The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but
it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it could
be.
So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should
Americans savor this day as well? Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed
the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east
of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862.
Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United
States, the French came to subjugate Mexico.
The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from
supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States
to build the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army
smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of
Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.
Union forces were then rushed to the Texas/Mexican
border under General Phil Sheridan, who made sure that the Mexicans got all the
weapons and ammunition they needed to expel the French. American soldiers
were discharged with their uniforms and rifles if they promised to join the
Mexican Army to fight the French. The American Legion of Honor marched in
the Victory Parade in Mexico, City.
It might be a historical stretch to credit the
survival of the United States to those 4,000 brave Mexicans who faced an army
twice as large in 1862. But who knows?
In gratitude, thousands of Mexicans crossed the
border after Pearl Harbor to join the U.S. Armed Forces. As recently as
the Persian Gulf War, Mexicans flooded American consulates with phone calls,
trying to join up and fight another war for America.
Mexicans, you see, never forget who their friends
are, and neither do Americans. That's why Cinco de Mayo is such a party
-- A party that celebrates freedom and liberty. These are two ideals
which Mexicans and Americans have fought shoulder to shoulder to protect, ever
since the 5th of May, 1862. VIVA! el CINCO DE MAYO!!
