Posted on 06/10/2014 9:09:14 AM PDT by cll
WASHINGTON — Puerto Rican Army troops from a segregated regiment known the Borinqueneers (bohr-ehn-kin-’EERS) are being honored with a Congressional Gold Medal that’s been a century in the making.
President Barack Obama signed legislation Tuesday granting the award to the 65th Infantry Regiment that participated in both World Wars and the Korean War.
~ snip ~
The Borinqueneers were a Hispanic unit segregated from their fellow soldiers, much like the black Tuskegee Airmen and the Navajo Code Talkers. But unlike those other groups, they had not been recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal for their contributions to American history until now.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
FWIW, I’ve never heard of the Congressional Gold Medal before this. The 65th Infantry has already been honored with several military unit awards, to include the Presidential Unit Citation and Meritorious Unit Commendation. I’m not sure why they would need this civilian “award”.
This civilian award was initiated by some civic groups in the U.S. not by any military or veterans organization.
I did spend a camp tour with the PRANG, they were my neighbors in the field. They took their job seriously, a lot more than our guys did. ( ARNG circa 1968-69)
Hispanic suck up time.
meanwhile, Cold War veterans get nada, nothing, zilch, zero. there is a certificate you can applu for but i sure as hell dont want anything with Chuck Hagel’s rotopen on it.
Honor their service!
I’m with you. I am one of those Cold War veterans. Although my “Certificate of Recognition” was signed by William Cohen when they first came out in the pre-Obama era.
Thanks for that. Their story is truly remarkable. They got off the ship in S. Korea from Puerto Rico, unto a troop train, and straight into battle, many of them without any combat experience.
They are good, humble folk of great military stock. We revere them down here on the island. Almost everyone here has a relative who fought with the 65th Infantry at some point.
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