page_title: Puerto Ricans in World War I
section_title: The Porto Rico Regiment
hierarchical_section_title: Puerto Ricans in World War I / The Porto Rico Regiment
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture of the 1906 Officer Staff of the Porto Rico Regiment now known as the 65th Infantry Regiment. It should be noted that on January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of Puerto Rico to "Porto Rico". On 30 June 1901, the "Porto Rico Provisional Regiment of Infantry" was organized. On May 17, 1932, U.S. Congress changed the name back to "Puerto Rico".
context_page_description: Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I.
  One of the consequences of the Spanish–American War was that Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898, ratified on December 10, 1898. On January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of Puerto Rico to Porto Rico. On March 21, 1915, the first shots by the United States in World War I were fired by the Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry from El Morro Castle at a German ship in San Juan Bay. U.S. Citizenship was extended to the political body known as Porto Rican citizens via the Jones–Shafroth Act of 1917. Even though Puerto Ricans were "American" nationals since 1900 which made them eligible for the Selective Service Draft lottery, they were excluded from the initial draft law. The Puerto Rican legislature and local leaders demanded that Puerto Ricans were included in the draft and allowed to fight in the war.
context_section_description: Puerto Rico became a U.S. Territory in accordance with the 1898 Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish–American War. The United States appointed a military governor and soon the United States Army established itself in San Juan. The Army Appropriation Bill created by an Act of Congress on March 2, 1899 authorized the creation of the first body of native troops in Puerto Rico. On June 30, 1901, the "Porto Rico Provisional Regiment of Infantry" was organized. On July 1, 1901, the United States Senate passed a Bill which would require a strict mental and physical examination for those who wanted to join the Regiment. It also approved the recruitment of native Puerto Rican civilians to be appointed to the grade of Second Lieutenants for a term of four years if they passed the required tests. An Act of Congress, approved on May 27, 1908, reorganized the regiment as part of the "regular" Army. Since the native Puerto Rican officers were Puerto Rican citizens and not citizens of the United States, they were required to undergo a new physical examination to determine their fitness for commissions in the Regular Army and to take an oath of U.S. citizenship with their new officer's oath.
caption: Officer Staff of the Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry (c.1906)
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