Ken Burns revisited

Shall we just drop the subject and keep on going? It is Summer out there, so sunny and beautiful…that it almost inspires one to just forgive and forget, toast to life and make merry?

I don’t think so!

I do take offense with the fact that Señor Burns (lets say it candidly) “forgot” to mention the contribution of Latinos to World War II. I do take offense with the fact that when advised about such blatant and shameless attempt at historical revisionism, the famed maker of documentaries and all around audiovisual artiste stuck his nose up in the air and stated, as divas tend to in a very Bob Evans anecdotal-way: “The brown kid stays OUT of the movie…”

He wrote off the contribution of Latinos to that great event, the Last Great War, a significant contribution by any account, but some of us have not, and will not!

We can not write it off, or so conveniently “forget,” because it is a memory embedded in our soul, made of blood, sweat and tears. Just like all the rest of such memories (no matter from whom and where in this planet). Just like the ones featured so prominently in Señor Burns’ documentary.

So sad that it has to come to this, but it is a matter of respect. Respect is a mutual thing, Señor Burns. You have to give a lot of it in order to expect the same in return. And it should be as fair as Death is in the midst of battle, and just as blind as the bullet capable of taking away a life.

There are attempts, honest, humble, yet bold attempts to write a reliable account of what World War II did to America, to the world, to us, trying establish in all fairness what were the consequences, what was the real human price paid in such a pivotal event in modern history.

Noemi Figueroa Soulet (Producer/Director/Writer) is about to release of The Borinqueneers, (www.borinqueneers.com) “the first major documentary to chronicle the never-before-told story of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, the only all-Hispanic unit in the history of the U.S. Army.”

Set to premiere August 2007 on most PBS stations and narrated by Latino actor Héctor Elizondo, the documentary “explores the fascinating stories of courage, triumph and struggle of the men of the 65th.

“The 65th Infantry Regiment was created in 1899 by the U.S. Congress as a segregated unit composed primarily of Puerto Ricans with mostly continental officers. It went on to serve meritoriously in three wars: World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

“When they were finally called to the front lines in the Korean War, the men of the 65th performed impressively, earning praise from General MacArthur. They performed a critical role containing the Chinese advance and supporting the U.S. Marines in the aftermath of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. Sent to every corner of the peninsula, they showed outstanding resilience and a legendary fierceness as combatants, even as they faced discrimination within the Army,” reads the synopsis of this documentary project.

Kudos to you all!

Although thousands of Latinos have served courageously in the Armed Forces since World War I, their contribution and sacrifices have gone largely unnoticed.

Until now, but there is so much to tell, so many inspiring Latino stories of courage and sacrifice.

Señor Burns’ high-nosed attitude and stubborn disposition, plus the fact that he insists on keeping his film intact tells from the onset the “veracity” of his documentary (or lack thereof) and, in my book, puts the reputation of this gentleman at the level of dirt, but we can’t let him go off that easy.

I don’t know who said that there is no use in beating a dead horse, but even though Ken Burns plays the dead, the deaf and the dumb, this horse is still very much alive and ready to kick at any moment.

So I say, hey, “ojo pela’o” (keep your eyes peeled) and, to quote the famous Forrest Gump, Master of the Modern Pedestrian Philosophy: “That is all I have to say about that.”

…for now ;-).