65th Infantry Regiment (United States)

Puerto Ricans have participated in many of the military conflicts in which the United States has been involved. For example, they participated in the American Revolutionary War, when volunteers from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico enlisted in the Spanish Army in 1779 and fought under the command of General Bernardo de Gálvez (1746–1786), and have continued to participate up to the present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Puerto Rico became a U.S. Territory after the 1898 Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish–American War. The United States appointed a military governor and soon the United States Army established itself in San Juan. On 2 March 1899, the Army received an assignation of funds and authorization meant to formally organize troops in Puerto Rico. On 24 March 1899, the General Commander of the Puerto Rico Department, Mayor General Guy V. Henry ordered the creation of the Porto Rico Battalion of Volunteer Infantry. On 12 February 1900, the Mounted Battalion was organized and both were later designated Porto Rico Regiment, U.S. Volunteers. On 23 April 1904, Congress authorized the recruitment of the local population as second lieutenants, leading to the recognition of Jaime Nadal, Henry Rexach, Pedro Parra, Eduardo Iriarte, Teofilo Marxuach, Eugenio María de Hostos, Luis Emmanuelli and Pascual López. By 30 January 1917, the Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry was training in Camp Las Casas which was located in Santurce, a section of San Juan in what is now Residencial Las Casas. ==World War I==

Different units of the regiment were stationed at other forts throughout the island under the command of William P. Burnham. Lieutenant Teófilo Marxuach, the officer of the day, was stationed at El Morro Castle at San Juan Bay on 21 March 1915. The Odenwald, built in 1903 (not to be confused with the German World War II war ship which carried the same name), was an armed German supply ship which tried to force its way out of the San Juan Bay and deliver supplies to the German submarines waiting in the Atlantic Ocean. Marxuach gave the order to open fire on the ship from the walls of the fort. Sergeant Encarnación Correa then manned a machine gun and fired warning shots with little effect. forcing the Odenwald to stop and to return to port where its supplies were confiscated. The Odenwald was confiscated by the United States and renamed SS Newport News. It was assigned to the U.S. Shipping Board, where it served until 1924 when it was retired. Puerto Ricans were unaccustomed to the racial segregation policies of the United States which were also implemented in Puerto Rico, and often refused to designate themselves as "white" or "black". Puerto Ricans of African descent were assigned to all-black units. In 1916, the Third Battalion and the companies of service and machine-guns were integrated into the regiment. The regiment returned to Puerto Rico in March 1919. ==Interwar period==

The regiment was stationed at San Juan as of June 1919. During this period, a young Puerto Rican Regular Army officer, Major Luis R. Esteves, was sent to Camp Las Casas to serve as an instructor to Puerto Rican officers; in the future, Esteves would become known as the "Father of the Puerto Rican National Guard". The regiment was redesignated the 65th Infantry Regiment on 14 September 1920; it was numbered in succession of the sixty-four regiments of Regular Army infantry originally authorized by the National Defense Act of 1916. In 1923, the 65th provided personnel to the newly created 42nd Infantry Regiment; ==World War II==

After American entry into World War II, the 65th Infantry remained in the vicinity of Fort Buchanan until it was transferred to Camp Tortuguero in November 1942. The regiment was then again sent to Panama to defend the Canal Zone. On 25 November 1943, Colonel Antulio Segarra, succeeded Colonel John R. Menclenhall as commander of the 65th Infantry, becoming the first Puerto Rican Regular Army officer to command a Regular Army regiment. The 3rd Battalion was sent to Corsica, where it was attached to the 12th Air Force and tasked with guarding airfields. In November 1944, Company C provided security to the headquarters of the Seventh United States Army. The rest of the First Battalion was assigned other tasks, such as defending the Command Center of the Sixth United States Army Group. The Second and Third Battalions were assigned to defend communications. On 13 December 1944, the 65th Infantry, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Cordero Dávila, relieved the 2nd Battalion of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, a regiment which was made up of Japanese Americans under the command of Col. Virgil R. Miller, a native of San Germán, Puerto Rico and former member of the 65th Infantry Regiment. In December 1944, the 3rd Battalion faced the German 34th Infantry Division's 107th Grenadier Regiment. On 18 March 1945, the regiment was sent to the district of Mannheim, Germany and assigned to military government activities, anti-sabotage and security missions. In all, the 65th Infantry participated in the campaigns of Rome-Arno, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. On 27 October 1945, the regiment sailed from France arriving at Puerto Rico on 9 November 1945. ==Operation "PORTREX"==

{{external media The 65th Infantry Regiment distinguished itself when the United States conducted a military exercise on the island of Vieques, on the eve of the Korean War. This exercise was code named "Operation PORTREX", an acronym for "Puerto Rico Exercise". The objective was to see how the combined forces of the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force would do as "liberators" of an enemy captured territory (Vieques) against the "aggressors". The core of the aggressor ground forces were made up of Puerto Rican soldiers, most of whom belonged to the 65th Infantry Regiment. The liberators consisted of 32,600 combat troops from the 82nd Airborne Division's 504th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the Marine Corps, who received support from the Navy and Air Force. Despite the large number of troops deployed, the 65th Infantry (the aggressor) was able to halt the offensive forces on the beaches of the island. Colonel William W. Harris, the commanding officer of the 65th, stated: The successful military maneuvers during PORTREX prompted the Army's leadership to deploy the 65th Infantry to Korea. ==Korean War==

On 27 August 1950, the 65th Infantry, with 3,920 officers and men organized into three infantry battalions, one artillery battalion and a tank company departed from Puerto Rico and arrived in Pusan, South Korea on 23 September 1950. . The men of the 65th, now attached to the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, were among the first infantrymen to meet the enemy on the battlefields of Korea. After November 1950, they fought daily against units of the Chinese People's Liberation Army after the Chinese entered the war on the North Korean side. The 296th Regiment took its place at Puerto Rico. In Korea, the regiment covered the retreat of the 1st Marine Division during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. One of the hardships suffered by the Puerto Ricans was the lack of warm clothing during the cold, harsh winters. "Born in a semitropical climate- most of them had never seen snow- they had lived and fought through it all without complaint." The enemy made many attempts to encircle the regiment, but each time they failed because of the many casualties inflicted by the 65th. Because the 65th held their positions, that enabled the U.S. Marines to withdraw from the Chosin Reservoir in December 1950. When the Marines were surrounded by the Chinese Communist troops close to the Manchurian border, they were ordered to retreat and work their way back to Hungnam. The men of the 65th rushed to their defense and were ordered to stay behind and fight the enemy. As a result, the Marines were able to withdraw to their ships with the 65th holding the rearguard. The 65th, attached to the 1st Marine Division, was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for their defense and were among the last units to embark from Hungnam. In December 1951, Chief of Staff J. Lawton Collins visited Puerto Rico and granted the request, reassigning him to the 65th, replacing him with Lt. Col. Sepúlveda. Brigadier William Warner Harris (USMA 1930) published a book that captured the distinguished history of the 65th while under his command. When asked if the Puerto Ricans would fight when the time came, then Colonel William Warner Harris' answer was just as direct: "My Puerto Ricans will fight anyone, anywhere." Battles of Outpost Kelly and Jackson Heights On 3 July 1952, the regiment defended the main line of resistance (MLR) for 47 days and saw action at Cognac, King and Queen with successful attacks on Chinese positions. In September 1952, the 65th Infantry defended a hill known as Outpost Kelly. Chinese Communist forces overran the hill in what became known as the Battle of Outpost Kelly. On two occasions, the 65th Regiment was overwhelmed by Chinese artillery and driven off. In October 1952, the regiment also saw action in the Chorwon Sector and on Iron Horse, Hill 391, whose lower part was called "Jackson Heights" in honor of Capt. George Jackson (see: Col. Carlos Betances Ramírez). Company G of the 65th fought a desperate battle to hold on to Hill 391. After enduring days of artillery bombardment with limited artillery support of their own, Company G withdrew to avoid being overrun by a numerically superior foe. was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star Medal, and the Bronze Star Medal. Mass court martial Col. Cordero Dávila was relieved of his command by Col. Chester B. DeGavre, a West Point graduate and a "Continental", an officer from the mainland United States, and the officer staff of the 65th was replaced with non-Hispanic white officers. DeGavre, upset over the fact that "G" company did not hold on to Hill 391, ordered that the unit stop calling itself the "Borinqueneers", cut their special rations of rice and beans, ordered the men to shave off their mustaches, The language barrier, an NCO shortage, and poor leadership were factors that influenced some of the men of Company L in their refusal to continue to fight. One hundred and sixty-two Puerto Ricans of the 65th Infantry were arrested. Between 23 November – 26 December 1952, ninety-five soldiers were tried by General Court-Martial in fifteen separate trials. Ninety-one were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to 18 years of hard labor. It was the largest mass court-martial of the Korean War. According to cultural historian Silvia Álvarez Curbelo, the government of Puerto Rico, caught in the middle of a potentially damaging affair that could jeopardize its political agenda, kept silent for nearly two months. Finally, the incidents were made known by a local newspaper alerted by letters written by the imprisoned soldiers to their families. Secret negotiations between the U.S. and Puerto Rican governments took place and the Secretary of the Army Robert T. Stevens moved quickly to remit the sentences and grant clemency and pardons to all those involved. The breakdown of the 65th resulted from a number of factors: a shortage of officers and non-commissioned officers, a rotation policy that removed combat-experienced leaders and soldiers, tactical doctrine that led to high casualties, a shortage of artillery ammunition, communication problems between largely white, English-speaking officers and Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican enlisted men, and declining morale. The report also found bias in the prosecution of the Puerto Ricans, citing instances of Continental soldiers who were not charged after refusing to fight in similar circumstances, before and after Jackson Heights. '''Negrón's Medal of Honor citation''' A total of 61,000 Puerto Ricans served in the military during the Korean War. The 65th Infantry was awarded battle participation credits for the following nine campaigns: UN Defense-1950, UN Offense-1950, CCF Intervention-1950, First UN Counterattack Offensive-1951, UN and CCF Spring Offensive-1951, UN Summer-Fall Offensive-1951, 2nd Korean Winter 1951–52, Korean Summer-Fall-1952 and 3rd Korean Winter-1952-53. They are credited with the last battalion-sized bayonet charge in U.S. Army history. Ten Distinguished Service Crosses, 256 Silver Stars and 606 Bronze Stars for valor were awarded to the men of the 65th Infantry. Of the ten Distinguished Service Crosses that were awarded to the members of the 65th Infantry, five were awarded to Puerto Ricans: • Sergeant First Class Modesto Cartagena • Private Badel Hernández Guzmán • Master Sergeant Juan E. Negrón (upgraded to the Medal of Honor) • Corporal Fabián Nieves Laguer • Master Sergeant Belisario Noriega According to El Nuevo Día newspaper, 30 May 2004, a total of 756 Puerto Ricans were killed in Korea, from all four branches of the U.S. armed forces. However, according to "All POW-MIA Korean War Casualties", the total number of Puerto Rican casualties in the Korean War was 732. However this total may vary slightly since some non-Puerto Ricans such as Captain James W. Conner were mistakenly included. Out of the 700 plus casualties suffered in the war a total of 121 men were listed as missing in action. The Battle of Outpost Kelly accounted for 73 of the men missing in action from the total of 121. That same year, Company B of the 65th Regiment created Employer's Day (Día del Patrono in Spanish) where the employers of the volunteers that serve in the PRNG are instructed about the job that their employees do with the entity and participate in training of their own. On 1 May 1964, it was reorganized to consist of the 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry, and remained assigned to the 92nd. It was reorganized again on 1 April 1971, to consist of the 1st Battalion and the separate Company E. This was followed by another reorganization on 1 September 1978, to consist of the 1st and 2nd Battalions within the 92nd, as well as the separate Company E. Less than two years later another reorganization on 29 February 1980, eliminated the separate Company E while retaining the 1st and 2nd Battalions. On 27 October 1987, the regiment was withdrawn from CARS and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System with headquarters at Cayey. It was reorganized on 1 September 1992, to consist of the 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry, and remained assigned to the 92nd Infantry Brigade. On 14 February 2003, it was ordered into active federal service at home stations and released on 12 February 2005, reverting to territorial control. On 1 October, of that year it was reorganized as the 65th Infantry Regiment in which only the 1st Battalion was active. The separate Company E was a Ranger unit given federal recognition effective 1 April 1971, and had a total authorized strength of 198 personnel. It was added to the PR ARNG on that date while the 755th Transportation Company (Medium Truck, Cargo) was deleted. Co E (Ranger), 65th Infantry relocated from Vega Baja to San Juan on 2 February 1976, and was inactivated as federal recognition was withdrawn effective 29 February 1980. This resulted in the allocation of an ARNG ranger company being transferred from the PR ARNG to the Texas ARNG, in which Company G (Ranger), 143rd Infantry was activated in Houston from elements of the 2d Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry, 36th Airborne Brigade, which was being inactivated effective 1 April 1980. ==Twenty-first century==

The 65th Infantry Regiment's 1st Battalion, along with its sister battalion, the 1–296th Infantry, was transferred to the 92nd Infantry Brigade, PRARNG (now the 92nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade). After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the battalion has served in both in the Iraq War as well as guard duties at Guantanamo Bay and in Djibouti. In 2009, Company C, 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment was deployed to the Horn of Africa and stationed at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, after completing a 14-month deployment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Company C carried the crew-served weapons to protect the camp. It also operated the entry control checkpoints, protected U.S. and allied ships at the massive Djibouti Port, and guarded the U.S. Embassy there. By mid-2009, the rest of the battalion deployed there in case a larger combat maneuver element was needed to operate from the base. The Somali border is less than 10 miles from Camp Lemonnier. ==Legacy==

During the Korean War, the Borinqueneers were awarded 10 Distinguished Service Crosses (Juan Negrons was upgraded to the Medal of Honor), 256 Silver Stars, 606 Bronze Stars, and 2,771 Purple Hearts. Puerto Rico honored the unit by naming one of its principal avenues "Avenida 65 de Infantería" in San Juan. The names of those killed in combat are inscribed in "El Monumento de la Recordación" (Monument of Remembrance), which was unveiled on 19 May 1996 and is situated in front of the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In November 1999, Governor Pedro Rosselló, along with the Senate of Puerto Rico, chartered the 65th Infantry Honor Task Force and appointed Anthony Mele as chairman to work with Major General Nels Running, director, Committee of the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War to commemorate the 65th Infantry Regiment. The 65th Infantry Honor Task Force is a coalition of individuals, veterans organizations, and groups dedicated to advocate and preserve the legacy of the 65th Infantry Regiment. The group organized tree planting and plaque commemoration ceremonies around the US, to include Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia; Fort San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver. On 20 May 2001, the government of Puerto Rico unveiled a monument honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment. The monument was made by artist Sonny Rodríguez, and is called "Mission Accomplished". It contains a statue of a soldier wearing a poncho with his rifle in one hand and the regiment's flag in the other hand. On 7 June 2007, PBS aired The Borinqueneers, a documentary about the 65th Infantry written and directed by Noemí Figueroa Soulet with Raquel Ortiz as co-director. The narrators were Héctor Elizondo (English) and David Ortiz-Anglero (Spanish). On 30 November 2012, an entire stretch of Southern Boulevard in the South Bronx, New York was co-named La 65 de Infantería Boulevard. On 1 October 2013, the 65th Infantry Honor Task Force organized veterans from the 65th and their families to attend a salute to the regiment by the 3rd U.S. Infantry "The Old Guard" at Fort Myer, Virginia, a tour of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, and wreath laying ceremony at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. 22–23 March 2014, the 65th Infantry Honor Task Force organized the salute of the first Medal of Honor awarded to a Borinqueneer; MSG Juan E. Negron in New York with Iris Negron, daughter of MSG Negron, and BG Jose Burgos. In attendance were New York State Senators William E. Larkin, a Korean War combat veteran, and David Carlucci who presented a proclamation from the New York State Senate. In 2014 the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, which is attended by nearly two million people and broadcast live on Fox TV, was dedicated to the Borinqueneers. On 25 May 2018, the city of the city of Springfield, Massachusetts unveiled "65th Infantry Way". On 13 December 2019, US President Donald Trump signed into law the H.R.2325 legislation to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Calle Alondra in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, as the "65th Infantry Regiment Post Office Building". On 27 January 2020, an entry gate Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico was officially renamed "The Borinqueneers Gate" in honor the 65th Infantry Regiment. In early 2021, a law was signed to make 13 April National Day of Borinqueneers so that veterans could commemorate the service of Borinqueneers. 13 April was chosen because it was the day when members of the unit received a Congressional Gold Medal in 2016. There is a monument to the Borinqueneers in Korea. ==Congressional Gold Medal==

A Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress and is, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. It is awarded to persons "who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement." While a civilian award, generally recognizing single individuals (politicians, scientists, actors, military leaders, civilian heroes and others) or small groups (people who took a stand for civil rights and others), Congressional Gold Medals have also been awarded to a few military units, such as the Native American code talkers, and the Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Infantry Regiment, the Tuskegee Airmen, and others. In 2013, S. 1726, a bill to confer the Congressional Gold Medal on the 65th Infantry Regiment, was introduced in Congress. It was signed by President Barack Obama at a ceremony on 10 June 2014, becoming Public Law 113–120. A decision on the design for the medal was awarded in 2015, after the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee agreed on a choice from submitted designs on 16 June 2015. The 65th Infantry Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal has, for the obverse, a design depicting a close-up portrait of a unit staff sergeant, with three soldiers traversing rocky ground in the background. The reverse features an historic sentry box in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, an olive branch, the 65th Infantry insignia patch and unit's motto, HONOR ET FIDELITAS (Honor and Fidelity) and a short list showing "1899–1956" "World War I" "World War II" "Korean War". On 13 April 2016, leaders of the United States House and Senate officially awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment. Beginning in 2021, National Borinqueneers Day is celebrated on 13 April. ==Notable Puerto Rican members==

Amongst the notable Puerto Ricans who served in the "65th Infantry Regiment" and/or its predecessor the "Porto Rico Provisional Regiment of Infantry": ==Unit citations==

The 65th Infantry has been awarded the following citations: ;Ribbons • • ==See also==