Today’s Video: "The Borinqueneers"

Wednesday is Veteran’s Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day throughout the British Commonwealth. It’s easy to debate on whether some conflicts are worth fighting for or if decisions made by commanders are too risky. What is undeniable, however, is that being a soldier on the front lines is a duty filled with danger as well as valor.

"The Borinqueneers" was the nickname given to the U.S. Army’s 65th Infantry Regiment which was made up of nearly 2000 Puerto Ricans. They fought in several 20th-century wars and their bravery was recognized with 115 individual awards after World War II. Sadly they’ve been mostly overlooked in the annals of history and their most famed moment was also their most controversial:

In 1950, the 65th was once again called upon and so they set off to Korea. It was during this time that the 65th Infantry soldiers began to call themselves the Borinqueneers. In Korea, the Borinqueneers were faced with many hardships and suffered many casualties; throughout this they remained determined even supporting a mission that allowed encircled Marines to return to their ships safely. They participated in many battles and operations each time fighting valiantly.

Unfortunately, mass court martials would come to many Borinqueneers. Due to language barriers, humiliation and exhaustion, many Borinqueneers refused to fight. They were even ordered to stop calling themselves the Borinqueneers. All this after the Hispanic commander of the unit was relieved and replaced with a non-Hispanic commander. The largest court martial of the Korean War, ninety five court martials and ninety one found guilty and sentenced to hard labor. All those involved were quickly granted clemency and pardons but never formally exonerated.

In 2007 an award-winning documentary focused on The Borinqueneers and shined a deserving light on this unique group of fightin’ Boricuas:

Online Sources- YouTube, AP, NPR, Wikipedia, The Borinqueneers film website