PUBLIC LAW 113–120—JUNE 10, 2014 128 STAT. 1187 

Public Law 113–120 

113th Congress 

An Act 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as 

the Borinqueneers. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

The Congress finds the following: 

(1) In 1898, the United States acquired Puerto Rico in 

the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War 

and, by the following year, Congress had authorized raising 

a unit of volunteer soldiers in the newly acquired territory. 

(2) In May 1917, two months after legislation granting 

United States citizenship to individuals born in Puerto Rico 

was signed into law, and one month after the United States 

entered World War I, the unit was transferred to the Panama 

Canal Zone in part because United States Army policy at the 

time restricted most segregated units to noncombat roles, even 

though the regiment could have contributed to the fighting 

effort. 

(3) In June 1920, the unit was re-designated as the ‘‘65th 

Infantry Regiment, United States Army’’, and served as the 

United States military’s last segregated unit composed primarily of Hispanic soldiers. 

(4) In January 1943, 13 months after the attack on Pearl 

Harbor that marked the entry of the United States into World 

War II, the Regiment again deployed to the Panama Canal 

Zone before deploying overseas in the spring of 1944. 

(5) Despite relatively limited combat service in World War 

II, the Regiment suffered casualties in the course of defending 

against enemy attacks, with individual soldiers earning one 

Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars 

and 90 Purple Hearts. The Regiment received campaign participation credit for Rome-Arno, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and 

Central Europe. 

(6) Although an executive order issued by President Harry 

S. Truman in July 1948 declared it to be United States policy 

to ensure equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons 

in the armed services without respect to race or color, 

implementation of this policy had yet to be fully realized when 

armed conflict broke out on the Korean Peninsula in June 

1950, and both African-American soldiers and Puerto Rican 

soldiers served in segregated units. 

(7) Brigadier General William W. Harris, who served as 

the Regiment’s commander during the early stages of the 

31 USC 5111 

note. 

June 10, 2014 

[H.R. 1726] 


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128 STAT. 1188 PUBLIC LAW 113–120—JUNE 10, 2014 

Korean War, later recalled that he had initially been reluctant 

to take the position because of ‘‘prejudice’’ within the military 

and ‘‘the feeling of the officers and even the brass of the 

Pentagon * * * that the Puerto Rican wouldn’t make a good 

combat soldier * * * I know my contemporaries felt that way 

and, in all honesty, I must admit that at the time I had 

the same feeling * * * that the Puerto Rican was a rum 

and Coca-Cola soldier.’’. 

(8) 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 that had been conducted up until that point, where 

the Regiment distinguished itself by repelling an offensive consisting of over 32,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division 

and the United States 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 

United States military. 

(9) In August 1950, with the United States 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 United States military’s racial 

and ethnic policy. 

(10) As the Regiment sailed to Asia in September 1950, 

members of the unit informally decided to call themselves the 

‘‘Borinqueneers’’, a term derived from the Taı ́no word for Puerto 

Rico meaning ‘‘land of the brave lord’’. 

(11) The story of the 65th Infantry Regiment during the 

Korean War has been aptly described as ‘‘one of pride, courage, 

heartbreak, and redemption’’. 

(12) 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 Brigadier General Harris, whose experience eventually led him to regard 

the Regiment as ‘‘the best damn soldiers that I had ever seen’’. 

(13) After disembarking at Pusan, South Korea in September 1950, the Regiment blocked the escape routes of 

retreating North Korean units and overcame pockets of resistance. The most significant battle took place near Yongamni 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 General 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’’. 

(14) The Regiment landed on the eastern coast of North 

Korea in early November 1950. In December 1950, following 

China’s intervention in the war, the Regiment engaged in a 

series of fierce battles to cover the rear guard of the 1st Marine 


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PUBLIC LAW 113–120—JUNE 10, 2014 128 STAT. 1189 

Division during the fighting retreat from the Chosin Reservoir 

to the enclave at Hungnam, North Korea, one of the greatest 

withdrawals in modern military history. 

(15) When General MacArthur ordered the evacuation of 

Hungnam in mid-December, the Regiment was instrumental 

in securing the port, and was among the last units—if not 

the last unit—to depart the beachhead on Christmas Eve, suffering significant casualties in the process. Under the Regiment’s protection, 105,000 troops and 100,000 refugees were 

evacuated, along with 350,000 tons of supplies and 17,500 

military vehicles. 

(16) The brutal winter conditions during the campaign 

presented significant hardships for soldiers in the Regiment, 

who lacked appropriate gear to fight in sub-zero temperatures. 

(17) Between January and March 1951, the Regiment 

participated in numerous operations to recover and retain South 

Korean territory lost to the enemy, assaulting heavily fortified 

enemy positions and conducting the last recorded battalionsized bayonet assault in United States Army history. 

(18) On January 31, 1951, the commander of Eighth Army, 

Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway, wrote to the Regiment’s commander: ‘‘What I saw and heard of your regiment 

reflects great credit on you, your regiment, and the people 

of Puerto Rico, who can be proud of their valiant sons. I 

am confident that their battle records and training levels will 

win them high honors * * *. Their conduct in battle has served 

only to increase the high regard in which I hold these fine 

troops.’’. 

(19) On February 3, 1951, General MacArthur wrote: ‘‘The 

Puerto Ricans forming the ranks of the gallant 65th Infantry 

on the battlefields of Korea by valor, determination, and a 

resolute will to victory give daily testament to their invincible 

loyalty to the United States and the fervor of their devotion 

to those immutable standards of human relations to which 

the Americans and Puerto Ricans are in common dedicated. 

They are writing a brilliant record of achievement in battle 

and I am proud indeed to have them in this command. I 

wish that we might have many more like them.’’. 

(20) The Regiment played a central role in the United 

States military’s counteroffensive responding to a major push 

by the Chinese Communist Forces (CFF) in 1951, winning 

praise for its superb performance in multiple battles, including 

Operations KILLER and RIPPER, as well as for its actions 

on February 14th, when the Regiment inflicted nearly 1,000 

enemy casualties at a cost of only one killed and six wounded, 

almost singlehandedly annihilating a North Korean infantry 

regiment that had infiltrated the defenses of the 3rd Infantry 

Division’s headquarters. 

(21) By 1952, senior United States commanders ordered 

that replacement soldiers from Puerto Rico would no longer 

be limited to service in the Regiment, but could be made available to fill personnel shortages in non-segregated units both 

inside and outside the 3rd Infantry Division. This was a major 

milestone in United States Army policy that, paradoxically, 

harmed the Regiment by depriving it of some of Puerto Rico’s 

most able soldiers. 


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128 STAT. 1190 PUBLIC LAW 113–120—JUNE 10, 2014 

(22) Beyond the many hardships endured by most American 

soldiers in Korea, the Regiment faced unique challenges arising 

from discrimination and prejudice. 

(23) In 1953, the now fully integrated Regiment earned 

admiration for its relentless defense of Outpost Harry, during 

which it confronted multiple company-size probes, full-scale 

regimental attacks, and heavy artillery and mortar fire from 

Chinese forces, earning one Distinguished Service Cross, 14 

Silver Stars, 23 Bronze Stars, and 67 Purple Hearts, in operations that Major General Eugene W. Ridings described as 

‘‘highly successful in that the enemy was denied the use of 

one of his best routes of approach into the friendly position’’. 

The recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross was thenFirst Lieutenant Richard E. Cavazos, a Mexican-American, who 

went on to become the first Latino to rise to the rank of 

four-star general in the United States Army. 

(24) For its extraordinary service during the Korean War, 

the Regiment received two Presidential Unit Citations (Army 

and Navy), two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations, 

a Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), a Navy Unit Commendation, the Bravery Gold Medal of Greece, and campaign 

participation credits for United Nations Offensive, CCF Intervention, First United Nations Counteroffensive, CCF Spring 

Offensive, United Nations Summer-Fall Offensive, Second 

Korean Winter, Korea Summer-Fall 1952, Third Korean Winter, 

and Korea Summer 1953. 

(25) In Korea, soldiers in the Regiment earned a total 

of nine Distinguished Service Crosses, approximately 250 Silver 

Stars, over 600 Bronze Stars, more than 2,700 Purple Hearts. 

On March 18, 2014, Master Sergeant Juan E. Negro ́n Martı ́nez 

received the Medal of Honor, the Nation’s highest award for 

military valor, for actions taken on April 28, 1951 near KalmaEri, Korea. 

(26) In all, some 61,000 Puerto Ricans served in the United 

States Army during the Korean War, the bulk of them with 

the 65th Infantry Regiment—and over the course of the war, 

Puerto Rican soldiers suffered a disproportionately high casualty rate, with over 740 killed and over 2,300 wounded. 

(27) In April 1956, as part of the reduction in forces following the Korean War, the 65th Infantry Regiment was deactivated from the regular Army and, in February 1959, became 

the only regular Army unit to have ever been transferred 

to the National Guard, when its 1st battalion and its regimental 

number were assigned to the Puerto Rico National Guard, 

where it has remained ever since. 

(28) In 1982, the United States Army Center of Military 

History officially authorized granting the 65th Infantry Regiment the special designation of ‘‘Borinqueneers’’. 

(29) In the years since the Korean War, the achievements 

of the Regiment have been recognized in various ways, 

including— 

(A) the naming of streets in honor of the Regiment 

in San Juan, Puerto Rico and The Bronx, New York; 

(B) the erecting of monuments and plaques to honor 

the Regiment at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, 

Virginia; the San Juan National Historic Site in San Juan, 

Puerto Rico; Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, 


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PUBLIC LAW 113–120—JUNE 10, 2014 128 STAT. 1191 

Colorado; and at sites in Boston, Massachusetts; Worcester, 

Massachusetts; Buffalo, New York; and Ocala, Florida; 

(C) the renaming of a park in Buenaventura Lake, 

Florida as the ‘‘65th Infantry Veterans Park’’; 

(D) the dedication of land for a park and monument 

to honor the Regiment in New Britain, Connecticut; 

(E) the adoption or introduction of resolutions or 

proclamations honoring the Regiment by many state and 

municipal governments, including in the states and territories of California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, 

Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, 

North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and 

Texas; and 

(F) the issuance by the United States Postal Service 

of a Korean War commemorative stamp depicting soldiers 

from the Regiment. 

(30) In a speech delivered on September 20, 2000, at a 

ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery in honor of the Regiment, Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera said: ‘‘Even as 

the 65th struggled against all deadly enemies in the field, 

they were fighting a rearguard action against a more insidious 

adversary—the cumulative effects of ill-conceived military policies, leadership shortcomings, and especially racial and 

organizational prejudices, all exacerbated by America’s unpreparedness for war and the growing pains of an Army forced 

by law and circumstance to carry out racial integration. 

Together these factors would take their inevitable toll on the 

65th, leaving scars that have yet to heal for so many of the 

Regiment’s proud and courageous soldiers.’’. 

(31) Secretary Caldera further stated: ‘‘To the veterans 

of the 65th Infantry Regiment who, in that far off land fifty 

years ago, fought with rare courage even as you endured misfortune and injustice, thank you for doing your duty. There can 

be no greater praise than that for any soldier of the United 

States Army.’’. 

(32) Secretary Caldera also noted that ‘‘[t]he men of the 

65th who served in Korea are a significant part of a proud 

tradition of service’’ that includes the Japanese American 442nd 

Regimental Combat Team, the African American Tuskegee Airmen, and ‘‘many other unsung minority units throughout the 

history of our armed forces whose stories have never been 

fully told’’. 

(33) The service of the men of the 65th Infantry Regiment 

is emblematic of the contributions to the armed forces that 

have been made by hundreds of thousands of brave and patriotic United States citizens from Puerto Rico over generations, 

from World War I to the most recent conflicts in Afghanistan 

and Iraq, and in other overseas contingency operations. 

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

(a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall 

make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of the 

Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design in honor 

of the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers, in 

recognition of its pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and 

many acts of valor in the face of adversity. 


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128 STAT. 1192 PUBLIC LAW 113–120—JUNE 10, 2014 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1726: 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 160 (2014): 

May 19, considered and passed House. 

May 22, considered and passed Senate. 

DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2014): 

June 10, Presidential remarks. 

Æ 

(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the award 

referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike the 

gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to 

be determined by the Secretary. 

(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the gold medal 

in honor of the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the 

Borinqueneers, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for display as 

appropriate and made available for research. 

(2) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Congress that the Smithsonian Institution shall make the gold 

medal received under this Act available for display elsewhere, 

particularly at other appropriate locations associated with the 

65th Infantry Regiment, including locations in Puerto Rico. 

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the 

Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 

medal struck under section 2, at a price sufficient to cover the 

costs of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of 

machinery, and overhead expenses. 

SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. 

Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for 

purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 

Approved June 10, 2014. 


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