PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

"Borinqueneers" to Receive Congressional Gold Medal for Service

Army veteran Jose Colon remembers fighting in the dead of winter during the Korean War. Colon and the others in the 65th Infantry Regiment had little to no supplies to fight off the cold.

Over a century after it was founded in 1899, the remaining ‘Borinqueneers’ will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their services during WWI, WWII, and the Korean War.

“They were the best. Nothing, nothing like the Puerto Ricans”, Colon  remembered.

Colon joined the Army in 1937 at the age of 18-and for him, the medal rewards a lifetime of service alongside his companions.

President Obama is expected to sign the Legislation, and the Borinqueneers will head to Washington, D.C. for a ceremony.