WASHINGTON (AP) — Puerto Rican Army troops from a segregated regiment known the Borinqueneers (bohr-ehn-kin-‘EERS) are being honored with a Congressional Gold Medal that’s been a century in the making.
President Barack Obama signed legislation Tuesday granting the award to the 65th Infantry Regiment that participated in both World Wars and the Korean War.
Obama says the legislation “honors military heroes from our history.”
The Borinqueneers were a Hispanic unit segregated from their fellow soldiers, much like the black Tuskegee Airmen and the Navajo Code Talkers. But unlike those other groups, they had not been recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal for their contributions to American history until now.
A few of the Borinqueneers were in attendance for the bill signing and received a standing ovation.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
