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My paternal grandfather, Joseph Mellado, served in World War II.  Well, "served" sounds so sterile and sanitized. He fought and killed Germans, probably more than a few, and nearly died in the process. He left both of his legs in Europe; in Aachen, Germany, to be precise. He was in a tank company, part of the IV Armored Division and among the first Allied troops to penetrate Nazi home soil. His patrol was ambushed and overwhelmed early one morning, and though he fought bravely and saved the lives of others in his company-feats recognized with a Silver Star commendation for bravery in the face of the enemy-he left severely maimed and survived only after countless surgeries.

Johnny Armendariz isn't related, but he's a very close family friend and like an uncle to me. Johnny is a Marine. He's now in his 80s, but I say "is" because, as any jarhead will tell you, "Once a Marine, always a Marine." He killed Japanese at the battle of Iwo Jima, the bloodiest battle in the Marine Corp's illustrious history. Like Aachen, Iwo Jima was the first place American boots touched enemy home soil, and the Japanese fought to the last man defending it. Bravery on Iwo was commonplace, and a then 18 year-old Johnny was more common than most.

Gilbert Castañeda is my maternal grandfather. He didn't kill anyone, nor did fate demand the kind of sacrifice that my Grandpa Joe made. But he was ready to die for his country. He just missed the battle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. His Army regiment was sent to reinforce soldiers engaged in heavy jungle fighting there, but by the time they arrived, the Japanese Army had retreated. Gilbert was good with numbers and gadgets, and he was soon reassigned to a radar company, and later to engineer external fuel tanks for fighter planes and bombers. 

The War, an epic documentary about World War II which aired in September on PBS, didn't include any of these stories. The seven-part, 14-hour series was produced by Ken Burns, the most prolific and gifted documentary filmmaker probably of all time, the director behind masterpieces like Jazz, Baseball, and the Civil War, and the only man on the planet remotely capable of taking on such a massive project. So naturally I was shocked, appalled even, to learn that he hadn't planned on including stories like those of my grandfathers and uncles, stories about courageous young men with Spanish last names and the sacrifices they made individually and collectively for the American war effort. Of the approximately 40-50 soldiers interviewed for the series, not one was Latino.

Nor will any time be devoted separately to the experiences of the Latino population during the war. Rightly and justly there will be segments on segregated Black units, including the Tuskegee Airmen, and the all-Japanese American 442^nd regiment that fought as bravely and patriotically as any unit in any theatre. The experience of both the German-American and Italian-American communities will be addressed as well, again rightly so, as it must have been difficult for families with last names like Schneider and Moretti to send their sons to Germany and Italy to kill. But for reasons still unclear, Mr. Burns felt it unnecessary to address the Latino contributions to the Greatest Generation's greatest triumph.

As we celebrate Christmas, El Dia de los Reyes, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and all of our other holidays this time of year, we mustn't forget the troops who are overseas. The sacrifices that so many American families make transcend race and culture, proving that the color of war is far from monotone.