HR 9017

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution honoring Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry
3	Regiment, "The Borinqueneers," for their bravery,
4	patriotism, and sacrifice in defending our nation as part
5	of the United States Armed Forces.
6
7	WHEREAS, Puerto Ricans have participated in every major
8	American military conflict, from the American Revolution, when
9	volunteers from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico fought the British
10	in 1779 under the command of General Bernardo de Gálvez, to the
11	current military operations in Iraq, and
12	WHEREAS, however, it was the 65th Infantry Regiment, a
13	volunteer regiment created in 1899, comprised primarily of
14	Puerto Ricans and nicknamed "The Borinqueneers," that engaged in
15	extensive combat and distinguished itself and the contributions
16	of Puerto Rican soldiers to the defense of the United States
17	most notably, and
18	WHEREAS, the 65th Infantry Regiment was created on March 2,
19	1899, as the Puerto Rico Battalion of Volunteer Infantry to
20	assist in reestablishing law and order in Puerto Rico following
21	the seizure of the island in 1898 during the Spanish-American
22	War, and
23	WHEREAS, the battalion proved so successful that the
24	following year it was expanded into the Puerto Rico Regiment of
25	U.S. Volunteers and in 1901 became the Puerto Rico Provisional
26	Regiment of Infantry, and
27	WHEREAS, on June 30, 1908, the regiment became part of the
28	regular Army and was renamed the Puerto Rico Regiment of the
29	United States Army, and
30	WHEREAS, in World War I, 1,969 Puerto Rican troops
31	voluntarily enlisted in military service and, one year later,
32	were sent to Panama in defense of the Panama Canal Zone, and
33	WHEREAS, during World War II, the 65th Infantry Regiment
34	landed in Italy and France and served in various capacities
35	across Europe, from engaging in anti-sabotage and security
36	missions in Germany to fighting in the Battles of Naples-Fogis,
37	Rome-Arno, Central Europe, and the Rhineland, and
38	WHEREAS, during the Korean War, the 65th Infantry Regiment,
39	a force of 6,000 troops by that time, was organized into three
40	infantry battalions, one artillery battalion, and a tank company
41	and attached to the Army's 3rd Division, and
42	WHEREAS, it was during the long sea voyage to Korea that
43	the men nicknamed the 65th Infantry Regiment "The
44	Borinqueneers," and
45	WHEREAS, A total of 61,000 Puerto Rican soldiers served in
46	Korea, most of them volunteers, with approximately 750 Puerto
47	Ricans from all four branches of the United States Armed Forces
48	losing their lives in the Korean War, and
49	WHEREAS, among the men of the 65th Infantry Regiment
50	serving in Korea, nine were awarded the Distinguished Service
51	Cross, 163 were awarded Silver Star Medals, and 562 were awarded
52	Bronze Star Medals, and
53	WHEREAS, as a unit, the 65th Infantry Regiment twice
54	received the Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Korea
55	Presidential Unit Citation, and the Meritorious Unit
56	Commendation, and
57	WHEREAS, following the Korean War, the 65th Infantry
58	Regiment returned to Puerto Rico and was deactivated in 1956,
59	and
60	WHEREAS, following its deactivation, the Department of the
61	Army transferred the 65th Infantry Regiment from the regular
62	Army to the Puerto Rico National Guard, thus making the 65th
63	Infantry Regiment the only unit ever transferred as an active
64	component of the United States Army to the National Guard, and
65	WHEREAS, Puerto Rico honored the 65th Infantry Regiment by
66	naming one of its principal avenues "La 65 de Infanteria" in San
67	Juan, Puerto Rico, and
68	WHEREAS, On May 20, 2001, the government of Puerto Rico
69	unveiled a monument honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment which
70	contains a statue of a soldier wearing a poncho with his rifle
71	in one hand and the regiment's flag in the other hand, and
72	WHEREAS, On February 12, 1951, General Douglas MacArthur,
73	was quoted in Tokyo as saying "The Puerto Ricans forming the
74	ranks of the gallant 65th Infantry on the battlefields of Korea
75	. . . are writing a brilliant record of achievement in battle
76	and I am proud indeed to have them in this command. I wish that
77	we might have many more like them," NOW, THEREFORE,
78
79	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
80	Florida:
81
82	That Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment, "The
83	Borinqueneers," is hereby honored for the bravery, patriotism,
84	and sacrifice of its members in defending our nation as part of
85	the United States Armed Forces.
86	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
87	transmitted to Governor Anibal Acevedo-Vila, Governor of the
88	Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and to the Senate and the House of
89	Representatives of the Legislative Assembly of the Commonwealth
90	of Puerto Rico as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed
91	herein.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.