Puerto Ricans Missing in Action in the Korean War |
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Location of the island of Puerto Rico (green) |
This is a list of Puerto Ricans Missing in Action in the Korean War. A total of 61,000 Puerto Ricans served in the military during the Korean War, most of them volunteers.[1] A total of 121 Puerto Rican soldiers were among the 8,200 people listed as Missing in Action. This total does not include people of Puerto Rican descent who were born in the mainland of the United States.[2]
Puerto Rico was officially ceded to the United States from Spain under the terms of the 1898 Treaty of Paris which concluded the Spanish-American War. It is a United States territory and upon the outbreak of World War I, the U.S. Congress approved the Jones-Shafroth Act, which granted Puerto Ricans citizenship. As a result Puerto Ricans have participated in every major conflict involving the United States from World War I onward.[3]
Thousands of Puerto Ricans participated in these conflicts. Many lived and returned to their homeland, others were less fortunate and either died as a result of a hostile enemy action or have been listed as MIA (Missing In Action). Missing In Action (abbreviated MIA), is a term dating from 1946 referring to a member of the armed services who is reported missing following a combat mission and whose status as to injury, capture, or death is unknown. The missing combatant must not have been otherwise accounted for as either killed in action or a prisoner of war.[4] The Korean War was one of two major conflicts (The other one was the Vietnam War) which accounted for the most Puerto Ricans missing in action.
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According to "All POW-MIA Korean War Casualties", the total number of Puerto Rican casualties in the Korean War was 732; however, this total may vary slightly since some non-Puerto Ricans, such as Captain James W. Conner, were mistakenly included. Out of the 700 plus casualties suffered in the war, a total of 121 Puerto Rican men were listed as Missing in Action.[5]
It was during the Korean War that Puerto Ricans suffered the most casualties as members of an all-Hispanic volunteer unit, the 65th Infantry Regiment. One of the problems the unit faced was the difference in languages: the common foot soldier spoke only Spanish, while the commanding officers were mostly English-speaking Americans.[6] In September 1952, the 65th Infantry was holding on to a hill known as "Outpost Kelly" until the People's Volunteer Army (Chinese officials maintained from the first that the Chinese fighting in Korea were volunteers) which had joined the North Koreans, overran the position. This became known as the "Battle for Outpost Kelly". Twice, the 65th Regiment was overwhelmed by Chinese artillery and driven off. The Battle of Outpost Kelly accounted for 73 of the men missing in action from the total of 121.[7] Out of the 73 MIAs suffered by the regiment in the month of September, 50 of them occurred on the same day, September 18.[8]
During the Korean War, two Puerto Ricans who were members of the United States Marine Corps, where awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest medal, after the Medal of Honor, that can be awarded by the Department of the Navy. One of the recipients was PFC. Ramón Núñez-Juarez who was listed as MIA and was posthumously awarded the medal. PFC Ramón Núñez-Juarez's remains have never been recovered and a symbolic burial with full military honors was held on October 25, 1970. There is a headstone with his name inscribed above an empty grave in the Puerto Rico National Cemetery, located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. His name is inscribed in "El Monumento de la Recordación", a monument dedicated to the Puerto Ricans who have fallen in combat, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[9][10]
The following is a list with the names, ranks and the date in which 121 Puerto Ricans were listed as missing in action in the Korean War. All of these men served within the ranks of the United States Army with the sole exception of PFC. Ramón Núñez-Juarez, who served in the Marines.[5] Their names are inscribed in El Monumento de la Recordación (The Wall of Remembrance) located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[10]
Name | Rank | MIA Date |
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Acevedo, Isaac | Corporal | September 18, 1952 |
Alfaro Alfaro, Héctor | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Álvarez, Hugo | Corporal | June 5, 1951 |
Amaro García, Luis | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Andino Fonseca, Lopus | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Berríos Santiago, Jorge | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Bonilla Vega, Julio | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Burset Meléndez, José | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Caballero Moreno, A | Private First Class | April, 1953 |
Calderón Osorio, Juan | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Calimano Texidor, A | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Caraballo, Benigno | Private | December 11, 1951 |
Caramot Ortiz, Juan | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Cartagena Colón, Miguel | Private | Unknown |
Colón Aponte, Manuel | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Colón, Concepción | Private | July 31, 1952 |
Colón Negrón, Luis | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Concepción López, José | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Cordero Cajigas, Zenon | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Cortés Ostolaza, Ángel | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Cosme Báez, Francisco | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Cruz Beltrán, Jesús | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Cruz Carrero, José | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Cruz Espinoza, Roberto | Private | June 4, 1951 |
Cruz Pérez, Nicolás | Corporal | June 10, 1953 |
Cruz Ramos, Jesús | Private First Class | June 9, 1953 |
Cruz Rosas, Pablo | Private First Class | November 25, 1952 |
Cruz Sánchez, Ángel | Private First Class | September 10, 1952 |
Dávila Rivera, Carlos | Private | September 14, 1952 |
Delgado Ubiles, Wenceslao | Private | October 19, 1952 |
Díaz Acevedo, Luis | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Díaz Algarín, Demetrio | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Díaz Colón, Fernando | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Díaz Coto, Rafael | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Droz Cartagena, Saúl | Private First Class | December 15, 1952 |
Feliciano, Carlos D. | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Feliciano Nieves, Julio | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Feliciano Otero, Bienvenido | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Figueroa Barbosa, Luis | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Flores Navarro, Julio | Private | October 15, 1952 |
García Clara, Ismael | Private | September 18, 1952 |
García Rosado, Cándido | Private First Class | September 25, 1952 |
González Bernard, Manuel | Private | September 18, 1952 |
González Nazario, Israel | Private | July 17, 1952 |
González Ortiz, Juan E. | Private | September 18, 1952 |
González Renta, Porfirio | Private | September 18, 1952 |
González Rosario, Ángel | Private | September 18, 1952 |
González Saez, Israel | Private | September 18, 1952 |
González, Santos | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Hernández Dones, Isidro | Corporal | September 21, 1952 |
Hernández Rodríguez, Luis | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Hernández Torres, Benjamín | Private First Class | August 12, 1952 |
Irizarry Gerena, O. | Private | December 16, 1951 |
Jiménez Olivencia, A. | Corporal | September 18, 1952 |
Jiménez Tosado, Miguel | Private First Class | July 9, 1953 |
Lacsamana, Maximian | Corporal | December 3, 1950 |
Laugier, Jaime | Corporal | February 16, 1952 |
López Cronoz, Luis | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Malaret Juarbe, Israel | Sergeant First Class | December 10, 1952 |
Marquez De León, Ramón | Private First Class | October 27, 1952 |
Martínez Hernández, Luis | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Martínez Landrón, Ramon | Private | September 21, 1952 |
Martínez, Luis | Private | November 6, 1952 |
Martínez Otero, Pedro | Corporal | September 18, 1952 |
Matos González, Francisco | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Meléndez Meléndez, Alberto | Private First Class | October 23, 1952 |
Meléndez Negrón, Marcial | Corporal | September 24, 1952 |
Méndez Hernández, Luis | Corporal | July 19, 1952 |
Mercado Hernández, Salomé | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Miranda Cotto, Carlos | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Molina García, Roberto | Private First Class | September 21, 1952 |
Molina Gerena, Maximino | Corporal | February 6, 1952 |
Montañez Franco, Sixto | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Morales Reyes, Alfredo | Corporal | August 14, 1952 |
Moreno Rosa, Nelson | Corporal | September 18, 1952 |
Murga Amador, Ramón | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Napoleón Escudero, José A. | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Negrón Martínez, Jorge | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Negrón Ortiz, José | Corporal | September 18, 1952 |
Nieves Larry, Arcadio | Corporal | September 24, 1952 |
Núñez-Juarez, Ramón | Private First Class | September 8, 1952 |
Pacheco, Bartolomé | Private | January 8, 1952 |
Peña Andújar, Juan | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Pérez, Miguel | Private First Class | January 8, 1952 |
Pérez Pérez, Pedro | Private First Class | August 12, 1952 |
Pérez Rodríguez, Efraín | Corporal | July 20, 1952 |
Pérez Villegas, Luis | Private | September 18, 1952 |
Pizarro Matos, Nicolás | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Pomales Pomales, Pedro | Private | September 21, 1952 |
Quiñones, Pedro A. | Corporal | September 24, 1952 |
Quirindongo, Marino | Private | December 16, 1951 |
Reyes Rodríguez, Marcos | Private | October 27, 1952 |
Reyes, William | Private | June 5, 1951 |
Rivera Carrillo, Juan | Private First Class | October 28, 1952 |
Rivera Claudio, Roberto | Private | October, 1952 |
Rivera Cruz, Gilberto | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Rivera Galarza, Israel | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Rivera, Luis P. | Private First Class | September 26, 1952 |
Rivera Rodríguez, Raul | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Rivera, Rubén | Private | September 24, 1952 |
Rodríguez, Enrique | Private | July 8, 1953 |
Rodríguez Lozada, Alberto | Sergeant First Class | June 4, 1951 |
Rodríguez, Pedro A. | Private First Class | January 11, 1952 |
Rojas Reyes, Juan | Private First Class | September 20, 1952 |
Roque Peña, Ramón | Private First Class | October 16, 1952 |
Rosado Bravo, José | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Rosario Meléndez, Francisco | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Salgado Torres, Ángel | Private | January 8, 1952 |
Sanabria, Ángel S. | Private First Class | January 28, 1952 |
Sánchez López, Rafael | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Santiago, Angel L. | Private | June 3, 1951 |
Santiago Ortiz, José | Private First Class | October 14, 1952 |
Santiago Rosario, Ramón | Sergeant | February 6, 1952 |
Santos Rivero, Norberto | Corporal | June 4, 1951 |
Santos Rosario, Nicolás | Private First Class | December 11, 1951 |
Torres Cabán, José | First Lieutenant | September 29, 1950 |
Torres Green, Jorge | Private | July 19, 1952 |
Torres Rodríguez, Samuel | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Vázquez, Jorge L. | Sergeant | February 6, 1952 |
Vélez Montes, Luis | Private First Class | September 18, 1952 |
Vélez Santiago, Miguel | Private | December 23, 1951 |
Zayas, Miguel A. | Private First Class | February 6, 1952 |
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