Puerto Ricans Missing in Action in the Korean War

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

[edit] Korean War

A 1992 painting depicting the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment's bayonet charge against a Chinese division during the Korean War.

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 Chinese 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 Recordacion", a monument dedicated to the Puerto Ricans who have fallen in combat, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.^[9][10]

[edit] Puerto Ricans Missing In Action

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 Recordacion (The Wall of Remembrance) located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.^[10]

[edit] See also

• Military history of Puerto Rico
• 65th Infantry
• Puerto Ricans Missing in Action in the Vietnam War

[edit] References

1. ^ Military History, Retrieved September 15, 2007
2. ^ Korean War-Cold War. Advocacy & Intelligence Index For POWs-MIAs Archives. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
3. ^ Jones-Shafroth Act. The Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
4. ^ Definition of MIA. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
5. ^ ^{a b} All POW-MIA Korean War Casualties: Puerto Rico. Advocacy & Intelligence Index For POWs-MIAs Archives. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
6. ^ History of the 65th infantry regiment - Korean War. Valeros.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
7. ^ "Outpost Kelly: A Tanker's Story", by Jack R. Siewert, Publisher: Fire Ant Books, ISBN-13: 9780817353414
8. ^ The 65th Infrantry Regiment on Kelly in September 1952. Mervino.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
9. ^ Puerto Rico National Cemetery. Interment.net. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
10. ^ ^{a b} Monumento de la Recordacion. Rootsweb.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.