War veteran speaks of racial bias in Army
The brothers of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity, are helping educate students about the statistics of black and Latino deaths in the war in Iraq and the tactics the armed forces use to recruit immigrants and minorities. In a workshop entitled "The Brown Man's Burden" held Wednesday evening in Eggers Hall, four LUL brothers and a black World War II veteran spoke about the high rate at which black and Latino soldiers are dying in the war in Iraq. The speakers attributed these statistics to the "empty promises" the armed forces give when recruiting these minorities. "The aim of the recruiting station is clear. We cannot run our armed forces as a business," said junior biology major Noman Khan, who was one of the speakers during the workshop. According to data the brothers compiled from public documents released by the Department of Defense, Latinos make up 9.4 percent of enlisted men and women in the U.S. armed forces. More than 17 percent of these men and women serve in the Army, while more than 19 percent are in the Marines. The speakers said Latino soldiers are being killed at staggering rates. [more]