterans of Puerto Rico. # Named "
grand marshal Grand marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "marshal" with the first usage of the term "grand marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. The following ...
" in the Veterans Day parade of Puerto Rico.


Awards and decorations

Among García Rosado's awards and decorations are:


See also

*
Carmen Contreras-Bozak Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak, (December 31, 1919 – January 30, 2017) was the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps (WAC) where she served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions.Carmen Lozano Dumler Second Lieutenant Carmen Maria Lozano Dumler,This name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name '' "Lozano"'' and the second or matrimonial family name is ''"Dumler"''. Registered nurse, RN, (September 18, 1921 – ...
* List of Puerto Ricans *
List of Puerto Rican military personnel Throughout history Puerto Ricans, including people of Puerto Rican descent, have gained notability as members of the military. They have served and have fought for many countries, such as Canada, Cuba, England, Mexico, Spain, the United States an ...
* Puerto Rican women in the military * Puerto Ricans in World War II *
Military history of Puerto Rico The recorded military history of Puerto Rico encompasses the period from the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadores battled native Taínos in the rebellion of 1511, to the present employment of Puerto Ricans in the United States Armed Forces i ...
*
List of Puerto Rican writers This is a list of Puerto Rican literary figures, including poets, novelists, short story authors, and playwrights. It includes people who were born in Puerto Rico, people who are of Puerto Rican ancestry, and long-term residents or immigrants ...
*
History of women in Puerto Rico The recorded history of Puerto Rican women can trace its roots back to the era of the ''Taíno'', the indigenous people of the Caribbean, who inhabited the island that they called "Boriken" before the arrival of Spaniards. During the Spanish c ...


Notes


References


Further reading

*''Puertorriquenos Who Served With Guts, Glory, and Honor. Fighting to Defend a Nation Not Completely Their Own''; by : Greg Boudonck; *''LAS WACS''-Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Segunda Guerra Mundial; by: Carmen Garcia Rosado; 1ra. Edicion publicada en Octubre de 2006; 2da Edicion revisada 2007; Registro Propiedad Intelectual ELA (Government of Puerto Rico) #06-13P-)1A-399; Library of Congress TXY 1-312-685 *''Historia militar de Puerto Rico''; by: Hector Andres Negroni; publisher=Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario (1992); {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Rosado, Carmen 1926 births 2016 deaths People from Humacao, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Army personnel Puerto Rican women in the military Puerto Rican writers United States Army soldiers University of Puerto Rico alumni Women's Army Corps soldiers Women educators Women in the United States Army Women in World War II