II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1174 

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

as the Borinqueneers. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 18, 2013 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Ms. WARREN, Mr. RUBIO, 

Mr. NELSON, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. SCHUMER, and Mr. CASEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry 

Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 The Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) In 1898, the United States acquired Puerto 

6 Rico in the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish7 American War and, by the following year, Congress 

8 had authorized raising a unit of volunteer soldiers in 

9 the newly acquired territory. 

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

2 granting United States citizenship to individuals 

3 born in Puerto Rico was signed into law, and one 

4 month after the United States entered World War I, 

5 the unit was transferred to the Panama Canal Zone 

6 because United States Army policy at the time re7 stricted most segregated units to noncombat roles, 

8 although the regiment could have contributed to the 

9 fighting effort. 

10 (3) In June 1920, the unit was re-designated as 

11 the ‘‘65th Infantry Regiment, United States Army’’, 

12 and it would serve as the United States military’s 

13 last segregated unit composed of Hispanic soldiers. 

14 (4) In January 1943, 13 months after the at15 tack on Pearl Harbor that marked the entry of the 

16 United States into World War II, the Regiment 

17 again deployed to the Panama Canal Zone, before 

18 deploying overseas in the spring of 1944. 

19 (5) Despite the Regiment’s relatively limited 

20 combat service in World War II, the unit suffered 

21 casualties in the course of defending against enemy 

22 attacks, with individual soldiers earning one Distin23 guished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze 

24 Stars and 90 Purple Hearts, and the unit receiving 

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1 campaign participation credit for Rome-Arno, Rhine2 land, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. 

3 (6) Although an Executive order issued by 

4 President Harry S. Truman in July 1948 declared 

5 it to be United States policy to ensure equality of 

6 treatment and opportunity for all persons in the 

7 armed services without respect to race or color, im8 plementation of this policy had yet to be fully real9 ized when armed conflict broke out on the Korean 

10 peninsula in June 1950, and both African-American 

11 soldiers and Puerto Rican soldiers served in seg12 regated units. 

13 (7) Brigadier General William W. Harris, who 

14 served as the Regiment’s commander during the 

15 early stages of the Korean War, later recalled that 

16 he had initially been reluctant to take the position 

17 because of ‘‘prejudice’’ within the military and ‘‘the 

18 feeling of the officers and even the brass of the Pen19 tagon . . . that the Puerto Rican wouldn’t make a 

20 good combat soldier. . . . I know my contemporaries 

21 felt that way and, in all honesty, I must admit that 

22 at the time I had the same feeling . . . that the 

23 Puerto Rican was a rum and Coca-Cola soldier.’’. 

24 (8) One of the first opportunities the regiment 

25 had to prove its combat worthiness arose on the eve 

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1 of the Korean War during PORTREX, one of the 

2 largest military exercises that had been conducted 

3 up until that point, where the Regiment distin4 guished itself by repelling an offensive consisting of 

5 over 32,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division 

6 and the United States Marine Corps, supported by 

7 the Navy and Air Force, thereby demonstrating that 

8 Puerto Rican soldiers could hold their own against 

9 some of the best-trained soldiers in the United 

10 States military. 

11 (9) In August 1950, as the United States 

12 Army’s situation in Korea deteriorated, the com13 mander of the 3rd Infantry Division requested an14 other infantry regiment to be added to his organiza15 tion and, owing in large part to the 65th Infantry 

16 Regiment’s outstanding performance during PORT17 REX, it was selected for the assignment. 

18 (10) As the Regiment sailed to Asia in Sep19 tember 1950, members of the unit informally de20 cided to call themselves the ‘‘Borinqueneers’’, a term 

21 derived from the Taino word for Puerto Rico mean22 ing ‘‘land of the brave lord’’. 

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

24 during the Korean War has been aptly described as 

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1 ‘‘one of pride, courage, heartbreak, and redemp2 tion’’. 

3 (12) Fighting as a segregated unit from 1950 

4 to 1952, the Regiment participated in some of the 

5 fiercest battles of the war, and its toughness, cour6 age and loyalty earned the admiration of many who 

7 had previously harbored reservations about Puerto 

8 Rican soldiers based on negative stereotypes, includ9 ing Brigadier General William W. Harris, whose ex10 perience eventually led him to regard the Regiment 

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

12 (13) Arriving in Pusan, South Korea in Sep13 tember 1950, the regiment was assigned the mission 

14 of destroying or capturing small groups of North 

15 Korean soldiers, and its success led General Douglas 

16 MacArthur, Commander-in-Chief of the United Na17 tions Command in Korea, to observe that the Regi18 ment was ‘‘showing magnificent ability and courage 

19 in field operations’’. 

20 (14) In December 1950, following China’s 

21 intervention in the war, the Regiment engaged in a 

22 series of fierce battles with the enemy to cover the 

23 rear guard of the 1st Marine Division as it executed 

24 one of the greatest withdrawals in modern military 

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1 history during the fighting retreat from the Chosin 

2 Reservoir. 

3 (15) The Regiment was instrumental in helping 

4 to secure the final foothold for the Marine evacu5 ation at Hungham, and was among the last units to 

6 leave the beachhead on Christmas Eve, suffering tre7 mendous casualties in the process. 

8 (16) The winter conditions in Korea presented 

9 significant hardships for the Regiment, which suf10 fered hundreds of casualties because its soldiers 

11 lacked appropriate gear to fight in sub-zero tempera12 tures. 

13 (17) Between January and March 1951, the 

14 Regiment participated in numerous operations to re15 cover and retain South Korean territory lost to the 

16 enemy, assaulting heavily fortified enemy positions 

17 and conducting the last recorded battalion-sized bay18 onet assault in United States Army history. 

19 (18) On January 31, 1951, the commander of 

20 Eighth Army, Lieutenant General Matthew B. 

21 Ridgway wrote to the Regiment’s commander: 

22 ‘‘What I saw and heard of your regiment reflects 

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

24 of Puerto Rico, who can be proud of their valiant 

25 sons. I am confident that their battle records and 

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1 training levels will win them high honors. . . . Their 

2 conduct in battle has served only to increase the 

3 high regard in which I hold these fine troops.’’. 

4 (19) On February 3, 1951, General MacArthur 

5 wrote: ‘‘The Puerto Ricans forming the ranks of the 

6 gallant 65th Infantry on the battlefields of Korea by 

7 valor, determination, and a resolute will to victory 

8 give daily testament to their invincible loyalty to the 

9 United States and the fervor of their devotion to 

10 those immutable standards of human relations to 

11 which the Americans and Puerto Ricans are in com12 mon dedicated. They are writing a brilliant record of 

13 achievement in battle and I am proud indeed to have 

14 them in this command. I wish that we might have 

15 many more like them.’’. 

16 (20) The Regiment played a critical role in the 

17 United States counteroffensive responding to a 

18 major push by the Chinese Communist Forces 

19 (CFF) in 1951, winning praise for its superb per20 formance in multiple battles, including Operations 

21 KILLER and RIPPER. 

22 (21) By 1952, in light of the Regiment’s proven 

23 fighting abilities, senior United States commanders 

24 ordered that replacement soldiers from Puerto Rico 

25 should no longer be limited to service in the Regimstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 ment, but could be made available to fill personnel 

2 shortages in non-segregated units both inside and 

3 outside the 3rd Infantry Division, a major milestone 

4 that, paradoxically, harmed the Regiment by depriv5 ing it of some of Puerto Rico’s most able soldiers. 

6 (22) Beyond the many hardships endured by 

7 most American soldiers in Korea, the Regiment 

8 faced unique challenges due to discrimination and 

9 prejudice, including— 

10 (A) the humiliation of being ordered to 

11 shave their moustaches ‘‘until such a time as 

12 they gave proof of their manhood’’; 

13 (B) being forced to use separate showering 

14 facilities from their non-Hispanic ‘‘Continental’’ 

15 officers; 

16 (C) being ordered not to speak Spanish 

17 under penalty of court-martial; 

18 (D) flawed personnel-rotation policies 

19 based on ethnic and organizational prejudices; 

20 and 

21 (E) a catastrophic shortage of trained non22 commissioned officers. 

23 (23) In 1953, the now fully integrated Regi24 ment earned admiration for its relentless defense of 

25 Outpost Harry, during which it confronted multiple 

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1 company-size probes, full-scale regimental attacks, 

2 and heavy artillery and mortar fire from Chinese 

3 forces, earning 14 Silver Stars, 23 Bronze Stars, 

4 and 67 Purple Hearts, in operations that Major 

5 General Eugene W. Ridings described as ‘‘highly 

6 successful in that the enemy was denied the use of 

7 one of his best routes of approach into the friendly 

8 position.’’. 

9 (24) For its extraordinary service during the 

10 Korean War, the Regiment received two Presidential 

11 Unit Citations (Army and Navy), two Republic of 

12 Korea Presidential Unit Citations, a Meritorious 

13 Unit Commendation (Army), a Navy Unit Com14 mendation, the Bravery Gold Medal of Greece, and 

15 campaign participation credits for United Nations 

16 Offensive, CCF Intervention, First United Nations 

17 Counteroffensive, CCF Spring Offensive, United Na18 tions Summer-Fall Offensive, Second Korean Win19 ter, Korea Summer-Fall 1952, Third Korean Win20 ter, and Korea Summer 1953. 

21 (25) In Korea, soldiers in the Regiment earned 

22 a total of 10 Distinguished Service Crosses, approxi23 mately 250 Silver Stars, over 600 Bronze Stars, and 

24 more than 2,700 Purple Hearts, but—despite numstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 merous individual acts of uncommon valor—no Med2 als of Honor. 

3 (26) In all, some 61,000 Puerto Ricans served 

4 in the United States Army during the Korean War, 

5 the bulk of them with the 65th Infantry Regiment— 

6 and over the course of the war, Puerto Rican sol7 diers suffered a disproportionately high casualty 

8 rate, with over 740 killed and over 2,300 wounded. 

9 (27) In April 1956, as part of the reduction in 

10 forces following the Korean War, the 65th Infantry 

11 Regiment was deactivated from the Regular Army 

12 and, in February 1959, became the only regular 

13 Army unit to have ever been transferred to the Na14 tional Guard, when its 1st battalion and its regi15 mental number were assigned to the Puerto Rico 

16 National Guard, where it has remained ever since. 

17 (28) In 1982, the United States Army Center 

18 of Military History officially authorized granting the 

19 65th Infantry Regiment the special designation of 

20 ‘‘Borinqueneers’’. 

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

22 achievements of the Regiment have been recognized 

23 in various ways, including— 

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

2 regiment in San Juan, Puerto Rico and The 

3 Bronx, New York; 

4 (B) the erecting of plaques and other 

5 monuments to honor the Regiment at Arlington 

6 National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia; the 

7 San Juan National Historic Site in San Juan, 

8 Puerto Rico; Ft. Logan National Cemetery in 

9 Denver, Colorado; and at sites in Boston, Mas10 sachusetts and Ocala, Florida; 

11 (C) the renaming of a park in Buenaven12 tura Lake, Florida as the ‘‘65th Infantry Vet13 erans Park’’; 

14 (D) a grant awarded by the New York 

15 State government to establish a memorial hon16 oring the Regiment at Buffalo & Erie County 

17 Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York; 

18 (E) the introduction or adoption of resolu19 tions or proclamations honoring the Regiment 

20 by the City of Buffalo, New York; the City of 

21 Deltona, Florida; the City of Kissimmee, Flor22 ida; the City of Orlando, Florida; the City of 

23 Springfield, Massachusetts; the County of Erie, 

24 Pennsylvania; the Florida House of Representa25 tives; the New York State Assembly; the New 

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1 York State Senate; and the Texas State Senate; 

2 and 

3 (F) the 1985 issuance of a United States 

4 Postal Service Korean War Commemorative 

5 Stamp depicting soldiers from the Regiment. 

6 (30) In a speech delivered at a September 20, 

7 2000, ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in 

8 honor of the Regiment, Secretary of the Army Louis 

9 Caldera said: ‘‘Even as the 65th struggled against 

10 all deadly enemies in the field, they were fighting a 

11 rearguard action against a more insidious adver12 sary—the cumulative effects of ill-conceived military 

13 policies, leadership shortcomings, and especially ra14 cial and organizational prejudices, all exacerbated by 

15 America’s unpreparedness for war and the growing 

16 pains of an Army forced by law and circumstance to 

17 carry out racial integration. Together these factors 

18 would take their inevitable toll on the 65th, leaving 

19 scars that have yet to heal for so many of the regi20 ment’s proud and courageous soldiers.’’. 

21 (31) Secretary Caldera said: ‘‘To the veterans 

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

23 land fifty years ago, fought with rare courage even 

24 as you endured misfortune and injustice, thank you 

25 for doing your duty. There can be no greater praise 

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1 than that for any soldier of the United States 

2 Army.’’. 

3 (32) Secretary Caldera noted that ‘‘[t]he men 

4 of the 65th who served in Korea are a significant 

5 part of a proud tradition of service’’ that includes 

6 the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat 

7 Team, the African-American Tuskegee Airmen, and 

8 ‘‘many other unsung minority units throughout the 

9 history of our armed forces whose stories have never 

10 been fully told.’’. 

11 (33) The service of the men of the 65th Infan12 try Regiment is emblematic of the contributions to 

13 the armed forces that have been made by hundreds 

14 of thousands of brave and patriotic United States 

15 citizens from Puerto Rico over generations, from 

16 World War I to the most recent conflicts in Afghani17 stan and Iraq, and in other overseas contingency op18 erations. 

19 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

20 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 

21 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

22 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

23 award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal 

24 of appropriate design in honor of the 65th Infantry Regi25 ment, known as the Borinqueneers, in recognition of its 

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1 pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and many 

2 acts of valor in the face of adversity. 

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

4 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 

5 Treasury (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec6 retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 

7 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec8 retary. 

9 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 

11 gold medal in honor of the 65th Infantry Regiment, 

12 known as the Borinqueneers, the gold medal shall be 

13 given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be 

14 displayed as appropriate and made available for re15 search. 

16 (2) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense 

17 of the Congress that the Smithsonian Institution 

18 shall make the gold medal received under this Act 

19 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

20 appropriate locations associated with the 65th Infan21 try Regiment, including locations in Puerto Rico. 

22 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

23 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre24 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

25 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 2, at a price 

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1 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

2 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

3 SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. 

4 Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national med5 als for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 

6 Code. 

7 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS 

8 OF SALE. 

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

10 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

11 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec12 essary to pay for the cost of the medals struck pursuant 

13 to this Act. 

14 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

15 sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be 

16 deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 

17 Fund. 

Æ 

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