Antonio Santiago Rodríguez[a] (born March 9, 1950), nicknamedTony the Marine, is an AmericanMarine veteran, writer, and military historian from New York City, focused mostly on themilitary history of Puerto Rico and its service members.[1]
Santiago was recognized by the23rd Senate of Puerto Rico for being "one of the main contributors of content related to Puerto Rico in the open online encyclopedia known as Wikipedia".[2] The Senate also recognized him as one of the main writers on subjects which relate to Puerto Rico, and an important historian of the Puerto Rican military experience. According toPhoebe Ayers, member of theBoard of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, this may be the first time that theEnglish Wikipedia has been mentioned in a parliamentary or congressional resolution or a formal governmental award.[3]
Santiago was born in New York City, to Joaquín Santiago and Hilda Rodríguez-Mattei, both of Puerto Rican origin.[4] Santiago graduated from high school in New York City and after being accepted toColumbia University, Santiago chose to serve in theU.S. Marine Corps instead.[5]
While in the Marines, Santiago perceived significant ethnic, racial, and national origin discrimination. In response to this, he formed an organization composed of American soldiers of Latino descent. The organization, named Latin Power in Unity, included soldiers of Puerto Rican, Mexican, Central American and other Latino backgrounds.[6][7]
Santiago also developed a close friendship with Leroy Reese[7][self-published source?] who had formed a similar organization named "Black Power" for Black soldiers. Both men worked closely for the equal treatment of minorities and to improve relations between their members and the members of other ethnic groups in their company.[8] An interview about Santiago's experience in the military, collectively made by author Greg Boudonek and Santiago himself, was published in the bookPuertorriquenos Who Served With Guts, Glory, and Honor: Fighting to Defend a Nation Not Completely Their Own.[9]
Upon finishing histour with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1975, Santiago enrolled at theInteramerican University inBayamon, Puerto Rico. He graduatedmagna cum laude with a degree in Business Administration in 1979.[10] In Puerto Rico, he met Milagros and married her in 1971 and had three children together.[11]
In 1990, Santiago moved toPhoenix, Arizona, with his wife and children. At this point he reflected, "the onlyrole models and heroes for Latino children wereEl Zorro, theCisco Kid andSpeedy Gonzales and," he said, "school textbooks failed to mention the many contributions thatLatinos had made to the formation of our country [the United States]."[5]
In response, Santiago began publishing a series of short articles about the contributions that Puerto Ricans had made to the American society. He is the editor of the Puerto Rican Military History Channel of the monthly internet magazineEl Boricua,[1] a staff writer in the internet magazineSomos Primos[1] and the official historian of theAssociation of Naval Services Officers (ANSO).[5][12]
His early published work focused on military history, but later he expanded his research and documentation to include many other facets of the Puerto Rican life experience.[5]
Members of the Puerto Rican Senate recognize Tony (The Marine) Santiago
In April 2010, Santiago discovered and wrote about Lt.Augusto Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican who served in theAmerican Civil War. It was the first time that a link in the American Civil War was made between Puerto Rico and the United States. Rodriguez was thus the first known Puerto Rican veteran of the United States Armed Forces. The significance of this discovery is that, until then, it was believed that Puerto Ricans had not served in the United States military prior to World War I.[13][14] Puerto Rico'sSecretary of State,Kenneth D. McClintock, named Santiago "Puerto Rico's foremost military historian."[15]
Santiago is among the people who were interviewed and who are featured in the documentaryOn Two Fronts: Latinos & Vietnam; directed and produced by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Mylene Moreno. The documentary, which aired onPBS on September 22, 2015, examines the Latino experience during the Vietnam War.[16] He was interviewed, together with fellow veteran Oscar Urrea, by PBSHorizante host Jose Cardenas andUnivision newscaster Jorge Valenzuela, where he expressed his personal experiences, prior to the showing of the documentary.[17]
In addition to his military history research and writing, Santiago is also afree lance photojournalist forThe Arizona Republic.[18][19] He is also a member of the national steering committee of "Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance," which sought theCongressional Gold Medal for Puerto Rico's65th Infantry Regiment, and serves in the "Latino Alliance Advisory Board."[5]
In page 263 of the acknowledgments section of the bookWar Against All Puerto Ricans, Revolution and Terror in America's Colony author and former representative to theNew York State AssemblyNelson Antonio Denis wrote the following:
"Tony (the Marine) Santiago, creator of over six hundred Wikipedia articles on Puerto Rican history and biographies, was a key inspiration and advisor"[20]
Cover of Wikimedia Foundation's 2012-2013 Annual Report.Tony Santiago (L), Oscar Urrea (R) and journalist Jorge Valenzuela (center), when interviewed in Univision
On November 20, 2007, theSenate of Puerto Rico issued Resolution No. 3603 applauding Santiago's military legacy.[2] The Resolution called Santiago "an important historian of Puerto Rican military contribution, [who] over the years has documented the history of Puerto Rican sacrifice and heroism in the battlefields using the internet, the Puerto Rican Military History Channel, the cultural magazine El Boricua and Somos Primos." According to Phoebe Ayers, member of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, this may be the first time that Wikipedia has been mentioned in a parliamentary or congressional resolution of this type.[3]
On August 28, 2012, the Latino Alliance named Santiago a "Champion of Character."[5]
On November 11, 2013 (Veteran's Day), Kenneth McClintock Hernández, the formerSecretary of State and former president of theSenate of Puerto Rico, again gave special recognition to Santiago. McClintock honored him for documenting the sacrifice, and preserving the legacy, of Puerto Rican veterans throughout world history.[13]
In January 2014, theWikimedia Foundation included Santiago's photo on the cover of their 2012-2013 Annual Report.[23]
In September 2015, Santiago (pictured in the middle) along with two other Marines, was featured on the cover of KQED Celebrates Latino Heritage Month magazine.[24]
In 2016, The Wikimedia Foundation revealed the most detailed featured articles in its site. According to the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia's parent company, the article "The Military history of Puerto Rico" created by Santiago, is ranked #4 among the featured articles in depth and high quality. Santiago is credited by the foundation as being the person who mostly has maintained the articles' length and quality.[25]
Milestones as a Wikipedian
(L-R) Santiago with William Kouts and David Gonzales. JR.
^In thisSpanish name, the first or paternal surname is Santiago and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
^Fortuño (2008) "Today, theSenate of Puerto Rico recognizes a Puerto Rican who after serving as a Marine in Vietnam [...] has become Puerto Rico's most widely-read writer of the heroic accounts of Puerto Rico's military men and women."
^abSenate Resolution #3603. Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). 15th Legislative Assembly. 4th Extraordinary Session. Senate of Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico November 20, 2007. Introduced by Senators Arce Ferrer and McClintock Hernández. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
^abBoudonck, Greg (March 22, 2014).Puertorriquenos Who Served With Guts, Glory, and Honor. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 144.ISBN9781497421837.
^Boudonek, Greg (March 15, 2014).Puertorriquenos Who Served With Guts, Glory, and Honor: Fighting to Defend a Nation Not Completely Their Own. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. pp. 140–147.ISBN978-1497352568.
^The National Dean's List: 1978-1979. International Communications, Inc. 1979. p. 608.ISBN9780915130252.
^"War Against All Puerto Ricans, Revolution and Terror in America's Colony"; Author Nelson Antonio Denis; Page 263; Publisher Nation Books;ISBN1568585012;ISBN978-1568585017
^Welcoming remarks Aug. 10, 2010. Kenneth D. McClintock. Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Kenneth D. McClintock's Welcoming Remarks at the Memorial Wall, National Commission on the American Latino Museum. August 10, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
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United States Marine Corps
Lance Corporal
H & S Company,2nd Battalion 9th Marines,3rd Marine Division
Military Police
