2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 51 - Commemorative Days, Weeks and Months; Special Campaigns (§§ 5001 — 5289) › § 5272 - Puerto Rican Veterans’ Week

(a) The week of September 18 of each year, beginning on the Sunday before such date, is hereby designated as “Puerto Rican Veterans” Week”.
(b) The Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall issue an annual proclamation encouraging all Puerto Ricans to recognize the heroic deeds and history of all Puerto Rican veterans. It shall be the responsibility of Puerto Rico’s Secretary of State to ensure that such proclamation is published in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the Island. Such proclamation shall be distributed to all mass media, including regional ones, for publication. Both actions shall be taken at least ten (10) days before the start of such week.
(c) The Department of State, the Department of Education, the Office of the Veterans” Advocate, the municipalities of Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rico Corporation for Public Broadcasting, given prior coordination and preparation, may adopt the necessary measures to achieve the purposes of this section. They shall organize and hold official activities to recognize and highlight the contributions and history of Puerto Rican veterans.
(d) The Department of Education may organize, prepare, and hold educational activities, presentations, and/or conferences for students in our schools so they may learn about and recognize the contributions, effort, and sacrifices, as well as the history of Puerto Rican veterans. The Department of Education shall encourage the private education system, private schools, and/or academies, to join in the achievement of the purposes of this section.
(e) The Office of the Veterans’ Advocate shall organize, prepare, and hold public activities and/or educational and social presentations or conferences for the general public so they may learn about and recognize the contributions, effort, and sacrifices, as well as the history of Puerto Rican veterans.
(f) The Puerto Rico Corporation for Public Broadcasting shall prepare, develop, and air special activities and/or programming, including documentaries without excluding other formats, aimed at promoting, informing, recognizing, and highlighting the patriotic deeds, contributions, efforts, and sacrifices, as well as the history of Puerto Rican veterans in the past, so that the general public may learn about and recognize the life of our veterans.
(g) The promotion of all activities held by virtue of this section shall be aimed at students and the general public so that the history of Puerto Rican veterans may be known.
(h) All activities held by virtue of this section shall be framed around and aimed at stressing, highlighting, and raising citizen awareness about the significance of the deeds of Puerto Rican veterans. The people of Puerto Rico, as well as public and/or private organizations that render services to veterans, shall be encouraged to participate in the scheduled activities.
(i) The purpose of this section is to bring government organizations and agencies together in commemorative and educational activities that highlight the contributions of Puerto Rican veterans throughout history. The private sector is likewise encouraged to join in the achievement of the purposes of this section and to recognize the contributions and patriotic deeds of Puerto Rican veterans.
(j) The official flags of the United States of America and Puerto Rico are hereby ordered to fly at half-mast in all Commonwealth and municipal instrumentalities and/or agencies on September 18 of each year. This shall be a symbol of mourning for and remembrance of Puerto Rican soldiers who did not return home, as well as appreciation for the heroic deeds of all Puerto Rican veterans, especially the fifty that were lost in the Korean War on September 18, 1952.
History —Sept. 23, 2014, No. 163, §§ 1—10.