“You are now a member of the Army of the United States”: the recruitment of Spanish emigrants into the US Army during World War II

Authors

  • Javier Fernández Castroagudín Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
  • Vicente Suárez Investigador de “Asturians under the American Flag”
  • Pedro J. Oiarzábal Coinvestigador de “Fighting Basques: Memory of WWII”, Asociación Sancho de Beurko Elkartea
  • Guillermo Tabernilla Coinvestigador de “Fighting Basques: Memory of WWII”, Asociación Sancho de Beurko Elkartea

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53351/9k8j8m87

Keywords:

Military service, Emigration, Spain, United States Army, World War II

Abstract

In September 1940, despite its nominal neutrality, the passage of the Selective Training and Service Act established the first peacetime conscription in the United States. The Selective Service System acted as a key element in the massive mobilization of human resources that the United States undertook in the course of World War II. This law and its successive modifications ― the last one with the country already at war since December 7, 1941 ― established the compulsory registration and recruitment of all male citizens within a certain age range, as well as of foreign residents. It is estimated that, until its abolition in March 1947, almost 10 million men were conscripted.  Among them were numerous males of foreign origin ― not necessarily naturalized ― residing in the United States. Research to date reveals that 1,171 Spanish emigrants residing in the country were recruited into the United States Army (which at that time included the Air Force) during the war, of which 60% were not naturalized. Conscription and military service were a disruptive element for part of the Spanish migrant population, since work and emotional projects were cut short, families were separated, lives were lost, and physical and psychological consequences were suffered. However, it also worked as a powerful integration agent that facilitated naturalization and granted access to social, educational and economic benefits to the now veterans and their families. The emigrants' contribution to the war effort and to the country's post-war development would thus contribute to the completion of their migration process, forging transnational entities and allowing them to become a full-fledged part of what came to be called "the greatest generation".

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Author Biographies

  • Javier Fernández Castroagudín, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela

    Profesor Asociado de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Curso de Especialización Universitaria en Historia Militar (UNED), Máster de Historia Militar (USC). Docente invitado en el Máster de Historia Militar (USC). Líneas de investigación acerca de enfermedades y organización de los servicios médicos militares durante los siglos XIX-XX y de los emigrantes españoles reclutados en el ejército estadounidense durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial en el seno de los Grupos de Investigación ‘Manuel Otero’ y ‘Spaniards under the American Flag: Memory of WWII’. Publicaciones en Revista de Historia Militar, Revista de Historia Aeronáutica Aeroplano, Cuadernos de Estudios Gallegos, reseñas bibliográficas para Army Historyy en Actas de los Congresos ‘XVIII Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Historia de la Medicina’, ‘XVI Congreso de la Asociación de Historia Contemporánea’, ‘Congreso La Guerra Civil en Perspectiva Histórica’, ‘III Congreso de Guerras Coloniales’ y ‘VIII Congreso Internacional de ASEHISMI’.

  • Pedro J. Oiarzábal, Coinvestigador de “Fighting Basques: Memory of WWII”, Asociación Sancho de Beurko Elkartea

    Pedro J. Oiarzabal es doctor en Ciencias Políticas-Estudios Vascos por la Universidad de Nevada (Estados Unidos), Máster en Económicas y Ciencias Sociales por la Universidad Queen’s de Belfast (Irlanda del Norte) y licenciado en Historia por la Universidad de Deusto. Investigador en estudios de migración y diáspora en el Instituto de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Deusto (2009-2018) y director de la Cátedra Jon Bilbao de la Universidad de Nevada, Reno (2014-2017). Ha sido investigador principal en varios proyectos de Historia Oral y autor de más de una veintena de publicaciones sobre Historia Oral, diáspora vasca y preservación de la cultura migrante. Ha diseñado e impartido docencia en materia de Historia Oral en Euskadi, Estados Unidos, Canadá e Irlanda.

  • Guillermo Tabernilla, Coinvestigador de “Fighting Basques: Memory of WWII”, Asociación Sancho de Beurko Elkartea

    Guillermo Tabernilla es funcionario del Gobierno Vasco. Es fundador, investigador, expresidente y actualmente secretario de la Asociación Sancho de Beurko, una organización que estudia la historia de los vascos en la Guerra Civil Española y en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Dirigió el catálogo del “Cinturón de Hierro” para la Dirección de Patrimonio del Gobierno Vasco. Es investigador principal del Fighting Basques Project, un proyecto de memoria sobre los vascos en la Segunda Guerra Mundial en colaboración con Memoria Bizia y la North American Basque Organizations. Ha participado en programas de radio y televisión, cortometrajes, documentales y exposiciones de Historia Militar. Ha colaborado en la Revista Española de Historia Militar, Desperta Ferro, Eusko News, Deia, El Correo, eldiario.es y Euskal Kultura, así como en el blog “Ecos de dos guerras, 1936-1945”, del que es cofundador.

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Published

2024-07-23

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 26 (2024): Servicio Militar: memoria, movilización y nación

Section

Special Section

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Javier Fernández Castroagudín, Vicente Suárez, Pedro J. Oiarzábal, Guillermo Tabernilla

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How to Cite

“You are now a member of the Army of the United States”: the recruitment of Spanish emigrants into the US Army during World War II. (2024). Revista Universitaria De Historia Militar, 13(26), 113-139. https://doi.org/10.53351/9k8j8m87

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