Puerto Ricans in the Vietnam War

One of the consequences of the Spanish–American War was that Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States in accordance to the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898, ratified on December 10, 1898.

The timing of the Jones Act was intentional—it enabled the United States to forcibly conscript Puerto Ricans into the U.S. military, and rapidly deploy them to the trenches of the European front.

Puerto Ricans who resided in the island were immediately assigned to the "Porto Rico Provisional Regiment of Infantry," organized on June 30, 1901, and served in World War I.

[5] The United States entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment.

[7] Lieutenant Diego E. Hernández, who retired from the Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral, flew two combat tours in Vietnam during the war.

[8] Notable Puerto Ricans who served in the United States Air Force in Vietnam were: Major General Salvador E. Felices held various positions within the military.

[9] Brigadier General Antonio Maldonado, who in 1967 became the youngest pilot and Aircraft Commander of a B-52 Stratofortress nuclear bomber, was assigned in January 1971 to the 432nd Tactical Fighter Reconnaissance Wing, Udon Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand.

Versace was captured during his second tour and taken to a prison deep in the jungle along with two other Americans, Lieutenant Nick Rowe and Sergeant Dan Pitzer.

Realizing that there was no time to throw out the grenade, he tucked it in to his stomach and turning away from his comrades, absorbed the full impact of the blast, sacrificing his life to save his fellow soldiers from certain death.

[19] Staff Sergeant Felix M. Conde-Falcon was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in a special ceremony held in the White House on March 18, 2014, for his courageous actions while serving as an acting Platoon Leader in Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 3d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Ap Tan Hoa, Republic of Vietnam on April 4, 1969.

Half of a platoon was pinned down under enemy fire and Mendez, volunteered to lead a squad to assist the pinned-down Marines in returning to friendly lines with their two dead and two seriously wounded.

Mendez shielded him with his body as he applied a dressing to the wound; he picked up Castille and started to carry him to friendly lines, which were more than seventy-five meters away.

When the enemy forces threw a granade at his podition, he covered it with his helmet and smothered the explosion with his own body, thereby saving the lives of his comrades.

Actions which merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree to be above those required for all other U.S. combat decorations but not meeting the criteria for the Medal of Honor.

On three occasions Staff Sergeant Figueroa-Meléndez purposely drew communist volleys on himself to permit his men to draw back to protected positions.

[29] Jorge Otero Barreto was born in the town of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, the son of Eloy Otero-Bruno and Crispina Barreto-Torres.

[32] From 1961 to 1970, Otero Barreto served five tours in Southeast Asia,[33] starting as an advisor who helped train South Vietnamese troops.

[40] The PAVN forces were driven back after artillery fire and helicopter gunships were called in and Company B returned to its original position.

A search by two battalions who were brought in to sweep the area of only enemy activity did not produce Acosta-Rosario's body and he was officially listed as MIA.

His name is on panel 47W, line 030 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. and he is also list in El Monumento de la Recordación located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

On June 6, 1968, his unit was participating in Operation Robin in the rugged jungle covered mountains southwest of Khe Sanh, Quảng Trị Province.

After Landing Zone Loon had been attacked by a PAVN force earlier that day Company D was being extracted by a CH-46A Sea Knight helicopter.

As the helicopter gained altitude, it was hit by ground fire causing it to crash onto an east–west mountain ridgeline, roll down to the bottom of the hill and burst into flames.

[citation needed] In 2006, a team began excavating the site and recovered human remains and non-biological material evidence including La Plant's identification tag.

The remains of the four men share a single casket along with a box engraved with their names which was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

[46] According to a study made in 1990, by the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute; called the National Survey of the Vietnam Generation (NSVG), Hispanics, among them Puerto Ricans, were younger than both Black and White majority veterans when they went to Vietnam.

Former Marine Lance Corporal Tony Santiago narrated the Puerto Rican experience during both the home-front and the battle grounds during the Vietnam War.

[50][deprecated source] On April 23, 1975, President Gerald Ford gave a televised speech declaring an end to the Vietnam War.

[52] Because of lack of separate documentation, the total number of Puerto Ricans who lived in the mainland United States and perished is unknown.

Among the Puerto Ricans who served in Vietnam and held important presidential administrative positions in the Administration of President George W. Bush were Major General William A. Navas Jr., who was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and was named Assistant Secretary of the Navy on June 6, 2001[57] and Dr. Richard Carmona, a former Green Beret who was awarded two Purple Hearts and was appointed Surgeon General in March 2002.