The second annual Latino Veteran of the Year award was presented to World War II veteran Jesse Haro, 93, by the family of 1^st Lt. Daren Hidalgo, who was killed in action while serving his first deployment in Afghanistan in 2011. Hidalgo was one of the first Latinos in Wisconsin killed during the war on terror. He had been wounded in a bomb attack two weeks before his death, but refused to leave his fellow soldiers to seek treatment for himself.

Hidalgo’s father, Jorge, and sister Carmen presented the award at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center, 750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive, as part of the Latino Veterans Legacy of Valor Project. Hidalgo said he selected Haro for the honor because Haro put others before himself.

Leonel Brodhead, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also spoke about his military career at the event, held last week.