[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4382]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


              BORINQUENEERS CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL AWARD

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                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2016

  Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the privilege of 
participating in the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in honor of the 
65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers. I want to once 
again express my most heartfelt congratulations to the Regiment on this 
important and long overdue recognition.
  This all-volunteer Puerto Rican unit, of more than 100,000 soldiers, 
served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. The 
Borinqueneers have been recognized with one Medal of Honor, 10 
Distinguished Service Crosses, more than 250 Silver Stars, over 600 
Bronze Stars, and nearly 3,000 Purple Hearts. Yesterday, they receive 
the highest award Congress can bestow.
  Hundreds of these veterans and their families have made my district 
in Central Florida their home. I am honored to have been a co-sponsor 
of the legislation that finally awarded them the Congressional Gold 
Medal. I am also proud to have urged the President to expedite the 
striking of their Medal, and in accordance with Public Law No. 113-120, 
a single gold medal was struck to honor the 65th Infantry Regiment.
  This medal honors the lives of soldiers like Richard Acosta, a 
resident of my district. Originally from Arroyo, Puerto Rico, Mr. 
Acosta bravely fought on the front lines during the Battle of Outpost 
Kelly in Korea. He recounts how he almost lost his life when his rifle 
jammed in the middle of the battle and when he went to go inform his 
Lieutenant, he felt the whizzing sound of bullets that narrowly passed 
within inches of his head. Immediately taking cover, Mr. Acosta 
continued to battle without a rifle until he was able to reach his 
Lieutenant to get a new one.
  Similarly, the Freytes-Menendez Brothers, Celio, Erasto, and Anibal, 
were among the first U.S. troops to engage the enemy when they landed 
in Korea. Dennis Freytes, son of Celio Freytes-Menendez and an advocate 
for veterans in my district, recounts how his father, who served in 
World War II and Korea, survived a mortar shot that landed in a foxhole 
he had just left, which sadly killed four of his fellow Borinqueneers. 
For his heroism, Freytes-Menendez was awarded the Combat Infantryman 
Badge and the Bronze Star for Valor.
  I've heard countless stories of many brave Borinqueneers who did not 
come back home. Rafael Sanchez Saliva, whose family lives in my 
district, served in the 65th Infantry Regiment in Puerto Rico and later 
in the U.S. Army Ranger Regiment. He served two tours in Korea and was 
tragically killed in action by a tank mine while serving in Vietnam.
  Puerto Ricans have fought for the United States as far back as the 
American Revolution, and continue to do so honorably to this day. 
Thousands have given their lives defending our values of freedom, 
justice, and equality, despite enduring decades of segregation and 
second-class treatment.
  It was a privilege to have joined the Borinqueneers on a day of 
recognition and remembrance as our nation honored their pioneering 
military service, devotion to duty, and many acts of valor in the face 
of adversity.




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