Korean War

1950-1953

When the Korean War broke out, Hispanic-Americans again answered the call to duty as they, their brothers, cousins, and friends had done in World War II. Many of the Hispanic Soldiers who fought in Korea were members of the all-Hispanic U.S. Army unit, the 65th Infantry Regiment, which fought in every major campaign of the war. The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed “The Borinqueneers,” originated from the Borinquen — one of the native Taino indian names for the island of Puerto Rico. Many members of the 65th were direct descendants of that tribe.

One of the first opportunities the regiment had to prove its combat worthiness arose on the eve of the Korean War during Operation PORTREX, one of the largest military exercises up until that point, where the regiment distinguished itself by repelling an offensive consisting of more than 32,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division and the U.S. Marine Corps, supported by the Navy and Air Force, thereby demonstrating that the regiment could hold its own against some of the best-trained forces in the U.S. military.[4]

On Aug. 25, 1950, two months into the Korean War, with the U.S. Army’s situation in Korea deteriorating, the Department of the Army’s headquarters decided to bolster the 3rd Infantry Division, and owing in part to the 65th Infantry Regiment’s outstanding performance during Operation PORTREX, it was among the units selected for the combat assignment. The decision to send the regiment to Korea and attach it to the 3rd Infantry Division was a landmark change in the U.S. military’s racial and ethnic policy.

Fighting as a segregated unit from 1950 to 1952, the regiment participated in some of the fiercest battles of the war, and its toughness, courage and loyalty earned the admiration of many who had previously harbored reservations about Puerto Rican Soldiers based on lack of previous fighting experience and negative stereotypes, including Brig. Gen. William W. Harris, whose experience eventually led him to regard the regiment as “the best damn Soldiers that I had ever seen.”[4]

The illustration depicts Puerto Rico’s 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed “The Borinqueneers” in South Korea, Feb. 2, 1951. Courtesy of U.S. Army Center of Military History.

One of the most significant battles took place near Yongam-ni in October when the regiment routed a force of 400 enemy troops. By the end of the month, the regiment had taken 921 prisoners while killing or wounding more than 600 enemy soldiers. Its success led Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commander-in-chief of the United Nations Command in Korea, to observe that the Regiment was “showing magnificent ability and courage in field operations.”

In late January 1951, the regiment were below the South Korean capital of Seoul, under orders to take two hills being held by the Chinese 149th Division. The assault began Jan. 31, and took three days. On the morning of the third day, with the top of the hills within reach, two battalions of the 65th Regiment fixed bayonets and charged straight at the enemy positions. The Chinese fled. The regiment is credited with capturing 2,086 enemy soldiers and killing 5,905.

During their service in Korea, the men of the 65th Infantry Regiment won four Distinguished Service Crosses and 125 Silver Stars. “The Borinqueneers” also were awarded the American Presidential and Meritorious Unit Commendations, two Korean Presidential Unit Citations and the Greek Gold Medal for Bravery. President Barack Obama signed H.R. 1726 to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Borinqueneers, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building’s South Court Auditorium, June 10, 2014. President Obama highlighted:

Shortly after Puerto Rico became part of the United States in 1898, a regiment of Puerto Rican Soldiers was formed, and they served our nation bravely ever since. In World War I, they defended the homeland and patrolled the Panama Canal Zone. In World War II, they fought in Europe. In Korea, they fought in mud and snow. They are the 65th Infantry Regime, U.S. Army. They are also known as Borinqueneers.

They were the last recorded battalion-sized bayonet assault in the history of the U.S. Army and the nation’s last segregated Army unit.

By 1952, senior U.S. commanders ordered that Soldiers from Puerto Rico would not be limited to serve in the 65th Infantry Regiment, but would integrate in non-segregated units both inside and outside the 3rd Infantry Division. This was a major milestone in U.S. Army policy that, paradoxically, harmed the 65th Infantry Regiment by depriving it of some of Puerto Rico’s most able Soldiers.

Altogether, approximately 150,000 Hispanics served in the war, including 61,000 Puerto Ricans — and during that war, many earned awards for valor, from Bronze Star Medals to Medals of Honor. Among the notable recipients is Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, who served with the 65th Infantry Regiment in Korea and later in Vietnam, and became the Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. Learn more about the 65th Infantry in Korea in “Honor and Fidelity”.

Vietnam War

1959-1973

More than 80,000 Hispanic-Americans served with distinction in Vietnam, from the Battle for Hue City to the Siege of Khe Sanh.

President Barack Obama presented 24 Army veterans with the Medal of Honor in one of the largest Medal of Honor ceremonies in history, March 18, 2014. Each of these Soldiers’ bravery was previously recognized by the award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest award; that award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Congressional review and the 2002 National Defense Authorization Act prompted a review of Jewish-American and Hispanic-American veteran war records from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During the review, records of several Soldiers of neither Jewish nor Hispanic descent were found to display criteria worthy of the Medal of Honor. The 2002 NDAA was amended to allow these Soldiers to be honored with the upgrade — in addition to the Jewish and Hispanic-American Soldiers.

View the Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients and read their courageous stories at Valor 24

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm

1990-1991

Operation Desert Shield (the air war) and Operation Desert Storm (the land war) provided another opportunity for Hispanics to serve their country. This war brought together a coalition military force composed of NATO member countries to oppose Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, our ally and an oil-rich nation, Aug. 2, 1990.

Approximately 20,000 Hispanic servicemen and women participated in Operation Desert Shield/Storm. According to Defense Manpower Data Center statistics, Hispanics comprised 4.2 percent of the Army representation in the Persian Gulf theater during the war.

1950