Jaime A. Areizaga-Soto is an American attorney and politician who has served as the chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs since September 2022.
In 2011,he was the Democratic nominee for a seat in the Senate of Virginia.
Areizaga-Soto was born in Moca and raised in San Juan,Puerto Rico. The youngest of four siblings,his father worked for the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and his mother was an elementary school teacher. [1] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in foreign service from Georgetown University,followed by a joint Master of Arts in Latin American studies from Stanford University and Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 1994. General Areizaga-Soto graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth and has a master's in Security and Defense from the Inter-American Defense College in Fort Lesley J. McNair. Among his military awards are the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal with one bronze Oak leaf cluster. [2]
Areizaga-Soto began his career as an associate at Paul,Weiss,Rifkind,Wharton &Garrison. From 1996 to 1999,he was an associate at Hogan &Hartson. From 1999 to 2007,he was a member of the global project finance group at Clifford Chance. Areizaga-Soto later served as a White House fellow and attorney for the United States Agency for International Development in 2010 and 2011. [3]
Areizaga-Soto served in the District of Columbia Army National Guard in the Judge Advocate,Headquarters Detachment,District Area Regional Command,Washington,District of Columbia. Served as Commander of the 352d Trial Defense Service Team and of the NGB Legal Support Office. In August 2021,he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General,making him the first Latino Judge Advocate General's Corps General Officer in the Armed Forces. Brigadier General Areizaga-Soto was Special Assistant to the General Counsel,National Guard Bureau. From 2011 to 2013,Areizaga-Soto managed Latino outreach for the Democratic Party of Virginia. He also served as an advisor to State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple. In 2012 and 2013,he was deputy director of the Democratic National Committee for Hispanic affairs. He was also president of the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia in 2013 and 2014. From 2015 to 2018,he served as a commander in the National Guard Bureau. In 2016 and 2017,he was vice president of the Hispanic National Bar Association for membership. Areizaga-Soto also served as deputy Virginia secretary of veterans affairs. [4] [5]
On April 25,2022,President Joe Biden nominated Areizaga-Soto to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Veterans Appeals,replacing Cheryl Mason. Areizaga-Soto was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 4,2022,and he was sworn in on September 15,2022. [6]
The military defense of Puerto Rico is the responsibility of the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris. Locally,Puerto Rico has its own National Guard,the Puerto Rico National Guard,and its own state defense force,the Puerto Rico State Guard,which,by local law,is under the authority of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The commander-in-chief of both forces is the governor of Puerto Rico,currently Pedro Pierluisi,who delegates his authority to the Puerto Rico Adjutant General,currently Major General JoséJ. Reyes. The Adjutant General,in turn,delegates the authority over the State Guard to another officer but retains the authority over the Puerto Rico National Guard as a whole. At the national level,the commander-in-chief is the President of the United States,currently Joe Biden.
Jaime Benito Fuster Berlingeri was a politician who served as an Associate Justice to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Justice Fuster,along with Justice Liana Fiol Matta,was considered the leading liberal voice in the Puerto Rico Supreme Court.
The Inter-American Defense College (IADC) is the educational entity of the Inter-American Defense Board,an independent entity of the Organization of American States. The College states that faculty,staff and student body are international,and that broad international participation provides an exceptional opportunity for the free exchange of ideas and forms a foundation for better inter-American understanding. The IADC holds a permanent license from the District of Columbia Higher Education Licensing Commission (DC-HELC) and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
William A. Navas Jr. is a retired United States Army major general who served as the director of the Army National Guard. He is also the first Puerto Rican to be named an Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
Second Lieutenant Carmen Maria Lozano Dumler,RN,,was one of the first Puerto Rican women to become a United States Army officer. During World War II,she served as a nurse and interpreter,and provided support for patients who spoke Spanish. Lozano Dumler has since been featured in promotional and recruitment materials that celebrate diversity in the US military.
The recorded military history of Puerto Rico encompasses the period from the 16th century,when Spanish conquistadores battled native Taínos in the rebellion of 1511,to the present employment of Puerto Ricans in the United States Armed Forces in the military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in the American Civil War and in every conflict which the United States has been involved since World War I. In World War II,more than 65,000 Puerto Rican service members served in the war effort,including the guarding of U.S. military installations in the Caribbean and combat operations in the European and Pacific theatres.
Hispanics in the United States Naval Academy account for the largest minority group in the institution. According to the academy,the Class of 2009 includes 271 (22.2%) minority midshipmen. Out of these 271 midshipmen,115 are of Hispanic heritage. In 2004,of the total of 736 female midshipmen,74 (10%) of them were of Hispanic descent.
Brigadier General Antonio Maldonado was an officer of the United States Air Force,who in 1967 became the youngest pilot and Aircraft Commander of a B-52 Stratofortress nuclear bomber. He served as Chief,U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation,Madrid,Spain. He was the senior Department of Defense representative to Spain and senior advisor to the US Ambassador to Spain. During the Persian Gulf War in 1991 he coordinated the overall US offensive operations from Spain.
Hispanic Americans,also referred to as Latinos,served in all elements of the American armed forces in the war. They fought in every major American battle in the war. Between 400,000 and 500,000 Hispanic Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II,out of a total of 16,000,000,constituting 3.1% to 3.2% of the U.S. Armed Forces. The exact number is unknown as,at the time,Hispanics were not tabulated separately,but were included in the general white population census count. Separate statistics were kept for African Americans and Asian Americans.
Eduardo Bhatia Gautier is a Puerto Rican attorney and politician. Bhatia is a former 15th President of the Senate of Puerto Rico and executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration.
Hispanics in the United States Marine Corps,such as Private France Silva who during the Boxer Rebellion became the first Marine of the thirteen Marines of Latin American descent to be awarded the Medal of Honor,and Private First Class Guy Gabaldon who is credited with capturing over 1,000 enemy soldiers and civilians during World War II,have distinguished themselves in combat. Hispanics have participated as members of the United States Marine Corps in the Boxer Rebellion,World War I,the American intervention in Latin America also known as the Banana Wars,World War II,the Korean War,the Vietnam War,the Gulf War and most recently in the military campaigns of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Brigadier General JoséM. Portela (Ret.),,is a retired officer of the United States Air Force who recently retired from the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air,which he held while also serving as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 1972,Portela became the youngest C-141 Starlifter aircraft commander and captain at age 22. Portela is also the only reservist ever to serve as director of mobility forces for Bosnia. He is also the first native of Puerto Rico to hold the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve.
Commencing with World War I,Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved. Accordingly,thousands of Puerto Ricans served in the Armed Forces of the United States during the Vietnam War,also known as the Second Indochina War. Hundreds of them died,either killed in action (KIA) or while prisoners of war (POW). The Vietnam War started as a Cold War,and escalated into a military conflict that spread to Vietnam,Laos,and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30,1975.
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. 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. 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. 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.
Marc Henry Sasseville Frontera is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general who served as the 12th Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau. He previously served as the commander of the Continental United States North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and concurrently as commander of the First Air Force from June 2019 to August 2020. Sasseville previously served as commander of the 113th Wing,District of Columbia Air National Guard at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and was the first Hispanic American to hold the position.
Nitza Ileana Quiñones Alejandro is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Quiñones Alejandro is the first lesbian Latina to be appointed to serve as a federal judge.
Latino Americans make up an increasing share of the United States (U.S.) electorate. A significant proportion of Hispanic and Latino Americans vote for the Republican Party,and increasing numbers have been elected to office as Republicans.
The Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals is a senior position within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that is responsible for the operation and policies of the Board of Veterans' Appeals,which is the administrative tribunal within the department responsible for holding hearings and issuing decisions on behalf of the Secretary regarding veterans' claims for benefits and services.