Hispanics in the United States Air Force can trace their tradition of service back to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), the military aviation arm of the United States Army during and immediately after World War II. The USAAF was the predecessor of the United States Air Force, which was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947, under the National Security Act of 1947.[1] In the U.S., the term Hispanic categorizes any citizen or resident of the United States, of any racial background, of any country, and of any religion, who has at least one ancestor from the people of Spain or is of non-Hispanic origin but has an ancestor from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central or South America, or some other Hispanic origin. The three largest Hispanic groups in the United States are the Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.[2][3][4] According to the U.S. Census Bureau the estimated Hispanic population of the United States is over 50 million, or 16% of the U.S. population, and Hispanics are the nation's largest ethnic minority.[5][6] The 2010 U.S. census estimate of over 50 million Hispanics in the U.S. does not include the 3.9 million residents of Puerto Rico, thereby making the people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority as of July 1, 2005.[7][8]
Hispanics, both men and women, have reached the top ranks of the Air Force, serving their country in sensitive leadership positions on domestic and foreign shores. Hispanics, however currently account for a total of 4.9% of the enlisted personnel making the United States Air Force the military branch with the lowest average of Hispanic recruits.
- ^ United States Air Force (1 September 2009). "The U.S. Air Force". United States Air Force website. Washington, DC: U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ Hispanic Population of the United States Current Population Survey Definition and Background Archived 1999-02-19 at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau, Population Division, Ethnic & Hispanic Statistics Branch, Retrieved May 21, 2008
- ^ "Who are Hispanic Americans?". Fault Line, September 1996. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
- ^ "Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin - 2000 Census Brief" (PDF). www.census.gov. March 2001. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "Census: Latino, Asian Population Soars 43 Percent Across U.S. - New America Media". Newsamericanmedia.org. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ Ceasar, Stephen (March 24, 2011). "Hispanic population tops 50 million in U.S". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "2005 U.S. Census". Infoplease by U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "Navy Celebrates Hispanic Heritage". United States Navy. Retrieved May 21, 2008.