MARINE CORPS HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the rich history, cultural traditions and the many contributions that Hispanic Americans have contributed to the greatness of our nation. The theme of this year’s celebration, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, is “Hispanic Americans: Strong and Colorful Threads in the American Fabric.”National Hispanic Heritage Month evolved into a week-long celebration from a Congressional declaration back in Sept. 17, 1968, that began Sept. 10 and ended Sept. 16. The week commemorated the anniversary for seven Latin American countries: Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico and Chile. Twenty years later, on Aug. 17, 1988, President Ronald Reagan authorized the celebration to be expanded to one month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, which now includes Oct. 12 to recognize the first immigration of Hispanic ancestors from the Eastern Hemisphere — Europe, Africa and Asia — to the Americas.Hispanic is not racial identification, a nationality, or just one culture. Instead, Hispanics are greatly diverse people with Spanish and Latin American cultural and linguistic origins, regardless of race or color. This diversity is accentuated with European, Native American, African, Asian or Middle Eastern descent, or any combination of these five. Hispanics can have cultural ties to Mexico, the Caribbean countries, Central America, South America and Spain. The Hispanic heritage of America goes back in time to the earliest European presence on the North American continent after the arrival of Christopher Columbus on Oct. 12, 1492. And contrary to common belief, the first settlement in the United States was of a Spanish origin. This began in 1513 with Ponce de Leon’s landing in the vicinity of what is known today as Cape Canaveral, Fla. Consequently, Hispanics settled in numerous areas in North America: between coastal Georgia and South Carolina; at Pensacola Bay near present-day Gulf Islands National Seashore; and at what is known today as Saint Augustine, Fla. There were also great explorations of what we know today as Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico. Another Hispanic with a special place in the history of the United States, is General Bernardo de Galvez. While a governor of the Louisiana Territory, Galvez provided money and supplies to the army of General George Washington and General George Rogers Clarke. In 1779, after Spain officially entered the war on the side of the Americans, General Galvez raised an army of Spanish and Cuban soldiers, Choctaw Indians and former black slaves to attack and overrun British strongholds. Furthermore, General Galvez captured Pensacola, the capital of a British colony of West Florida. This battle has been described by one American historian as “a decisive factor in the outcome of the Revolution and one of the most brilliantly executed battles of war.” Many considered a heavy blow to the fighting morale of the British Army, just five months prior to the last battle of the war at Yorktown. Another Hispanic gentlemen of note is David Glasgow Farragut, who later became the first admiral of the U.S. Navy. David Farragut participated in his first naval experience at the tender age of 11 under the care of Commodore David Porter. Later, during the Civil War, David Farragut fought on the side of the Union and played a decisive role in the final outcome of the Civil War. Farragut won fame as a Union hero, when, in 1862, he forced New Orleans to surrender to the Union. This victory as well as his performance during the battles of Port Hudson and Vicksburg, earned him Abraham Lincoln’s praises and a promotion to rear admiral, a rank never before used in the Navy. In 1864, during the Battle of Mobile Bay, one of Farragut’s lead ships struck a mine and sank. This caused confusion and hesitation among the Union Sailors, and it was then that he shouted the order that made him famous:, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” Shortly after, he was appointed vice admiral and given a hero’s welcome in New York City. After the war, in 1866, the Congress decided to create the title of Admiral of the Navy, to honor Farragut. On Aug. 14, 1870, Admiral Farragut died in Portsmouth, N.H., after almost 60 years of service to America. Today, you can visit a statue in his honor at Farragut Square, Washington. During World War II, more than 400,000 Hispanics served in the U.S. armed forces. In World War II, as well as in Korean and Vietnam, Hispanics continued to excel and several earned the Congressional Medal of Honor — totaling 42 awards, which is disproportionate to their numerical representation in the civilian population in the United States. Hispanics have served this country valiantly and with distinction in every single war our country has been involved — from the Revolutionary War to today’s Global War on Terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. As President Bush said in his 2001 National Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation — Hispanics “contribute to every walk of contemporary American life, while simultaneously preserving the unique customs and traditions of their ancestors. All Americans, regardless of national origin, celebrate the vibrant Hispanic American spirit that influences our Nation’s art, music, food, and faiths.“We also celebrate the practices of commitment to family, love of country, and respect for others — virtues that transcend ethnicity, reflect the American spirit, and are nobly exemplified in the Hispanic American community.”This month celebrates the diversity and contributions of Hispanic Americans as strong and colorful threads in the American fabric.