Puerto Rico In The 19th Century
The political and military policies of a decaying Spain and the emerging regional power of the United States at the end of the nineteenth century, however, placed Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, at center stage in the Caribbean. Out of all the colonies under Spanish rule, the island of Puerto Rico was the only one to never obtain its own independence. The final quarter of the nineteenth century carried dramatic radical, social, and financial alterations to the island, setting the tone for the advancement of its domestic organizations and the change of its administrative organization as a territory of the United States within the twentieth century.
On August 25, 1950, the U.S. 3d Infantry Division's all-Hispanic 65th Infantry Regiment, dubbed
"The Borinqueneers," the original inhabitants of Puerto Rico sailed through the Panama Canal, and nonstop to the Korean War. The 65th arrive in port September 23 at the port city of Pusan on the Peninsula's southern tip, where U.S. forces had been holding the Pusan Perimeter in opposition to the assaulting North Korean Peoples Army (NKPA). Sent into action right away, the 65th assisted in the U.S. breakout and drive to the north. Following the surprise landings at
Inchon, U.S. and other United Nations forces drove deep into the mountains of North Korea.
On January 1951 the Borinqueneers found themselves south of the Korean capital of Seoul. They were under orders to take two hills that was occupied by the Chinese 149th Division. On January 31st the full frontal assault began and it took three days for the mission to be completed. On the morning of the last day the top of the hills were within grasp, and two battalions of the 65th found themselves fixing their bayonets in preparation to charged directly at the enemy location. With Spanish war cry and the look of killer men the Chinese fled from their positions. During their time in Korea, the Borinqueneers of the 65th won four Distinguished Service Crosses and 125 Silver Stars. They also received the Presidential and Meritorious Unit Commendations, two Korean Presidential Unit Citations and the Greek Gold Medal for Bravery.
On August 25, 1950, the U.S. 3d Infantry Division's all-Hispanic 65th Infantry Regiment, dubbed
"The Borinqueneers," the original inhabitants of Puerto Rico sailed through the Panama Canal, and nonstop to the Korean War. The 65th arrive in port September 23 at the port city of Pusan on the Peninsula's southern tip, where U.S. forces had been holding the Pusan Perimeter in opposition to the assaulting North Korean Peoples Army (NKPA). Sent into action right away, the 65th assisted in the U.S. breakout and drive to the north. Following the surprise landings at
Inchon, U.S. and other United Nations forces drove deep into the mountains of North Korea.
On January 1951 the Borinqueneers found themselves south of the Korean capital of Seoul. They were under orders to take two hills that was occupied by the Chinese 149th Division. On January 31st the full frontal assault began and it took three days for the mission to be completed. On the morning of the last day the top of the hills were within grasp, and two battalions of the 65th found themselves fixing their bayonets in preparation to charged directly at the enemy location. With Spanish war cry and the look of killer men the Chinese fled from their positions. During their time in Korea, the Borinqueneers of the 65th won four Distinguished Service Crosses and 125 Silver Stars. They also received the Presidential and Meritorious Unit Commendations, two Korean Presidential Unit Citations and the Greek Gold Medal for Bravery.