Latest news with #Borinqueneers
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Osceola County honors the brave Borinqueneers
A special luncheon filled with gratitude and remembrance took place today in Osceola County, honoring the remarkable men of the 65th Infantry Regiment, better known as the Borinqueneers. This unit, comprised primarily of courageous soldiers from Puerto Rico, has a long and distinguished history of service to our nation. Sheriff Marco Lopez of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office hosted the event, emphasizing the profound importance of recognizing the Borinqueneers' unwavering dedication and the significant sacrifices they made for the United States. 'Today is about recognizing these incredible men, the Borinqueneers, for their unwavering dedication and the sacrifices they made for our country,' Sheriff Lopez stated during the luncheon. Among the honored guests was Staff Sergeant Gil Citrones, a 96-year-old veteran who also attended last year's commemoration. He expressed his deep gratitude for the outpouring of love and honor from the community. 'I feel blessed to be here, to feel the love and honor from everyone. We did what we had to do,' said Staff Sgt. Citrones. The room was filled with respect as deputies from the Sheriff's Office, chiefs from the Kissimmee and St. Cloud Police Departments and family and friends gathered to pay tribute to these heroes. Each Borinqueneer in attendance received a certificate of appreciation from Sheriff Lopez as a symbol of the community's immense gratitude. Sheriff Lopez highlighted the immense sacrifice made by these soldiers, many of whom left the warm tropical climate of Puerto Rico to serve in the harsh conditions of the Korean War, and some even in Vietnam. 'Their sacrifice is something we must never forget,' he emphasized. The Borinqueneers faced not only the dangers of combat but also the challenges of discrimination. Despite these obstacles, they displayed incredible valor and earned numerous accolades throughout their service, securing a lasting and honored place in American military history. Today's event served as a vital reminder of their bravery, resilience, and deep love for their country – a legacy that continues to inspire. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Segregation and Sacrifice: Central Florida honors the all-Latino 65th infantry regiment
Central Florida leaders are shining a light on a distinguished group of veterans that served in the U.S. 65th Infantry Regiment. The 65th also known as the 'Borinqueneers,' were nicknamed for the Taino Indians who were the native inhabitants of Puerto Rico, or Borinquen. The unit is an all Hispanic group made of mostly Puerto Rican soldiers. The Borinqueneers distinguished themselves for their bravery, with members fighting in both world wars and the Korean War while enduring discrimination and generally unfair treatment. According to the VA, The Borinqueneers were the largest, longest standing, and only segregated active duty Latino unit in military history. The regiment's service during the Korean War earned the unit 2,700 Purple Hearts, as well as one Medal of Honor and nine Distinguished Service Crosses. While the unit was deactivated from regular U.S. Army service in 1956, in the years since, the Borinqueneers have been recognized for their contributions throughout United States military history. In 2016, the 65th was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and in 2020, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included the language designating April 13 as National Borinqueneers Day. On Tuesday, Orange County Commissioners honored the veterans, with a proclamation honoring the Borinqueneers across the county. The Osceola County Sheriff's office plans to honor surviving Boriquneers who are now in their 80s and 90s during a Luncheon Friday. For Orange County resident, Dennis Freytes, the quest to honor the regiment is personal. His father, SFC. Celio Freytes Menendez, served with the Borinqueneers during both World War 2 and the Korean War. 'He believed in the ideals that make America great. We the people for freedom, equality,' said Dennis Freytes. Dennis remembers his father's bravery in an era of segregation that still loomed large before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gained national prominence. 'He fought, even though he didn't have all the rights,' said Dennis. He points out, currently Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but to this day islanders who serve in military can't vote in the general election for president. He told Channel 9 his father died in 2011 while residing in the U.S. territory, without ever casting that vote... Since his father death, Dennis has personally advocated for the Borinqueneers leading the effort to secure the congressional gold medal on their behalf. He was in the audience as Borinqueneers received the honor bestowed by congress in 2016 and accepted orange county's proclamation for his father and other Borinqueneers on Tuesday. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
USA Today
18-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Disappearing DEI or history? Information taken off Arlington National Cemetery site
Disappearing DEI or history? Information taken off Arlington National Cemetery site Show Caption Hide Caption AG Pam Bondi's first day ends in flurry of new policies Pam Bondi wasted no time after she was confirmed as US Attorney General Tuesday, issuing multiple directives in line with President Donald Trump. A visitor to Arlington National Cemetery's website earlier this year would have seen links to information about a wide range of notable African Americans, Hispanic Americans and women buried there. Not any more. The Trump administration unpublished, altered or hid content and links about all three groups buried at the cemetery ‒ one of the nation's most hallowed military sites. Links for other "notable graves" of veterans remain, as well as for sports figures, and leaders in politics, medicine, science and culture. The alterations are part of a sweeping effort by the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to remove references throughout the Department to diversity, equity and inclusion issues or "gender ideology." Dozens of pages and links on the national cemetery's website appear to have been caught up in the purge. One now-missing page on the cemetery's website linked to 14 educational lesson plans on African Americans, including walking tours and a unit on the famed Tuskegee Airmen, according to a search of the Wayback Machine by Internet Archive. The unlinked lesson plans are still available through a web search. A similar lesson plan page devoted to the Borinqueneers ‒ a storied unit of Puerto Rican soldiers awarded for their service in the world wars and the Korean War ‒ is now even more difficult to find. Other pages also vanished from the website, but are still accessible through Google searches. In response to questions from USA TODAY, the cemetery stated some of the removed content is being restored, while still complying with the orders from President Donald Trump and the Department of Defense. It did not specify which pages will be restored and when. 'A story of diversity, equity and inclusion' Kevin Levin, a historian and educator in Boston who specializes in Civil War history, brought attention to the changes in a newsletter published on March 8. He told USA TODAY he learned of the changes from a teacher using the website. 'The story of Arlington is essentially a story of diversity, equity and inclusion,' Levin said. 'That is the very thing that the Trump administration is trying to wipe clean, and that entails erasing our history.' More than 400,000 people are buried at Arlington. The first military burial at the Virginia cemetery, operated by the U.S. Army, took place on May 13, 1864. Among the historical figures buried there are two U.S. presidents, John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft; General Colin Powell, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Supreme Justice Thurgood Marshall; and boxer Joe Louis, a former world heavyweight champion and grandson of a slave. "Stepping on the grounds of Arlington offers a powerful reminder of the service and sacrifice of Americans from all walks of life," Levin wrote in his newsletter. In recent years, the cemetery had expanded its historical accounts of people who fought and died for the country, he said, creating a way for students around the country who may not get to visit Arlington, to connect with people from more diverse backgrounds. With the ongoing changes, Levin said he worries about how materials may be rewritten, "and in what way those revisions prevent us from getting at the full history of Arlington." 'Hard work based on merit' From the beginning of his second term, the president made it clear he wanted to eradicate references to diversity, equity and inclusion. He signed an executive order "ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs" on Inauguration Day, and another related order on DEI in the military on Jan. 27. The Office of Personnel Management sent out a memo on Jan. 21 directing all agencies to take a number of steps on DEI, including taking down "all outward facing media" of diversity and inclusion offices. On Jan. 29, the defense department distributed a memo stating diversity, equity and inclusion policies are "incompatible" with the department's values. Hegseth also created a task force to oversee the "standing down" of the diversity and inclusion offices throughout the department and military services and the end of all actions by the offices that promote "ideologies related to systemic racism or gender fluidity." "The DOD mission is to win the nation's wars," Hegseth said. "To do this, we must have a lethal fighting force that rewards individual initiative, excellence and hard work based on merit." Hegseth set a March 1 deadline for an initial report from the task force and a final deadline of June 1. On Feb. 26, Sean Parnell, assistant to the defense secretary for public affairs, ordered all department news and feature articles, photos and videos that promoted diversity, equity and inclusion be removed. The memo also directed that all removed items be archived. The memo also stated the websites should provide blanket statements to acknowledge content was being removed to align with the executive orders from the president. 'Monumental waste of time and resources' Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, criticized the recent changes in an emailed statement to USA TODAY, calling them "an egregious insult to the people who have served our country valiantly." "Wasting time on so-called culture wars entirely of the Trump Administration's own making is a monumental waste of time and resources," Smith said. "If they were serious about addressing inefficiency in the Defense Department there are plenty of real issues to focus on." Committee chair Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., did not respond to requests for comment. Purging Department of Defense websites Changes also have occurred to other Defense Department websites, including military branches and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in an effort to eradicate mentions of Black History Month and Pride Month, which celebrates gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer and transgender individuals. In some cases, the key word searches being used to flag content pulled up subjects that had entirely different meanings. The Associated Press reported, for example, that photos were flagged of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The news shocked the granddaughter of the pilot Paul W. Tibbetts Jr., whose mother the plane was named for, the Columbus Dispatch reported. The Defense Department removed an article linked to Black History Month about Army Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers, the most senior Black soldier ever awarded the Medal of Honor. A West Virginia native, Rogers served in the Army for 32 years, including during the Vietnam War. He was recognized for "conspicuous gallantry" for his service while a lieutenant colonel commanding an artillery battalion. He was wounded three times while helping to repel an attack on a forward support base, according to the citation. Awarded the Medal by Pres. Richard Nixon in 1970, Rogers was buried at Arlington when he died in 1990. Social media sleuths noticed the article's web address in a copy available in the Wayback Machine, had the letters "dei" added before medal. After a public outcry, the department had reinstated the article as of Monday, flagging it as part of a historical collection. USA TODAY has asked the Defense Department for comment about the article removal. Among the other changes:
