Citizenship and Service: The Attitudes and Experiences of Hispanic Soldiers in the United States Army.

This paper reports the results of a survey of 1190 active-duty members of the United States Army completed in the summer of 2004. Our survey respondents include 420 white, 397 Hispanic and 288 black soldiers and officers. We find that Hispanics in the American Army, a population largely of immigrants or the children of immigrants, face a unique set of challenges. Despite these hurdles, however, Hispanic soldiers and officers are generally satisfied with Army life and optimistic about their futures. However, Hispanics in the Army are by no means homogeneous in their background or attitudes. Like white soldiers and officers, they, as a group and especially Mexicans, have enlisted in order to serve their country, and they have had guidance from mentors in the Army. However, not all Hispanics have the same views toward a military career. We find that reported discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity is still more prevalent than conventional wisdom about the Army would suggest. There are also large disparities in the way different racial and ethnic groups view the inclusiveness of the Army and the programs designed to help minorities. Given the lack of minority representation in the Army leadership ranks, these differences in perception of the Army's success in this area could lead to dissatisfaction with Army leadership among minority soldiers and to increased racial and ethnic tension as the proportion of Hispanics in the Army continues to grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]