HARLINGEN, Texas - Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda wants to see a greater representation of Latinos in the documents and memorabilia on offer at the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum.
Sepulveda made that clear when she heard of the exploits of Viet Nam War veteran Arturo ‘Treto’ Garza, a Harlingen resident and former US Marine who died in 2012 at the age of 68. She said his “amazing” story should be featured in the museum.
The mayor spoke about Sgt. Garza during a recent city commission meeting where District 5 City Commissioner Rene Perez proposed the City of Harlingen name a new park after the war hero.
Sepulveda said: “I just want to say, you (Commissioner Perez) did an amazing job. I'm so impressed by you. You said his (Treto Garza) story so beautifully. I don't know if Alexis is here. There you are. I know we've got space in the museum. I encourage you to meet with the (Garza) family to see if we can further highlight them. One of the best things about serving this community is learning of our history. I had no idea. Now I've learned so much.
“Su Clinica is like an amazing organization that serves an underserved population in our community, and to know that your family had a part of that as well, is just amazing. And we'd love to share your story, so if we can get that done? I’m sure Commissioners Lopez and Perez here will put their minds together and talk with Alexis. I'd love to see more… I know I've talked to some of the folks over at the museum. We'd love to see more Latino representation, that means a lot to me. I hope you see that this community is evolving, and it's important that we treasure those stories and keep them alive. It's very important.”
The “Alexis” Mayor Sepulveda referenced is Alexis Riojas, director of Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum.
Gael Garza, grandson of Arturo Treto Garza, also spoke at the city commission meeting. He explained that his grandfather did two tours of Vier Nam and that when he returned to the Rio Grande Valley he became a civic and veterans leaders. Sgt. Garza helped migrant farmworkers secure better working conditions, and helped the residents of Cameron Park, the biggest colonia in the United States, secure public utilities, his grandson said. He also helped get Su Clinica in Harlingen off the ground. And he fought for better healthcare for Rio Grande Valley veterans.
Treto Garza’s wife Irene says her husband died early because he was exposed to Agent Orange in Viet Nam. For the last five years of his life he wrote a powerful weekly column on veterans issues for the Rio Grande Guardian. It was titled Veteran's Voice.
Guardian Editor Steve Taylor said: “Mayor Sepulveda wants to see more Latino representation in the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum. We can help on that front. If the museum does feature Treto, as it should, we would be happy to donate all the guest columns he wrote for us. The columns were very impactful, just ask America’s Last Patrol, the VA, Senator Cornyn and former Congressman Rubén Hinojosa.
