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You're going to read a lot about "The War" in the next few weeks. It's the opus on World War II from Ken Burns and PBS, and any time those two team up, it's not just about a TV show, critics' reviews or a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It's about history.

And nothing cuts so personally, so deeply, as history.

That's exactly why many in the nation's Hispanic communities were outraged by Burns' omission of Hispanic contributions in the war - and to "The War."

About a half-million Hispanics served in the military in the early and mid-1940s, but Burns' documentary made no mention of them until the uproar from Hispanic groups forced him to add some scenes that will make TV.

I called state Veterans Services Secretary John Garcia about this a couple weeks ago. His response was predictable, perhaps, but it wasn't contrived. He meant every word.

Yes, Garcia said, he was disappointed Burns hadn't thought about Hispanics sooner - and better. Yes, it's deflating to know that the nation's largest minority group still struggles to gain mainstream acceptance in the media.

"But at the same time," Garcia concluded, "it's our responsibility as Hispanics for us to tell our story. We need to write and produce our stories."

I won't - not for a minute or a second - claim that the following few inches do any kind of justice to 500,000 stories. But you do need to know about some of these soldiers; guys you won't see in "The War."

You need to know . . .

• Pvt. Joe Martinez of Taos County was the first Hispanic to be awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) during World War II. While fighting in Alaska's Aleutian Islands, Martinez performed deeds of heroism that would turn your Adam's apple into a shot put.

• Santa Fe's Joseph Cayetano Rodriguez was among the first Americans to cross the fabled bridge at Remagen with the 78th Infantry Division.

• Pvt. 1st Class Elizardo Gonzales of the tiny hamlet of Guadalupita died while fighting in Belgium, never getting the chance to know a daughter who would be born months after his death.

• Guy Gabaldon of Albuquerque, a Marine, was awarded the Navy Cross for persuading 2,000 Japanese soldiers to surrender on Saipan. His story was portrayed in the 1960 movie "Hell to Eternity." Gabaldon's character was played by Jeffrey Hunter. You got it: Hunter isn't Hispanic.

• Of the 719 New Mexicans buried at the U.S. National Cemetery in Manila - most of these men served in the bloody and ultimately doomed battles in Bataan and Corrigedor — at least 253 have Hispanic surnames.

Look, no racial or ethnic group has a corner on the market when it comes to bravery and sacrifice. The names on those tombstones in Normandy and Okinawa and a thousand other places are not color-coded.

But as the World War II generation withers, it becomes vital for Hispanics to research, examine and tell the stories of their forebears — even if that history doesn't end up on movie or TV screens.

Here's why: The lessons of World War II — that quiet sacrifices were no less noble or important than those that resulted in medals — remain applicable today. More to the point, it's vital to note that Hispanics didn't just show up when CNN's Lou Dobbs started yelping about immigration. The men and women who fight in Iraq and Afghanistan have historical forbears — the Martinezes and Cayetanos and thousands of others who answered when the bell rang.

Or in a lot of cases, tolled.

A veterans service officer named Lee Leyba is saying pretty much the same thing as he offers up historical documents and books that document Hispanics' service during all wars — not just World War II.

"You look at this stuff," says Leyba, examining a sheaf of papers documenting Hispanics who served, "and it's overwhelming."

The Veterans Services Department and the League of United Latin American Citizens decided to do something about it, organizing a salute to Hispanic veterans on Sept. 15 that will draw at least 500 veterans and their families. Special emphasis will be given to living survivors of the Bataan Death March and the families of New Mexico's Medal of Honor recipients.

They won't make a documentary about the dinner, and no, Ken Burns wasn't invited. But we have confirmation that history is with us still.