National Borinqueneers Day

The 65th Infantry Regiment, composed primarily of Puerto Rican soldiers, was one of the last segregated units in the U.S. Army and the only Hispanic-segregated infantry regiment to see major combat in the 20th century.

It served in World War I, World War II, and especially the Korean War, where it participated in key actions such as the defense of the Pusan Perimeter and operations near Chorwon.

Its record highlighted both the combat effectiveness of Hispanic soldiers and the contradictions of segregation in a military that increasingly depended on their service.  

Puerto Rican and other Hispanic soldiers often faced racial prejudice, language barriers, and limited promotion opportunities despite their combat performance.

In the Korean War, some Puerto Rican soldiers were criticized or punished for language-related misunderstandings or for systemic leadership failures that were later traced to poor training, equipment shortages, and rapid turnover of English-speaking officers.

These problems reflected broader discrimination in the era’s military policies rather than a lack of ability or courage among the soldiers themselves.  

When the Borinqueneers received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014, it placed them alongside other once-marginalized units such as the Tuskegee Airmen and Navajo Code Talkers.

The award recognized not only their battlefield record but also the decades in which their service was overlooked.

It signaled a broader effort by Congress and the Department of Defense to formally acknowledge the contributions of minority units whose sacrifices were long minimized or hidden in official histories.  

Most Puerto Rican soldiers in the 65th Infantry Regiment were U.S. citizens, since Congress granted statutory citizenship to people born in Puerto Rico in 1917 through the Jones–Shafroth Act.

However, their political rights were not equal to those of residents of the states: Puerto Ricans living on the island could not vote for U.S. president and had no voting representation in Congress.

This created a situation in which many Borinqueneers fought under the U.S. flag while lacking full political voice in the federal government they defended.  

Spanish was the first language of most Borinqueneers, while the Army’s official instruction, command structure, and documentation were in English.

Many enlisted soldiers had limited English proficiency, so the unit often relied on bilingual noncommissioned officers and officers to interpret orders and training materials.

In high-stress combat situations in Korea, this language gap sometimes caused confusion and miscommunication, which later investigations identified as a leadership and training issue rather than a flaw in the soldiers themselves.  

The 65th Infantry Regiment’s service overlapped with President Truman’s 1948 order to desegregate the armed forces, yet the regiment itself remained a largely segregated Puerto Rican unit during the Korean War.

Its strong combat performance, contrasted with the discrimination it faced, added evidence that segregation undermined military effectiveness.

Scholars and military historians note that the Borinqueneers’ record, along with that of other minority units, helped support the argument that integration and equal treatment would strengthen rather than weaken the U.S. armed forces.  

Today the Borinqueneers are commemorated through monuments, street names, museum exhibits, documentaries, and veterans’ organizations in Puerto Rico and across the mainland United States.

Their story is often taught as part of Puerto Rican and Hispanic American history, highlighting themes of identity, service, and civil rights.

Community groups and educators use their legacy to discuss how Hispanic soldiers have shaped U.S. military history and to inspire younger generations to understand both the opportunities and challenges that come with military service.