page_title: List of Stateside Puerto Ricans
section_title: Military
hierarchical_section_title: List of Stateside Puerto Ricans / Military
caption_attribution_description: English: Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr., USN
context_page_description: This is a list of Puerto Ricans in the United States, including people born in the US of Puerto Rican descent and Puerto Ricans who live in the US. Since Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the US, it is easier to migrate to the US from Puerto Rico than from anywhere else in Latin America. Currently, more than 5.5 million Puerto Ricans and their descendants live in the US, significantly more than the population of Puerto Rico itself. The following list contains notable members of the Puerto Rican community.
context_section_description: Domingo Arroyo, Jr. (1971–1993) –  U.S. Marine; first Puerto Rican and American serviceman killed in Operation Restore Hope during the Somalian Civil War; his family moved to the US when he was 14, seeking better living conditions
  Joseph B. Avilés (1897–1990) –  served in the U.S. Navy and later in the Coast Guard; in 1925, became the first Hispanic Chief Petty Officer in the US Coast Guard; Puerto Rican, lived in Maryland
  Rafael Celestino Benítez (1917–1999) –  highly decorated submarine commander who led the rescue effort of the crew members of the USS Cochino during the Cold War
  José M. Cabanillas (1901–1979) –  Puerto Rican executive Officer of the USS Texas, which participated in the invasions of North Africa and the Battle of Normandy (D-Day) during World War II; died in Virginia
  Iván Castro –  U.S. Army officer who has continued serving on active duty in the Special Forces despite losing his eyesight; parents are Puerto Rican
  Richard Carmona –  American physician and public health administrator
  Carmen Contreras-Bozak (born 1919) –  first Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps, where she served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions; Puerto Rican; lives in Tampa, Florida
  Linda García Cubero –  former U.S. Air Force officer; of Mexican-American-Puerto Rican descent
  Rubén A. Cubero –  highly decorated member of the U.S. Air Force; first Hispanic graduate of the US Air Force Academy to be named Dean of the Faculty of the academy; parents were Puerto Rican
  Alberto Díaz, Jr. –  first Hispanic Director of the San Diego Naval District and Balboa Naval Hospital; Puerto Rican born and raised
  Rafael O'Ferrall –  United States Army officer; first Hispanic of Puerto Rican descent to become the Deputy Commanding General for the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
  Salvador E. Felices (1923–1987) –  first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of major general (two-star) in the U.S. Air Force; died in Florida
  Diego E. Hernández –  retired US Navy officer; first Hispanic to be named Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command; Puerto Rican resident of  Miami
  Lester Martínez López, MD, MPH (born 1955) –  first Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland
  Carlos Lozada (1946–1967) –  member of the U.S. Army; one of five Puerto Ricans who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their actions in combat; Puerto Rican born, raised in New York City
  Ángel Méndez (1946–1967) –  U.S. Marine, posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
  Virgil Rasmuss Miller (1900–1968) –  U.S. Army officer who served as Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team, a unit composed of "Nisei" (second generation Americans of Japanese descent), during World War II
  Héctor Andrés Negroni –  Puerto Rican historian, senior aerospace defense executive, author; first Puerto Rican graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy; lives in Vienna, Virginia
  Antonia Novello –  Puerto Rican physician and public health administrator; US Surgeon General
  María Inés Ortiz (1967–2007) –  first American nurse to die in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom; first Army nurse to die in combat since the Vietnam War; parents were Puerto Rican
  Evelio Otero, Jr. –  former officer in the U.S. Air Force who led the establishment of the first ever US Central Command Headquarters in Qatar
  Héctor E. Pagán –  U.S. Army officer; first Hispanic of Puerto Rican descent to become Deputy Commanding General of the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
  José M. Portela –  retired officer of the U.S. Air Force; served in the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air while also serving as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard
  Marion Frederic Ramírez de Arellano (1913–1980) –  submarine commander in the US Navy; first Hispanic submarine commanding officer
  Frederick Lois Riefkohl (1889–1969) –  Puerto Rican officer in the U.S. Navy; first Puerto Rican to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy and to be awarded the Navy Cross; lived and died in Florida
  Rudolph W. Rief
caption: Horacio Rivero, Jr.
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