LETTERS: Military recalled, Don’t generalize about immigrants

Military recalled

In memory of those who served their country during World War II and are now gone, I provide a few names. This information is based on an oral interview with Ruben Zuniga Rosales, known as Sepi, in Pharr.

According to my paternal uncle, the first casualty was Juan Castillo. Jesse Valenciano shot down a Japanese fighter. Juan Guerrero, Sigfredo Salinas, Eliseo Salinas, Eseqiel Guajardo, Jose Ramirez, Adalberto Garcia and Jose Ramos, originally from El Fronton and Bernardo Ramirez, who is buried in France.

All of the Rosales brothers served in various countries. Jose, the oldest, and Pancho never spoke of their war experiences. According to Tio Ruben Rosales, Pancho fought hand-to-hand with the Japanese Imperial Marines.

My father, Cpl. Juan Z. Rosales, witnessed many die in the Battle of the Bulge. Others at the Battle of the Bulge were Damascio “Chore” Rosales and Pancho Guzman. Ruben “Sepi” Rosales served in Japan after the nuclear bombs had been dropped. The unbearable heat made it very difficult to breathe.

As he spoke of his brothers and others, he broke down and cried. At the age of 95, he feels lonely and wants peace among his own family. I honor him and others whose names are unknown as we remember the events of Pearl Harbor.

Juanita Cantu

San Antonio

Don’t generalize about immigrants

I read about Gov. Greg Abbott endorsing Donald Trump for the upcoming elections during a campaign event in the Rio Grande Valley where the former president expressed his discontent about President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and made controversial statements about people who cross the border illegally. This negative generalization of people is something that someone like Donald Trump should refrain from doing.

The former president made degrading accusations toward people who cross the border illegally, accusing them of being mentally ill and criminals, generalizing everyone who crossed illegally into the United States with a negative stereotype, making them look like threats to American families. This type of generalization is harmful because there is a tendency to overlook individual differences and simplify the diversity of people’s experiences and characteristics. Falling into stereotypes can be unfair and lead to discrimination, prejudice and unequal treatment. This can lead to an inaccurate understanding of situations and the people themselves by the general public under Trump’s influence.

Donald Trump is someone who, because of who he is, can influence people whether for good or bad, so he should not use that influence irresponsibly. The moral responsibility of being an influential person involves communicating ethically, aware of the impact on the audience, respecting diversity, disseminating verified information, advocating for social causes in a responsible manner and managing conflicts in a constructive manner, something I believe Trump has not done by not being aware of the power it has over people’s perception and decisions, labeling illegal people as coming from a psychiatric institution or prison.

Although it may be true that some people who cross the border illegally have bad intentions, there are still other people who do so out of necessity because they are victims of the violence that may exist in their country or because of poverty. So they cross the border, risking themselves with the purpose of having a better life, so labeling innocent people as criminals is unfair and lacking empathy.

If we begin to dehumanize innocent people by generalizing them, then empathy will be lost. We should put ourselves more in someone else’s shoes.

Ricardo Lira

McAllen

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