page_title: List of Puerto Rican military personnel
section_title: 20th century
hierarchical_section_title: List of Puerto Rican military personnel / 20th century
caption_attribution_description: English: Puerto Rican Army nurses, 296th Station Hospital, Camp Tortuguero, Vega Baja, PR, 1945
context_page_description: Throughout history Puerto Ricans, including people of Puerto Rican descent, have gained notability as members of the military. They have served and have fought for many countries, such as Canada, Cuba, England, Mexico, Spain, the United States and Venezuela.
  Puerto Ricans have fought and defended their homeland against attacks from the Caribs and pirates. They fought against the invasions of foreign countries and defeated the British, French, and Dutch in doing so. They fought alongside General Bernardo de Gálvez during the American Revolutionary War in the battles of Baton Rouge, Mobile, Pensacola and St. Louis. and in Europe against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Siege of Saragossa.
  Puerto Ricans such as Augusto Rodríguez, who resided in the United States in the mid-19th century, fought in the American Civil War. They also fought against the Spanish Empire. They fought for Mexico's independence and in the Latin American wars of independence alongside Simón Bolívar. In Puerto Rico they revolted against Spanish rule and fought for Puerto Rico's independence in the Grito de Lares and in the Intentona de Yauco.
context_section_description: Humberto Acosta-Rosario, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army. Acosta-Rosario was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry (Mechanized); 25th Infantry Division, United States Army. He is currently the only Puerto Rican MIA whose body has never been recovered.
  Ricardo Aponte, Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force. Aponte is the former Director of the Innovation and Experimentation Directorate, United States Southern Command. He is the first Puerto Rican to hold said position.
  Félix Arenas Gaspar, Captain, Spanish Army. Arenas Gapar was posthumously awarded the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando (Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand -  Spain's version of the Medal of Honor) for his actions in the Rif War.
  Domingo Arroyo, Jr., Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps. Arroyo, who was Puerto Rican, was the first American serviceman to be killed in Operation Restore Hope during the Somali Civil War.
  Joseph (José) B. Aviles, Sr., Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Coast Guard. On September 28, 1925, Aviles became the first Hispanic Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard. During World War II he received a war-time promotion to Chief Warrant Officer, becoming the first Hispanic to reach that level as well.
  Rafael Celestino Benítez, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
   Benítez was a highly decorated submarine commander who led the rescue effort of the crew members of the USS Cochino which was involved in the first American undersea spy mission of the Cold War.
  Tomas A Bernardini (1931-1987), Private First Class(PFC), United States Army Korean Conflict PFC Bernardini was a member of the U.S. Army Reserves in Puerto Rico, he served in the Korean Conflict with a Military Police Reserve unit.
  Carlos Betances Ramírez, Colonel, U.S. Army
   Betances Ramírez was the first Puerto Rican to command a battalion in the Korean War. In 1952, he assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment.
  José M. Cabanillas, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
  In World War II Cabanillas was Executive Officer of the USS Texas (BB-35) and participated in the invasions of Africa and Normandy (D-Day).
  Richard Carmona M.D., Vice Admiral, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.  Carmona served as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States under President George W. Bush.
  Modesto Cartagena, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
   Cartagena, the most decorated Hispanic soldier in history, distinguished himself in combat during the Korean War as a member of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry, and is being considered for the Medal of Honor.
  Carlos Fernando Chardón, Major General, Puerto Rico National Guard
  Chardón was the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973 and the Puerto Rico Adjutant General from 1973 to 1975.
  Felix M. Conde-Falcon, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
  Conde-Falcon was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously on March 18, 2014, for his courageous actions while serving as an acting Platoon Leader in Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 3d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Ap Tan Hoa, Republic of Vietnam on April 4, 1969.
  Carmen Contreras-Bozak, Tech4, U.S. Women's Army Corps
  Contreras-Bozak was the first Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps. She served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions during World War II.
  Virgilio N. Cordero, Jr., Brigadier General, U.S. Army - Cordero was a Battalion Commander of the 31st Infantry Regiment who documented his experiences as a prisoner of war and his participation in the infamous Bataan Death March of World War II.
  Juan César Cordero Dávila, Major General, U.S. Army 
  Cordero Dávila was the commanding officer of the 65th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War, thus  one of the highest ranking ethnic officers in the Army.
  Encarnacion Correa, Sergeant, U.S. Army
  Correa fired the first warning shots in World War I on behalf of the United States, against a ship flying the colors of the Central Powers. This occurred on March 21, 1915 when Correa manned a machine gun and, under the orders of then-Lieutenant Teófilo Marxuach, opened fire on the "Odenw
caption: Puerto Rican Army nurses in World War II.
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