Us Citizens who reside in Puerto Rico do not have right to elect and have a
proportional congressional representation. Puertorricans who serve in the
military are denied the right to vote for their Commander in Chief, POTUS and
VP.

Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898. Puertorricans are US Citizens
since 1917. We have had our own local Government and Constitution since 1952.

But it is tragic that US Citizens who reside in Puerto Rico do not have the same

Constitutional rights and opportunities as other US Citizens who reside in any
if the 50 states. In effect, US born citizens who fight to defend the US
Constitution and US democracy live under a segregationist political status.

When you visit the Vietnam Memorial, please look for, touch their names and
honor 345 puertorricans who died in Vietnam and were denied the full rights of
the US Citizenship.

That is just the reason why Memorial Day is a sad day for Puerto Rico.

Hernán Padilla, MD
Former Mayor of San Juan, PR
President of Igualdad, Futuro Seguro

Facts about Puertorricans in the US Armed Forces.

THE 65th INFANTRY REGIMENT, AN ALL PUERTO RICAN REGIMENT OF THE USA ARMY SINCE
1908.

KOREAN WAR
THIS REGIMENT ESTABLISHED A REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE
3rd INFANTRY DIVISION’S BEST AND MOST DEPENDABLE FORMATIONS DURING THE FIRST
TWO  YEARS OF THE KOREAN WAR..

IN THE FIRST YEAR IN KOREA, HAD WON 2 MEDAL OF HONOR,
14 SILVER STARS, 23 BRONCE STARS FOR VALOR AND 67 PURPLE HARTS IN BATTLE.

TODAY, ONLY THE 1ST BATTALION OF THE 65th INFANTRY REMAINS, A TESTIMONY TO A
UNIQUE REGIMENT THAT SERVED THE UNITED STATES ARMY WELL FOR OVER A HUNDRED
YEARS.

IN ALL SOME 61,000 PUERTORICANS (ISLAND RESIDENTS) SERVED IN THE U.S. ARMY
DURING THE KOREAN WAR WITH THE 65TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 48,000 OF THESE WERE

VOLUNTTARIES.

OVER THE COURSE OF WAR, 764 WERE KILLED IN ACTION AND 2,318 WOUNDED. ONE OF
EVERY 42 CASUALTIES INCURRED BY U.S. FORCES WAS PUERTO RICAN, AND THE ISLAND
SUFFERED ONE CASUALTY FOR EVERY 660 OF ITS  INHABITANTS AS CONPARED TO ONE
CASUALTY FOR EVERY 1125 INHAVITANTS OF THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES.

GEN.DOUGLAS Mac ARTHURTOKYO, 12 FEBRUARY 1951
“THE PUERTO RICANS FORMING THE RANKS OF THE GALLANT 65th INFANTRY ON THE
BATTLEFIELDS OF KOREA…ARE WRITING A BRILLIANT RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN BATTLE

AND I AM PROUD INDEED TO HAVE THEM IN THIS COMMAND. I WISH THAT WE MIGHT HAVE
MANY MORE LIKE THEM”

Have in mind that Puertorricans fought for freedom and democracy, but do not
have the same rights, just because they were born and resided in Puerto Rico
WWI                                   19,000 SOLDIERS
WWII                                  65,034 SOLDIERS
KOREAN WAR                   61,000 SOLDIERS
VIETNAMWAR                  48,000 SOLDIERS
GOLF WAR                          4,300 SOLDIERS
Iraq and Afghanistan – data not available.

***************************