Puerto Ricans in the U.S Military

Back in April, during a quick trip to Washington DC, we came across a monument in the World War II Memorial honoring the Puerto Rican soldiers who served in this war. I've met quite a few veterans on the island who have fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In fact, Puerto Ricans have served in the U.S military since 1898. The 65th Infantry Regiment, aka "The Borinqueneers," was an all-volunteer regiment of the U.S Army which participated in both WWI and WWII. They actually made the first shot in WWI, and they will be celebrating their first commemoration at the end of this month.

Currently, there are thousands of Boricuas serving in the U.S military stationed all over the world. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has caused much uproar here on the island, since nearly 100 Puerto Rican soldiers have died while on duty. I've come across Madres Contra La Guerra (translation: "Mothers Against War") on many occasions while driving by the National Guard station on Roosevelt Avenue. They're anti-war activists on the island that have been spoken out against the war in Iraq from the very beginning. Some are simply against the war, and some say Puerto Rico should not be involved in this so-called "war against terror."