98-year-old Pablo Meléndez was speechless as U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal pinned a military service ribbon to his gray suit. His granddaughter, Alexia Meléndez Martineau, was overcome with emotion.
“He's my favorite person, and we're just really proud of him,” Meléndez Martineau said, crying. She flew in from San Francisco.
“He’s my hero.”
The veteran received several honors for his service in the Korean War at his South Windsor assisted living facility Monday morning.
Meléndez served in the Army from 1950 to 1952 after enlisting for military service at 19 in New York City. He moved there from Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, where he was born.
Meléndez received the Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars, the United Nations Medal and the Sharpshooter Badge with a carbine bar, an award given for qualified marksmanship with a carbine firearm.
A ‘proud, humble, quiet man’
His family knew him to be a veteran, but Meléndez Martineau said she didn’t know the extent of his experiences until she heard about it in his older age.
“When I was younger, I did a school project where I decided to interview him about his service,” Meléndez Martineau said. “He had shared stories with me like my mom hadn't heard and my aunt hadn't heard.”
To this day, Meléndez Martineau said she doesn’t know why he felt compelled to open up about his experiences.
“But I'm really grateful for it because I think it helps me understand him,” she said. “We've always had a special bond, him and I. I think we understand each other really well, and I like to see a lot of myself in him. It's what you aspire to.”
One story shared at the ceremony Monday involved an attempted rescue. While under heavy fire, Meléndez tried to save a fellow soldier who had been shot and in critical condition, according to his family members.
“Part of what we heard from him was that he called out for others and no one came,” said Yvette Meléndez, his oldest daughter.
After carrying the injured officer to a jeep, Meléndez said, “he was actually confronted by an MP [Military Police] soldier trying to stop them, and he wouldn't have it.”
During his service, Pablo Meléndez also suffered severe injuries, including wounds to his head, according to Yvette Meléndez.
His youngest daughter, Suzette Meléndez, said the war left its mark on him.
“I remember him having the night terrors, even when I was growing up,” Suzette Meléndez said.
Both sisters said the award ceremony overwhelmed him, but Suzette Meléndez said she hoped the recognition offered him some closure.
“He is a very proud, humble, quiet man when it comes to those things,” she said. “I hope it gives him some peace and tranquility.”
Tradition of public service in Connecticut
Pablo Meléndez moved to Connecticut when he retired to be near his daughter, Yvette, and his grandchildren, where he became known as a giving person.
He was the primary caregiver for his late wife, Lydia. After her passing, Suzette Meléndez said he continued to show up for family and community members, cooking meals and sharing laughs.
“He's just a person that has always given back,” she said. “If he sees somebody is in distress or in need or they're going through a hard time, he doesn't wait to even be asked. He just does.”
Yvette Meléndez said she wanted to see his Army service recognized while he is still alive, not only to applaud his character but to contribute to a greater narrative of Puerto Ricans in the U.S.
“We are invisible everywhere,” she said of Puerto Ricans. “That's what's so important: to be seen, to recognize what we've done.”
Pablo’s story is one of many that are often forgotten, she said, in and beyond military service.
“There's so many Pablos, whether it's here in Connecticut or across the country, where there are contributions that the Puerto Rican community has made,” she said, “and they just go unrecognized and unknown.”
This is not just true for Puerto Ricans, Blumenthal said in his speech at the ceremony, but of many military service members of the Korean War.
“It's known as the Forgotten War. Nobody wanted to admit that there was a war,” Blumenthal said. “But that is, in no way, to take away from the kind of valor and service that Pablo and his generation demonstrated.”
Blumenthal thanked Pablo for his and his family’s contributions to Connecticut.
“You came here to Connecticut, and we're very glad that you made that decision because, in addition to you, Yvette and her sister have served Connecticut in all kinds of ways,” Blumenthal said. “You pass on to your family the tradition of public service. We thank you.”
Editor’s note: Yvette Meléndez is a member of the Connecticut Public Board of Trustees.
