El Tiempo Latino
La Biblioteca del Congreso a través de su programa "Veterans History Project" presentó el libro "The Inspiring Life of Texan Héctor P. García". Nacido en México, el doctor Héctor P. García es recordado como un padre, médico, cirujano y luchador incansable por la igualdad y la educación. Recibió la medalla presidencial “Medal of Freedom” y fue un luchador incansable por los derechos civiles. A través de este libro, su hija Cecilia García Akers, cuenta la vida de su padre que al igual a muchos hispanos, es importante mantener y conocer la historia sobre el progreso y apoyo que le han entregado al país. "No contamos con mucha información histórica de los mexicanos sirviendo a las fuerzas armadas. Las nuevas generaciones deben conocerla y no olvidarla", dijo Cecilia García. La escritora del libro donó algunas fotografías de su padre a la biblioteca y firmó su libro a los presentes.
The Library of Congress
Today working with Roberto Juan Carlos Gonzalez-Homs in the library of Congress where he was presented the book " the inspiring life of Hector P. Garcia " A Doctor War Veteran originating in tamaulipas, Mexico. His daughter, Cecilia Garcia Akers, author of the book I deliver photographs that will be archived in the library. Dr. Garcia, served in the military without being an American citizen and was a pioneer in the fight for civil rights after studying in a segregated school in Texas. It should be mentioned, that he received the presidential medal of freedom.
The Inspiring Life of Texan Héctor P. García book signing
Before Héctor García founded the American G.I. Forum and became the first Mexican-American to earn a Presidential Medal of Freedom, he was the first Mexican to graduate from the University of Texas-Galveston, earning a doctorate in medicine in 1940. Later, as a second lieutenant serving in the United States Army, he received a Bronze Star Medal and a World War II Victory Medal. And he did all this without U.S. citizenship, something his daughter, Cecilia García Akers, didn’t know until years after her father’s 1996 passing. (He did become a U.S. citizen later in life and before receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.) “He was so brave and humble,” says the San Antonio-based Akers, author of The Inspiring Life of Texan Héctor P. García. “He never complained about his struggles.”
American GI Forum honors local leaders, awards scholarships
Cecilia Garcia Akers said she's always humbled by receiving any award, but her most recent one is especially important to her. On Thursday, she was recognized by the organization founded by her father.
The Dr. Hector P. Garcia American GI Forum Founders Chapter and Dr. Clotilde P. Garcia Chapter recognized Akers and three other local leaders at the Fifth Annual Scholarship Awards at Holiday Inn Corpus Christi Airport. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi President Flavius Killebrew, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi Capt. Steve Banta and Chairman of Del Mar College Board of Regents Trey McCampbell also were recognized for standing up for veterans at the banquet.
Library of Congress to host Cecilia Garcia Akers this month
Photographs belonging to Dr. Hector P. Garcia will be added to a permanent collection at the Library of Congress, according to a news release from the library, the world's largest.
Cecilia Garcia Akers, his daughter, said the monumental admission was unfathomable months ago.
"This is wonderful exposure for my father," she said. "Because of the national political scene right now, all of us can turn to him as an example of an immigrant who made a real difference."
Cecilia García Akers Discusses Biography of Her Father, Héctor García
Cecilia García Akers shares her memories and discusses her father’s legacy in her new biography, "The Inspiring Life of Texan Héctor P. García" (The History Press, 2016), at the Library of Congress on Friday, May 20 at noon in the Whittall Pavilion, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.
The program, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Library’s Veterans History Project (VHP), in collaboration with the Library of Congress Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Programs.
A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, along with several other distinctions and decorations, the Mexican-born American civil-rights pioneer Dr. Héctor P. García is remembered as a father, physician, surgeon and tireless champion for equality, education and voting rights. In 1948, García, a World War II veteran, founded the American G.I. Forum, a group initially aimed at promoting veterans’ rights. Under his leadership, it played a key role in the American civil-rights movement, resulting in important victories in Texas and throughout the nation. While leading the civil-rights struggle, García continued to serve as a medical doctor in Corpus Christi, providing care to those in greatest need.