[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1726 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1726
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment,
known as the Borinqueneers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 25, 2013
Mr. Posey (for himself and Mr. Pierluisi) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in
addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment,
known as the Borinqueneers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) In 1898, the United States acquired Puerto Rico in the
Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War and, by the
following year, Congress had authorized raising a unit of
volunteer soldiers in the newly acquired territory.
(2) In May 1917, two months after legislation granting
United States citizenship to individuals born in Puerto Rico
was signed into law, and one month after the United States
entered World War I, the unit was transferred to the Panama
Canal Zone because United States Army policy at the time
restricted most segregated units to noncombat roles, although
the regiment could have contributed to the fighting effort.
(3) In June 1920, the unit was re-designated as the ``65th
Infantry Regiment, United States Army'', and it would serve as
the United States military's last segregated unit composed of
Hispanic soldiers.
(4) In January 1943, 13 months after the attack on Pearl
Harbor that marked the entry of the United States into World
War II, the Regiment again deployed to the Panama Canal Zone,
before deploying overseas in the spring of 1944.
(5) Despite the Regiment's relatively limited combat
service in World War II, the unit suffered casualties in the
course of defending against enemy attacks, with individual
soldiers earning one Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver
Stars, two Bronze Stars and 90 Purple Hearts, and the unit
receiving campaign participation credit for Rome-Arno,
Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.
(6) Although an executive order issued by President Harry
S. Truman in July 1948 declared it to be United States policy
to ensure equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons
in the armed services without respect to race or color,
implementation of this policy had yet to be fully realized when
armed conflict broke out on the Korean peninsula in June 1950,
and both African-American soldiers and Puerto Rican soldiers
served in segregated units.
(7) Brigadier General William W. Harris, who served as the
Regiment's commander during the early stages of the Korean War,
later recalled that he had initially been reluctant to take the
position because of ``prejudice'' within the military and ``the
feeling of the officers and even the brass of the Pentagon . .
. that the Puerto Rican wouldn't make a good combat soldier. .
. . I know my contemporaries felt that way and, in all honesty,
I must admit that at the time I had the same feeling . . . that
the Puerto Rican was a rum and Coca-Cola soldier.''.
(8) One of the first opportunities the regiment had to
prove its combat worthiness arose on the eve of the Korean War
during PORTREX, one of the largest military exercises that had
been conducted up until that point, where the Regiment
distinguished itself by repelling an offensive consisting of
over 32,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division and the
United States Marine Corps, supported by the Navy and Air
Force, thereby demonstrating that Puerto Rican soldiers could
hold their own against some of the best-trained soldiers in the
United States military.
(9) In August 1950, as the United States Army's situation
in Korea deteriorated, the commander of the 3rd Infantry
Division requested another infantry regiment to be added to his
organization and, owing in large part to the 65th Infantry
Regiment's outstanding performance during PORTREX, it was
selected for the assignment.
(10) As the Regiment sailed to Asia in September 1950,
members of the unit informally decided to call themselves the
``Borinqueneers'', a term derived from the Taino word for
Puerto Rico meaning ``land of the brave lord''.
(11) The story of the 65th Infantry Regiment during the
Korean War has been aptly described as ``one of pride, courage,
heartbreak, and redemption''.
(12) Fighting as a segregated unit from 1950 to 1952, the
Regiment participated in some of the fiercest battles of the
war, and its toughness, courage and loyalty earned the
admiration of many who had previously harbored reservations
about Puerto Rican soldiers based on negative stereotypes,
including Brigadier General William W. Harris, whose experience
eventually led him to regard the Regiment as ``the best damn
soldiers that I had ever seen''.
(13) Arriving in Pusan, South Korea in September 1950, the
regiment was assigned the mission of destroying or capturing
small groups of North Korean soldiers, and its success led
General Douglas MacArthur, Commander-in-Chief of the United
Nations Command in Korea, to observe that the Regiment was
``showing magnificent ability and courage in field
operations''.
(14) In December 1950, following China's intervention in
the war, the Regiment engaged in a series of fierce battles
with the enemy to cover the rear guard of the 1st Marine
Division as it executed one of the greatest withdrawals in
modern military history during the fighting retreat from the
Chosin Reservoir.
(15) The Regiment was instrumental in helping to secure the
final foothold for the Marine evacuation at Hungham, and was
among the last units to leave the beachhead on Christmas Eve,
suffering tremendous casualties in the process.
(16) The winter conditions in Korea presented significant
hardships for the Regiment, which suffered hundreds of
casualties because its soldiers lacked appropriate gear to
fight in sub-zero temperatures.
(17) Between January and March 1951, the Regiment
participated in numerous operations to recover and retain South
Korean territory lost to the enemy, assaulting heavily
fortified enemy positions and conducting the last recorded
battalion-sized bayonet assault in United States Army history.
(18) On January 31, 1951, the commander of Eighth Army,
Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway wrote to the Regiment's
commander: ``What I saw and heard of your regiment reflects
great credit on you, your regiment, and the people of Puerto
Rico, who can be proud of their valiant sons. I am confident
that their battle records and training levels will win them
high honors. . . . Their conduct in battle has served only to
increase the high regard in which I hold these fine troops.''
(19) On February 3, 1951, General MacArthur wrote: ``The
Puerto Ricans forming the ranks of the gallant 65th Infantry on
the battlefields of Korea by valor, determination, and a
resolute will to victory give daily testament to their
invincible loyalty to the United States and the fervor of their
devotion to those immutable standards of human relations to
which the Americans and Puerto Ricans are in common dedicated.
They are writing a brilliant record of achievement in battle
and I am proud indeed to have them in this command. I wish that
we might have many more like them.''
(20) The Regiment played a critical role in the United
States counteroffensive responding to a major push by the
Chinese Communist Forces (CFF) in 1951, winning praise for its
superb performance in multiple battles, including Operations
KILLER and RIPPER.
(21) By 1952, in light of the Regiment's proven fighting
abilities, senior United States commanders ordered that
replacement soldiers from Puerto Rico should no longer be
limited to service in the Regiment, but could be made available
to fill personnel shortages in non-segregated units both inside
and outside the 3rd Infantry Division, a major milestone that,
paradoxically, harmed the Regiment by depriving it of some of
Puerto Rico's most able soldiers.
(22) Beyond the many hardships endured by most American
soldiers in Korea, the Regiment faced unique challenges due to
discrimination and prejudice, including--
(A) the humiliation of being ordered to shave their
moustaches ``until such a time as they gave proof of
their manhood'';
(B) being forced to use separate showering
facilities from their non-Hispanic ``Continental''
officers;
(C) being ordered not to speak Spanish under
penalty of court-martial;
(D) flawed personnel-rotation policies based on
ethnic and organizational prejudices; and
(E) a catastrophic shortage of trained
noncommissioned officers.
(23) In 1953, the now fully integrated Regiment earned
admiration for its relentless defense of Outpost Harry, during
which it confronted multiple company-size probes, full-scale
regimental attacks, and heavy artillery and mortar fire from
Chinese forces, earning 14 Silver Stars, 23 Bronze Stars, and
67 Purple Hearts, in operations that Major General Eugene W.
Ridings described as ``highly successful in that the enemy was
denied the use of one of his best routes of approach into the
friendly position.''.
(24) For its extraordinary service during the Korean War,
the Regiment received two Presidential Unit Citations (Army and
Navy), two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations, a
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), a Navy Unit Commendation,
the Bravery Gold Medal of Greece, and campaign participation
credits for United Nations Offensive, CCF Intervention, First
United Nations Counteroffensive, CCF Spring Offensive, United
Nations Summer-Fall Offensive, Second Korean Winter, Korea
Summer-Fall 1952, Third Korean Winter, and Korea Summer 1953.
(25) In Korea, soldiers in the Regiment earned a total of
10 Distinguished Service Crosses, approximately 250 Silver
Stars, over 600 Bronze Stars, and more than 2,700 Purple
Hearts, but--despite numerous individual acts of uncommon
valor--no Medals of Honor.
(26) In all, some 61,000 Puerto Ricans served in the United
States Army during the Korean War, the bulk of them with the
65th Infantry Regiment--and over the course of the war, Puerto
Rican soldiers suffered a disproportionately high casualty
rate, with over 740 killed and over 2,300 wounded.
(27) In April 1956, as part of the reduction in forces
following the Korean War, the 65th Infantry Regiment was
deactivated from the Regular Army and, in February 1959, became
the only regular Army unit to have ever been transferred to the
National Guard, when its 1st battalion and its regimental
number were assigned to the Puerto Rico National Guard, where
it has remained ever since.
(28) In 1982, the United States Army Center of Military
History officially authorized granting the 65th Infantry
Regiment the special designation of ``Borinqueneers''.
(29) In the years since the Korean War, the achievements of
the Regiment have been recognized in various ways, including--
(A) the naming of streets in honor of the regiment
in San Juan, Puerto Rico and The Bronx, New York;
(B) the erecting of plaques and other monuments to
honor the Regiment at Arlington National Cemetery in
Arlington, Virginia; the San Juan National Historic
Site in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Ft. Logan National
Cemetery in Denver, Colorado; and at sites in Boston,
Massachusetts and Ocala, Florida;
(C) the renaming of a park in Buenaventura Lake,
Florida as the ``65th Infantry Veterans Park'';
(D) a grant awarded by the New York State
government to establish a memorial honoring the
Regiment at Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park
in Buffalo, New York;
(E) the introduction or adoption of resolutions or
proclamations honoring the Regiment by the City of
Buffalo, New York; the City of Deltona, Florida; the
City of Kissimmee, Florida; the City of Orlando,
Florida; the City of Springfield, Massachusetts; the
County of Erie, Pennsylvania; the Florida House of
Representatives; the New York State Assembly; the New
York State Senate; and the Texas State Senate; and
(F) the 1985 issuance of a United States Postal
Service Korean War Commemorative Stamp depicting
soldiers from the Regiment.
(30) In a speech delivered at a September 20, 2000,
ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of the
Regiment, Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera said: ``Even as
the 65th struggled against all deadly enemies in the field,
they were fighting a rearguard action against a more insidious
adversary--the cumulative effects of ill-conceived military
policies, leadership shortcomings, and especially racial and
organizational prejudices, all exacerbated by America's
unpreparedness for war and the growing pains of an Army forced
by law and circumstance to carry out racial integration.
Together these factors would take their inevitable toll on the
65th, leaving scars that have yet to heal for so many of the
regiment's proud and courageous soldiers.''.
(31) Secretary Caldera said: ``To the veterans of the 65th
Infantry Regiment who, in that far off land fifty years ago,
fought with rare courage even as you endured misfortune and
injustice, thank you for doing your duty. There can be no
greater praise than that for any soldier of the United States
Army.''.
(32) Secretary Caldera noted that ``[t]he men of the 65th
who served in Korea are a significant part of a proud tradition
of service'' that includes the Japanese American 442nd
Regimental Combat Team, the African American Tuskegee Airmen,
and ``many other unsung minority units throughout the history
of our armed forces whose stories have never been fully
told.''.
(33) The service of the men of the 65th Infantry Regiment
is emblematic of the contributions to the armed forces that
have been made by hundreds of thousands of brave and patriotic
United States citizens from Puerto Rico over generations, from
World War I to the most recent conflicts in Afghanistan and
Iraq, and in other overseas contingency operations.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Award Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate
arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold
medal of appropriate design in honor of the 65th Infantry Regiment,
known as the Borinqueneers, in recognition of its pioneering military
service, devotion to duty, and many acts of valor in the face of
adversity.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to
in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereinafter in this
Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike the gold medal with
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the
Secretary.
(c) Smithsonian Institution.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal in
honor of the 65th Infantry Regimen, known as the Borinqueneers,
the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution,
where it will be displayed as appropriate and made available
for research.
(2) Sense of the congress.--It is the sense of the Congress
that the Smithsonian Institution shall make the gold medal
received under this Act available for display elsewhere,
particularly at other appropriate locations associated with the
65th Infantry Regiment, including locations in Puerto Rico.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal
struck under section 2, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the
medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.
Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes
of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the cost of the medals struck
pursuant to this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amount received from the sale of duplicate
bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the United States
Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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