Connecticut marked a national holiday commemorating the service of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. Army since 1899 this week.
Boricuas of all ages gathered at the Borinqueneers Monument in New Britain on the fifth anniversary of the relatively new holiday: National Borinqueneers Day. U.S. Congress passed legislation making April 13 the date to honor the only segregated Latino unit, the 65th infantry regiment, in 2021.
“It took a long time to recognize the Borinqueneers, just as it did the Tuskegee Airmen, the Montford Point Marines and the Navajo Code Talkers,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “But today, we come together to renew our thanks to the Borinqueneers and to say to the families as well as to others who are here: We honor You. We thank you. We owe you.”
The ceremony was led by New Britain’s first Boricua mayor, Bobby Sanchez, and began with the national anthems of both the United States and Puerto Rico.
When retired U.S. Army First Sergeant Juan Cruz came to the podium to speak, it was with those who served before him in mind.
“I would like to mention those Borinqueneers who were part of the state of Connecticut. Their home was this, once they came back from the battle,” Cruz said.
Cruz began with two servicemen, who are still alive today: Private First Class Hernan Serrano Dávila in Enfield and Corporal Jesus Manuel Marquez Miranda in Hartford. Both veterans are now in their 90s and were unable to make the event due to health concerns.
Cruz, who is the founding president of Hispanic-American Veterans of Connecticut, continued to list many other Connecticut Borinqueneers who have already passed away. He gestured to their gathered loved ones — children, grandchildren, spouses and friends — in the crowd.
“Despite the challenges — with language barriers, discrimination and the challenges of segregation — these soldiers never faltered in their duty,” Cruz said. “Their perseverance not only continued the success of military operations, but it also paved the way for people like me, for greater recognition and inclusion within the U.S. Armed Forces.”
A familiar setting
New Britain’s Borinqueneers Monument was inspired by Old San Juan’s famous military fort, El Morro. Jorel Moret, who grew up in the area, helped design it.
“It's something that's in the blood of New Britain and I think a lot of Connecticut. There's a lot of Puerto Ricans,” Moret said. “So it's cool to see something — and for New Britain to have this dedication — for the Puerto Rican people in the form of a monument.”
It wasn’t until he was working on the project in 2017 that many of the people in his life started to look closer at their own loved ones’ military service.
“My wife's grandfather was a Borinqueneer, and we learned that through the process of building this,” Moret explained. “We were trying to locate all the Boriqueneers that were really not recognized then, and in searching, we found a lot, between the friends and family, that actually served as Borinqueneers. So it was definitely a special moment for me because a lot of them got recognition.”
A prominent El Morro also shows up on a Borinqueneers license plate that Moret designed for the state. Some of the proceeds of each $60 plate benefit Cruz’s organization, the Hispanic-American Veterans of Connecticut. It offers bilingual services to Latino former military members across the state.
