[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE GENERATIONS WHO FORGED OUR LEGACY OF FREEDOM, PUERTO 
                         RICO'S ETERNAL PLEDGE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. PABLO JOSE HERNANDEZ

                             of puerto rico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 19, 2026

  Mr. HERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a truth that Puerto 
Rico has lived for more than a century: freedom is not inherited. It is 
forged. Forged in sacrifice, in courage, and in the lives of men and 
women who answered every call this Nation made, with unmatched devotion 
and without hesitation. This coming Memorial Day, as our people prepare 
to gather at the Morovis National Cemetery under the theme ``Freedom 
Forged by Our Heroes,'' I express our eternal gratitude to those who 
purchased our freedom with their lives, and our solemn pledge to be 
worthy of it.
  For more than a century, Puerto Rico has sent its sons and daughters 
to every theater of American conflict. In World War I and World War II, 
tens of thousands served with distinction, carrying the flag of this 
Nation across every theater of war. In Korea, the 65th Infantry 
Regiment, the Borinqueneers, forged a legacy that could not be ignored: 
two Korean Presidential Unit Citations, more than 2,700 Purple Hearts, 
and the Congressional Gold Medal, authorized by this body in 2014 and 
formally presented in 2016. Among them stood Private First Class 
Fernando Luis Garcia of Utuado, who threw himself upon an enemy grenade 
on September 5, 1952, so his fellow Marines could live. He became 
Puerto Rico's first Medal of Honor recipient. His name became a 
standard.
  In Vietnam, Private First Class Carlos James Lozada of Caguas and 
Specialist Hector Santiago-Colon of Salinas each gave their lives to 
save their comrades--Lozada by holding his exposed position under 
withering fire so his platoon could withdraw, Santiago-Colon by 
shielding a grenade with his body--both awarded the Medal of Honor 
posthumously. Two men, two moments, one unbreakable thread of 
sacrifice.
  That thread did not end there. Sergeant First Class Pedro A. Munoz of 
Quebradillas, a Green Beret, was killed on January 2, 2005, after his 
Special Forces patrol encountered enemy fire in Shindand, Afghanistan. 
Sergeant First Class Jose A. Rivera of Barranquitas, an 82nd Airborne 
paratrooper, was killed on November 5, 2003, when his patrol came under 
fire in Mumuhdyah, Iraq.
  And recently, Puerto Rico mourned Major Ariana G. Linse Savino--a 
proud daughter of Puerto Rico, a 31-year-old Air Force pilot, Chief of 
Current Operations of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, killed in the 
line of duty on March 12, 2026, in western Iraq. Governor Gonzalez 
Colon awarded her the Governor's Medal for Valor and Patriotism--the 
first time in history that honor was given posthumously. Regarding her 
family: Puerto Rico embraces them, and will forever carry her memory.
  For generations, Puerto Rico's fallen rested at the Bayamon National 
Cemetery, a ground made sacred by the heroes it received. When Bayamon 
reached its capacity and closed to new interments, Puerto Rico did not 
leave its veterans without an answer. The Morovis National Cemetery 
rose to carry that sacred trust forward, extending the same dignity 
deeper into the heart of the island, closer to the communities that 
have given the most. Nestled in the mountains of Puerto Rico, Morovis 
stands as living proof that our commitment to those who serve does not 
expire. No hero of this island will rest forgotten, and no family will 
carry their grief without the full honor their loved one earned.
  From the frozen hills of Korea to the skies above Iran, Puerto Rico 
has answered every call, in every generation, without fail.
  Freedom Forged by Our Heroes is not a phrase chosen lightly. It is a 
truth written in sacrifice, carried across generations, and honored in 
Morovis, Bayamon, and all across Puerto Rico.

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