“The Puerto Ricans give daily proof on the battlefields of Korea of their courage, determination and resolute will to victory. They are writing a brilliant record of heroism in battle.” 

By Talia Aikens-Nuñez

Operation Thunderbolt kicked off at the height of the Korean War — January 25, 1951.

Launched as a counter offensive to check the Chinese advance south, which now threatened Seoul, it involved UN forces from the United States, Great Britain, South Korea and Turkey.  

In the opening phase of Thunderbolt, one of the American regiments involved, the U.S. Army’s 65th Infantry Regiment was ordered to push north towards the South Korean capital.

Over the next several days, the men of the 65th seized hills that were held by the Chinese, in the process carrying out the last battalion-sized bayonet charge in United States Army history.

Of course, that’s not the only thing that sets the 65th apart in the annals of American history. The unit, dubbed “the Borinqueneers,” is the only all-Puerto Rican regiment in the United States military.

The 65th has a unique place in military history. For starters, since the regiment’s creation in 1899, the unit was naturally desegregated: It was composed of Puerto Rican soldiers who were both white and Black. The U.S. military wouldn’t fully desegregate for another 49 years. The unit would go on to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces in the First World War, however, due to segregation policies at the time, they were primarily relegated to support roles.  

During the Second World War, the 65th would initially be assigned to protect the Panama Canal before being deployed to North Africa, where they’d see no combat. In late 1944, they were transferred to southern France, where, aside from a few small firefights, they saw little action, being largely given rear echelon security roles.

Ironically, the 65th Infantry Regiment made its first big splash in peacetime. In January of 1950, the Borinqueneers surprised the military brass with their combat readiness during a military exercise called Operation Portrex.

The wargame involved a hypothetical American invasion of a Caribbean nation. The tiny island of Vieques off Puerto Rico would be the site of the exercise. The 65th was assigned the role of hostile local forces.

Not only did the men of the regiment successfully capture the Marine reconnaissance units inserted into the island in advance of the landing, the defenders prepared fortifications strong enough to stall the amphibious assault on the beach while capturing many of the airborne troops parachuted onto the island. What’s more, soldiers of the 65th managed to infiltrate the ranks of the ‘invaders’ to sow confusion and collect intelligence.

Portrex shocked the Pentagon and proved that the Puerto Rican regiment was fit for frontline combat. And it would not be long before they’d be called upon to do just that. That’s because six months later, America would find itself at war in Korea. 

The unit landed at Pusan on Aug. 27, 1950. It soon began advancing with UN forces up the Korean Peninsula taking many North Korean POWs along the way and gaining territory.

By year’s end, China entered the conflict with a quarter of a million troops throwing the Allied war effort off balance. The 65th made headlines during the famous Battle of the Chosin Reservoir when it, along with other U.S. Army units, held the line, allowing the battered and frozen 1st Marine Division to withdraw.

For their exploits, General MacArthur visited the Borinqueneers in the field and commended their bravery. 

“The Puerto Ricans forming the ranks of the gallant 65th Infantry give daily proof on the battlefields of Korea of their courage, determination and resolute will to victory,” MacArthur commented. “They are writing a brilliant record of heroism in battle.”

As the war progressed, veterans from the 65th were rotated back to the United States. Green replacements filled the ranks. Many of the fresh troops spoke only Spanish, while English-speaking recruits from the mainland U.S. were added to bring the regiment up to strength. Unit cohesion suffered. It was in September of 1952 that these problems came to a head. 

While defending Outpost Kelly, a hill near the 38th parallel, the unit was surprised by a Chinese assault. The enemy killed or captured 40 per cent of Company B, which was defending the hill. The defeat shook the wider U.S. Army. The brass relieved the regiment’s commander. The new CO stripped the regiment of its nickname “Borinqueneers,” ended the serving of Puerto Rican rations, and ordered that the men shave their mustaches and beards “until such a time as they gave proof of their manhood.” After reeling from their crushing defeat, the harsh response further lowered morale. 

While demoralized by the defeat and the punitive measures brought in by their new commander, morale in the 65th was further eroded.

While defending Hill 391, later referred to as Jackson Heights, the 65th came under heavy bombardment. Because they were deployed in such a forward position, fresh supplies had trouble reaching them. Also, the hill was made of impenetrable rock making digging in virtually impossible.

After suffering the loss of their commander, the soldiers of A company retreated from Jackson Heights. Some men carried dead or wounded soldiers back others simply ran. It has been described by one former soldier as “a massacre…many dead. An avalanche of screaming.” 

The 2nd Battalion commander, a native Puerto Rican, ordered A company to return to their positions. Many refused the orders.

In the aftermath, more than 160 Borinqueneers would be arrested for desertion and insubordination. As many as 91 would be charged and convicted. Prison sentences ranged from one-year to 18 years hard labor. It was the largest mass court martial of the Korean War.

A few weeks later, another unit was ordered to retake Jackson Heights. Like the 65th, they were driven back, with many refusing to fight. None were court martialed.

It was a black eye for a regiment that had served with such distinction. In its time in Korea, men of the 65th regiment would receive nearly 600 Bronze Stars, 256 Silver Stars, 10 Distinguished Service Crosses and 2,771 Purple Hearts. One veteran of the unit, Master Sergeant Juan E. Negrón, would eventually be awarded the Medal of Honor for single handedly holding off waves of enemy soldiers with his rifle and hand grenades on the night of April 28, 1951. 

Years later, the convictions were overturned for the Borinqueneers and they were given honorable discharges. 

In my book, Men of the 65th: The Borinqueneers of the Korean War, I tell the forgotten stories of the 65th Infantry Regiment in the Korean War. I guide the reader through the history of the Borinqueneers and the challenges they faced leading up to what was the largest court martial in the entire war. Understand and discover the bravery of the men of the 65th through writing and the soldiers’ firsthand accounts of the Korean War in my book. 

Talia Aikens-Nuñez is the author of Men of the 65th: The Borinqueneers of the Korean War.