Puerto Ricans have served in successive generations of the U.S. military, from the 65th Infantry Regiment’s combat in Korea to missions in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan, and Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, recognizes that service. In Puerto Rico, one of the best-known chapters is the 65th Infantry Regiment, whose members were known as the Borinqueneers.
Made up mainly of Puerto Rican soldiers, the unit distinguished itself in the Korean War and helped protect the evacuation of U.S. troops from the Chosin Reservoir in 1950. Its members also faced racial discrimination and punishments tied to their language and customs. The regiment received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2016.
Also in Korea, Fernando Luis García, a native of Utuado and a Marine, covered an enemy grenade with his body on September 5, 1952, while wounded, to protect another Marine; he died and received the Medal of Honor posthumously. In Vietnam, Captain Eurípides Rubio of Ponce reorganized positions, helped wounded soldiers and moved a smoke grenade on November 8, 1966, actions that cost him his life and earned him the Medal of Honor.
Jorge Otero Barreto of Vega Baja completed five service periods and some 200 missions in Vietnam and accumulated 38 decorations, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. About 1,700 Puerto Rico National Guard members were deployed for Desert Shield and Desert Storm, per a Department of Defense historical review. Pedro Muñoz, raised in Quebradillas, served in Army Special Forces and later in Haiti and Afghanistan, where he died on January 2, 2005, after being wounded in a mission against a Taliban fighter.
Navy corpsman Amílcar Rodríguez of Caguas received the Silver Star for actions on November 6, 2009, rescuing a wounded Marine under fire and taking three shots. Lizbeth Robles of Vega Baja died at 31 on March 1, 2005, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.