65th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Legacy

Legacy

Puerto Rico honored the unit by naming one of its principal avenues "La 65 de Infantería" in San Juan. The names of those who perished in combat are inscribed in "El Monumento de la Recordación" (Monument of Remembrance), which was unveiled on May 19, 1996 and is situated in front of the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In November 1999, Governor Pedro Rosselló, along with the Senate of Puerto Rico, chartered the 65th Infantry Honor Task Force and appointed Anthony Mele as chairman to work with Major General Nels Running, Director, Committee of the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War to commemorate the 65th Infantry Regiment. Tree planting and plaque commemoration ceremonies were organized around the USA, to include Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia; Fort San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.

On May 20, 2001, the government of Puerto Rico unveiled a monument honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment. The monument contains a statue of a soldier wearing a poncho with his rifle in one hand and the regiment's flag in the other hand.

On June 7, 2007, PBS aired The Borinqueneers, a documentary about the 65th Infantry written and directed by Noemí Figueroa Soulet with Raquel Ortiz as co-director. The narrators were Héctor Elizondo (English) and David Ortiz-Anglero (Spanish).

On November 30, 2012, an entire stretch of Southern Boulevard in the South Bronx, New York was co-named “La 65 de Infanteria Boulevard”.

Congressional Gold Medal

In 2012, the "Borinqueneers CGM Alliance" began a movement, directed to the United States Government, which may result in the award of the Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment.

A Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress and is, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. It is awarded to persons "who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement.

The military units which have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal are the Navaho Wind Talkers – Native American Marines whose primary job was the transmission of secret tactical messages with the use of their Native language, the Nisei Soldiers - Japanese American intelligence soldiers during WWII in the Pacific, Africa, Italy and France, the Tuskegee Airmen - the first African-American military aviators and the Montford Point Marines - the first African-Americans to break the race barrier in the Marines .