Navy must be held accountable for Vieques

Puerto Rico is once again being shortchanged by the federal government. The U.S. Navy must provide compensation for risking the health of the people of Vieques.

For 60 years, the Navy used Vieques to test military weapons and dabble with heavy metals. This contaminated the flora and fauna of the island municipality and damaged the health of thousands of its residents. The level of cancer incidence in Vieques is 30 percent higher than the cancer rate on the main island, according to Puerto Rico’s health department. Yet the Navy has failed to take full responsibility for the havoc it caused in Vieques, even though multiple independent studies show the effects of its decades of shelling.

The people of Vieques, who like all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, filed suit against the Navy and federal government. But the government’s reaction was to claim sovereign immunity to evade the class action lawsuit.

This flies in the face of the outcome to similar situations. The federal government did not claim immunity when two wealthy Virginia communities file and won a million dollar lawsuit in 2007 against the Navy for the noise pollution caused by jets flying over the area.

The claim of sovereign immunity also appears to pre-empt the outcome of another federal move. Several months ago, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registration (ATDSR) reversed a prior conclusion that contamination at the Navy’s training ground in Vieques posed no health risks to residents. The ATDSR has re-initiated an investigation into the health hazards there.

Parts of Vieques are designated as a federal toxic cleanup site. But this does not address the question of medical care for the disproportionate rate of illnesses Viequenses are suffering. Instead, the message that the Navy and federal government are sending is that they will continue to ignore or avoid accountability for the damage to the health of Viequenses. This is unacceptable.

The ATDSR must accelerate its study of Vieques. But public pressure must once again mount, as it successfully did to close the Naval base in Vieques, to ensure that Viequenses are not left at the wayside.

THE BORINQUENEERS -- Winners of the 2009 Orlando Hispanic Film Festival Audience Award

Producers of THE BORINQUENEERS today announced that their film has won the 2009 Orlando Hispanic Film Festival Audience Award.

Congratulations!

“Your film contributed to our great success and was well received by the media, sponsors and patrons of the Festival.” Orlando Hispanic Film Festival

Very nice.

Special thanks went to 65th veterans: SFC German Bravo (Ret.) and Raul Reyes Castañeira (both participated in the program), CSM Jose Amalbert (Ret.), Andres Medina and Igrail Morales; Carlos Guffain (65th vet LTC Tomas Guffain’s son), and the Orlando chapter of the Borinqueneers Motorcycle Club.

Sgt. José Enrique Ulloa: R.I.P.

Sgt. José Enrique Ulloa, 23, a native of the Dominican Republic who immigrated to the U.S. at an early age, was killed Aug. 8 when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Sadr City, Iraq.

“Esta es una guerra sin sentido que nos ha quitado mucho más de lo que nos está dando.” Francisca Mármol Ulloa, Sgt. Ulloa's sister

Ulloa is survived by his wife, Nieves Ulloa, and a seven-month-old son.

Related Links:
Otro soldado dominicano cae en la guerra de Irak
Nueva York rinde tributo a vegano caído en Irak
Mannheim servicemember killed in Baghdad

THE BORINQUENEERS - Best Documentary

THE BORINQUENEERS won the Best Documentary award at the 9th Annual Real to Reel International Film Festival in Shelby, NC which took place from July 23-26, 2008.

Congratulations to Naomi Figueroa Soulet (Producer/Director), Raquel Ortiz (Co-Director) Hector Elizondo (Narrator), Miguel Picker (Editor) and the rest of the team members for a job well done.

Hundreds Attend Funeral of Sgt. Alex Jimenez

Hundreds of mourners trekked up a flag-lined street Saturday for the funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Alex Jimenez, whose body was found 14 months after he and two fellow soldiers were captured during an ambush in Iraq.

The coffin arrived covered by an American flag and atop a horse-drawn carriage, escorted by fellow members of the Fort Drum, New York-based 10th Mountain Division.

Jimenez will be buried Aug. 2 at Long Island National Cemetery. He was born in New York and his mother, Maria Duran, lives in Corona, Queens.

Link: Hundreds attend funeral of soldier ambushed in Iraq

Related: Sgt. Alex Jiménez (POW/MIA): R.I.P.

Sgt. Alex Jiménez (POW/MIA): R.I.P.

Remember Army Sgt. Alex Jiménez, the soldier of Dominican birth missing in action (MIA) when he and two others were ambushed in May of 2007 in an area south of Baghdad known as the "triangle of death"?

Unfortunately, for his loved ones--including his young wife Yaderlin, he's dead. His remains were recently recovered.

When I heard about Sgt. Alex Jiménez' story last year, it was beyond disturbing. At the very moment that the heroic Sgt. Jiménez went missing in action in service to the U.S.A., his young wife, Yaderlin, was being threatened with deportation.

Of the many shameful acts committed against Latino immigrants in the last few years, attempting to deport the wife of a service man missing in action has to be among the worse.

Only after a public outcry, and the powerful advocacy of Senator John Kerry, did the federal authorities back-off. Yaderlin was subsequently awarded permanent residency a year ago July '07.

A year later, Yaderlin Hiraldo Jiménez' name has been added to the growing list of prematurely widowed Latina immigrants.

Newsclips:
Alex Jimenez' Wife Might Be Deported
Iraq: Missing soldiers' bodies recovered
May 2007 abduction of US soldiers in Iraq
Jimenez Family Waits
Alex Jimenez's MySpace page
Kerry Tells Homeland Security Not to Deport Wife of Missing Soldier
Woman's husband missing in Iraq since May; DHS halts her deportation

Lt. Col. Max A. Galea'i: One more Samoan soldier has died in Iraq

Lt. Col. Max A. Galea'i of the 2d Battalion, Marine Corps-Hawaii, was one of three Marines killed June 26th in a suicide bomb attack in Anbar Province, Iraq. Some 20 Iraqis also died in the bombing.

A native of Pago Pago, American Samoa, Lt. Col. Galea'i is survived by his wife, Evelyn Ho Ching Galea’i, and their four children.

"It reminds us of the sacrifices being made everyday. It's a very sad day for us as a family." Simon Sanchez, Cousin.

The death of Lt. Col. Galea’i brings the total number of Samoan soldiers killed in the Iraq/Afghanistan wars since 2003 to 17: 14 in Iraq and 3 in Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Galea’i's service awards include two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart and five Meritorious Service Medals.

News Clips:
Three Hawaii-based Marines killed in Iraq
Acting Gov. Faoa A. Sunia Offers Condolences on Death of Lt. Col. Max A. Galea’i in Iraq
Marine from Hawaii with ties to Guam killed in Iraq

La Borinqueña (Puerto Rico's National Anthem) by Two U.S. Navy Sailors

U.S. Navy Sailors, Jose Gomez (guitar) and Nathan Kunst (piano) play a traditional version of "La Borinqueña" (Puerto Rico's National Anthem). It's quite lovely.

Army Sgt 1st Class Jeffrey Rada Morales: R.I.P.

The latest Boricua soldier to die in the Iraq/Afghanistan wars was Army Sgt 1st Class Jeffrey Sgt. Rada Morales who was killed in the line of duty along with two other members of his unit on June 29th. The Green Berets died when their vehicle rolled into a canal in Khosrwo-E Sofla, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

"El día que me dijo que se iba para el Ejército me dio un llantén... Nunca he creído en la guerra, pero eso era su sueño y tenía que respertarlo.” Virginia Morales, Sgt. Rada Morales' mother

Sgt. Rada Morales, a 32-year old Puerto Rican, born in the town of Naranjito, is survived by his wife, Amanda Rada Morales, daughter Jessica and son Andrew of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Sgt. Rada Morales was a medical sergeant in the Airborne unit; this was his second deployment to Afghanistan since joining the Army in 1995.

Links:
Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Rada Morales
3 Special Forces soldiers killed in vehicle rollover
Suma otra baja boricua la guerra de Afganistán
Muere otro militar boricua en Afganistán

“Decía que estaba defendiendo a su patria”
Faces of the Fallen

Tío Pablo: Jibaro, Borinqueneer, Sage

My Tío Pablo, a Jibaro from Carite, served in Korea with the 65th. He was a Borinqueneer. Memorial Day is his day, too.

I vaguely remember as a small child hearing him talk to the men about the 65th. I didn't understand what it all meant--other than it clearly meant a great deal to them.

Forty years later, at his farmhouse on a Carite slope, Tío Pablo--his body riddled with multiple cancers--rested quietly waiting for the end. Framed above the bed was a photo of a young, vital Pablo in his 65th dress uniform and cap.

A young Boricua, one of many braves, was sent to fight an enemy on the other side of the world. The Boricuas fought bravely--and a huge number of died.

Afterward, many of the Boricua veterans followed Yankee buddies to U.S. Northern cities in search of their rewards. It was the 50's and the U.S. industrial machine was humming with the muscle of so many war veterans. Instead, too many Boricuas found low-paying, dangerous factory jobs, racism and long stints in VA hospitals to treat mysterious illnesses.

Of course, that was Tío Pablo's experience.

I always viewed Tío Pablo as a pretty smart man, proud, skilled--and so I always wondered why it was that he choose to return to Carite so early. He was may be in his early 30s. There on our ancestral land--still referred to as El Conuco and the rise above--Tío Pablo spent the rest of his days as a man of the land.

Never a rich man, Tío Pablo confided that he had all he needed: his wife, Tía Irene; his land; his health--even when it was failing; and his freedom.

THE BORINQUENEERS: Puerto Rico Broadcast

We know that many of you have been anxiously awaiting the re-broadcast of THE BORINQUENEERS in Puerto Rico. We are happy to report that the Spanish version “Los Borinqueños” will be broadcast on TUTV (Channels 6 and 3) on Sunday, May 25th at 8:30 p.m. in honor of Memorial Day. Please let your family and friends know!

Sabemos que muchos en Puerto Rico han estado esperando ansiosamente por la transmission de THE BORINQUENEERS (“Los Borinqueños”). Nos complace informarles que TUTV (Canales 6 y 3) transmitirá nuevamente el documental “Los Borinqueños” el domingo, 25 de mayo a las 8:30 p.m. ¡No se olviden de dejarles saber a sus familiares y amistades!

REMINDER – New York’s WNET (Channel 13) will re-broadcast on Tuesday, June 3rd at 8 p.m.

We do not know of any other broadcasts at this time in other cities. But you should call your local PBS station to inquire if THE BORINQUENEERS will be broadcast. If you know of any air dates, please let us know so we can announce it through the E-Newsletter and on our website.

Thank you!

El Pozo Productions
PO Box 302
Crompond, NY 10517
(914) 739-3989
www.borinqueneers.com

James Henry Webb - War Hero, Secretary of the Navy, U.S. Senator, Virginian and Obama VP Prospect

James Henry Webb is the man who took out the GOP's leading presidential in 2006, Virginia's George Allen, by defeating the popular former governor and incumbent U.S. Senator.

A decorated war hero, author and Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Regan, Webb says he was compelled to run for public office for two reasons: 1) the Bush administration's strategic blunder in tying the U.S. military in Iraq during a "war against international terrorism that's global"; and 2) the shameful lack of national leadership in response to Katrina.

Many Obama supporters and political pundits believe Webb is a near perfect VP choice for Obama. Here's a glimpse of the man from his recent visit to the Tonight Show with David Letterman.

THE BORINQUENEERS Wins Best Documentary at the Rincon International Film Festival

THE BORINQUENEERS was an entry into this year's Rincon International Film Festival in Rincon, Puerto Rico--and it won best documentary! After the film was shown, Producer Noemi Figueroa Soulet and 65th veteran Salvador Romero Rivera participated in a lively question-and-answer session with a very grateful audience.

Congratulations!

For more information:

El Pozo Productions
P.O. Box 302
Crompond, NY 10517
(914) 739-3989
contact@borinqueneers.com
http://www.borinqueneers.com/

Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriquez Takes Fight for Historical Accuracy to PBS and Ken Burns

University of Texas professor, Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, is pressing PBS to produce historically accurate programs--beginning with Ken Burns' The War.

Unbelievably, it's been uphill fight.

Dr. Rivas-Rodriquez has been given lip service by Ken Burns and the empty suits at PBS regarding the inclusion of the Latino experience and contributions in The War, but little action.

Shameful!

Thankfully, Dr. Rivas-Rodriquez has worked diligently since 1999 to collect the stories of the nation's quickly diminishing WWII veterans. She's captured and preserved their stories in A Legacy Greater Than Words: Stories of U.S. Latinos and Latinas of the WWII Generation. (See the write-up below)

Dr. Rivas-Rodriquez will NOT allow Latino veterans to be written out of the historical record of WWII.

Dr. Rivas-Rodriquez has taken her cause national. She founded Defend The Honor, an online campaign to get the word out about the disgraceful actions of Ken Burns and PBS. And this week, in the nation's capitol, Dr. Rivas-Rodriquez convened a meeting of leaders concerned about the disrespectful actions of PBS and Ken Burns towards Latinos and Latino WWII veterans. The group committed to a number of actions which will unfold over the next months and years.

Stay tuned.

In the interim, sign this petition letting PBS and its affiliates know that you support the Defend The Honor campaign to include the rich history of Latino service during WWII in Ken Burn’s documentary, The War.

A Legacy Greater Than Words: Stories of U.S. Latinos and Latinas of the WWII Generation(by Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, University of Texas Austin - May 1, 2006)

Since 1999, the U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project at the University of Texas at Austin has captured the untold stories of this WWII generation. Altogether, the project videotaped more than five hundred interviews throughout the country and in Puerto Rico and Mexico.

This volume features summaries of the interviews and photographs of the individuals. Among the people included are Mexican American civil rights leaders such as Pete Tijerina and Albert Armendariz of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and Virgilio Roel of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Others are community leaders such as Pete and Elena Gallego of Alpine, Texas, and military leaders such as Colonel Hank Cervantes and flying ace Richard Candelaria. Women who served in the military are also included. There are academic trailblazers, too, such as Frank Bonilla, who became a major figure in Puerto Rican studies. And there are a few Latinos who describe serving in segregated "colored" units during the war, as their physical features placed them in African American communities.

Overall, the vast majority of the men and women interviewed in A Legacy Greater Than Words led private lives, and their stories chronicle the everyday existence of Latinos in the 1930s and 1940s—stories that generally have been omitted from historical accounts of either the Great Depression or World War II.

Related:

Fight for inclusion gets Latinos in 'The War'
Hacen justicia con libro a veteranos
Defend the Honor: A National Latino Town Hall Meeting
Salute Latinos for defending America
The Final Say: Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez: Iraq War is a nightmare with no end in sight

Retired Iraq War Commander, Lt. Gen. Ricardo , spoke out for the first time since leaving the military in 2006.

Speaking to a group of war reporters, the general said that the U.S. mission in Iraq is a "nightmare with no end in sight" because of political misjudgments after the fall of Saddam Hussein that continue today.

Additionally, Sanchez criticized national leaders for “[c]ontinued manipulations and adjustments to our military strategy [which] will not achieve victory. The best we can do", he says, "with this flawed approach is stave off defeat.”

Related:

Former Top General in Iraq Faults Bush Administration
Ex-general: Iraq `nightmare' for US

Defend the Honor: A National Latino Town Hall Meeting

An invitation from Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez of Defend the Honor...

Dear Friends,

Over the past 10 months, we have united to demand recognition of the contributions of the Latino WWII generation to our nation. Our focal point was the PBS/Ken Burns documentary, The War, which initially had NO Latino voices. So many months later, we can point to some progress: because of the pressure brought by many, including our grassroots coalition, The War did include the voices of two Latinos and one Native American WWII veteran.

However, the inherent weaknesses in many systems has been exposed. The fact that this documentary was in development for over six years before any alarms were raised (by Defend the Honor) signals serious and systematic problems. We can no longer tolerate being left out.

Please join us for a Town Hall Meeting next Monday, Oct. 8th, at 6 p.m. East Coast Time (that's 5 p.m. Central; 4 p.m. Mountain and 3 p.m. on the West Coast) for a Webcast live from Washington, DC. Go to defendthehonor.org and see it there...

Defend the Honor Campaign
National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC)
National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP)
National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention (LCAT)
National Latino Media Council
Hispanic War Veterans of America (HWVA)
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)

Invite you to a

Defend the Honor
National Latino Town Hall Meeting

Beyond "The War"
The Latino Battle for
Historical Accuracy and Respect

Monday, October 8, 2007
6:00-8:00pm
Gala Hispanic Theater
3333 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20010
(Columbia Heights Metro, Green Line)

Admission: Free

The Ken Burns 15-hour WWII documentary, "The War," on PBS generated an unprecedented coming together of Americans of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and other Latino and Hispanic heritages who fought to include Latinos' role in securing freedom for our Nation. Through efforts of the Latino community, Ken Burns finally included 28 additional minutes, including interviews with two Mexican American veterans and one Native American.

In this Latino Town Hall meeting, the public is invited to join Defend the Honor founders Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez and Gus Chavez and others to review how "The War" handled the Latino experience in WWII.

Together, we will begin to answer several questions:

Was this inclusion meaningful enough? Was it tokenism? What of Ken Burns' and PBS' "blind spot" when it comes to Latinos? What can we all do, collectively and individually, to assure that Latinos' contributions to our country are duly noted in books, documentaries, movies and the news media? What is the significance of this movement for the future of the Latino community in the U.S., and of this country as a whole? Where do we go from here?

For further information:
http://www.defendthehonor.org/ or at (512) 471-1924

Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Assoc. Professor, School of Journalism
University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station, A1000
Austin, TX 78712
mrivas@mail.utexas.edu

Also, Director, U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/exhibits/ww2latinos/

Matt Sanchez - A Latino with a Different View of the Iraq War

Journalist and blogger Matt Sanchez wrote in to say that he offers a different perspective on the Iraq War than offered by Camilo Mejias (and, I guess, Omar Mora and his buddies).

Try a different Hispanic point of view here in Iraq. We wouldn't want to stereotype.

Fair enough.

With so many men and women serving honorably in the U.S. Military, including many Latinos on the front lines of the Iraq War, it's important for Americans (as well as the citizens of other nations) to see the war from different perspectives. Especially--as Mejias, Sanchez and Mora rightly insist--from the perspectives of those on the front lines. Amen!

With this objective in mind, please read Awakening' musters Iraqi courage against al-Qaida -- Sanchez' recently article published in WorldNetDaily.

Sanchez' writes about how change has started to root in Ramadi and Anbar when the courageous Sunni cleric, Sheik Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, sided with the U.S. in the battle against alQaeda. It was reported by General Patraeus, and others in recent weeks, that deaths were down and that the U.S. troop surge was working in part because of the alliance between the U.S. and Iraqis such as Sheik Sattar.

As evidence by his weblog postings, Sanchez was clearly impressed by the Sheik--even likening him to Abraham Lincoln:

Charismatic, determined and very ambitious we may see a lot more of Sheik Sattar in the near future, his role in the Awakening could make Ramadi the next Gettysburg.

However, making it clear that the success of the U.S. "Surge" rests on a very weak political foundation, Sheik Sattar was assassinated last week (9/13/07).

Not coincidently, September 13th was the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. It was the 3rd day of General Patraeus' report before the U.S. Senate on the success of the "Surge". It was 10 days after President Bush's visit with the Sheik in Iraq. And it was just seven days after President Bush boasted to Australia Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile that "We're kicking ass".

I'm not a U.S. Soldier serving in Iraq, embedded journalist, or Washington insider, but it seems to me, Sanchez' views not withstanding, that good people have been put in a bad place by the poor policies of weak leaders.

Am I wrong?

Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejias is Out of Iraq

U.S. soldier and Iraq War critic, Omar Mora, continued serving in Iraq until his untimely death last week. Mora and a fellow war critic, Yance T. Gray, died when their U.S. Military vehicle overturned outside Baghdad.

Gray and Mora were part of a group of seven soldiers that wrote The War as We Saw It, a letter critical of the war published by the NYTimes in August.

Camilo Mejias--another soldier turned war critic--took a different path: He refused to return to the Iraqi war theatre. For that, Staff Sergeant Camilo was court-martialed and spent 9 months in a military prison.

In a war, the bad is often measured against what’s even worse, and that, in turn, makes a lot of deplorable things seem permissible.

Camilo, a Nicaraguan immigrant (Omar Mora was from Ecuador), has written Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejía (New Press), a book highly critical of the U.S. Iraq War, its prosecution and the appalling behavior of some soldiers.

The latest issue of Colorlines includes My Road Out Of Iraq--a piece from Camilo Mejias' Road from Ar Ramadi.

Soldiers Omar Mora & Yance Gray killed in Iraq -- yet their truth lives on

Two of the active-duty U.S. soldiers who wrote a controversial Op-Ed (The war as we saw it) in the New York Times questioning the direction of the Iraq war--Sgt. Omar Mora and Staff Sgt. Yance T. Gray--died Monday in Baghdad.

Mora, 28, hailed from Texas City, Texas, and was a native of Ecuador, who had just become a U.S. citizen. He was due to leave Iraq in November and leaves behind a wife and daughter. Gray, 26, had lived in Ismay, Montana, and is also survived by a wife and infant daughter.

Jeremy Murphy, another of the seven authors, was shot in the head in Iraq on Aug. 12, before the Op-Ed was even published. He is recovering at the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland.

Tonight, President Bush is scheduled to tell the nation that the "surge" is working, Iraq is being pacified, and that we should stay the course. He follows General Petraeus' report to the U.S. Senate in which he honestly could not answer the question: Is America safer as a result of the U.S.-Iraqi War.

But as Mora and Gray understood, "pursuit of incompatible policies to absurd ends without recognizing the incongruities" is wrong--as well as deadly. May they rest in peace.

Here is an excerpt of their letter:

BAGHDAD -- Viewed from Iraq at the tail end of a 15-month deployment, the political debate in Washington is indeed surreal. Counterinsurgency is, by definition, a competition between insurgents and counter insurgents for the control and support of a population. To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day. (Obviously, these are our personal views and should not be seen as official within our chain of command.)

The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework. Yes, we are militarily superior, but our successes are offset by failures elsewhere. What soldiers call the "battle space" remains the same, with changes only at the margins. It is crowded with actors who do not fit neatly into boxes: Sunni extremists, Al Qaeda terrorists, Shiite militiamen, criminals and armed tribes. This situation is made more complex by the questionable loyalties and Janus-faced role of the Iraqi police and Iraqi Army, which have been trained and armed at United States taxpayers' expense.

A few nights ago, for example, we witnessed the death of one American soldier and the critical wounding of two others when a lethal armor-piercing explosive was detonated between an Iraqi Army checkpoint and a police one. Local Iraqis readily testified to American investigators that Iraqi police and Army officers escorted the triggermen and helped plant the bomb. These civilians highlighted their own predicament: had they informed the Americans of the bomb before the incident, the Iraqi Army, the police or the local Shiite militia would have killed their families.

Click here for the full letter.

Honor Mora and Gray by demanding that President Bush and the U.S. Congress end the foreign war in Iraq and the homeland war on immigrants.

Photo: Sgt. Omar Mora

Related The unsettling deaths of Omar Mora and Yance Gray.

Latinos: A Legacy of American War Heroes

Latinos: A Legacy of American War Heroes

Tears rolled down the face of Jaime Lopez as he re-called the torrid memories of the Korean War. Mr. Lopez was a soldier in Puerto Rico’s 65th Infantry, a proud and dedicated band of fighting men known as the "Borinqueneers.'" For over 50 years, Lopez believed that the blood of over 700 fallen comrades, in the snow and hills of Korea, would never be recognized. The memories of the heroic men of the Puerto Rico’s 65th Infantry, who fought gallantly against Chinese and North Korean forces, fell into obscurity. But a new documentary, The Borinqueneers, by Noemi Figueroa Soulet sheds light on their stories and honors the forgotten heroes of Puerto Rico’s 65th.

Latinos: A Legacy of American War Heroes focuses on the contributions and sacrifices made by Puerto Rico’s 65th Infantry and will draw on the PBS documentary The Borinqueneers, set to air on NJN August 6, 2007 at 8 pm.

Latinos: A Legacy of American War Heroes previews the documentary and examines the history behind the formation of Puerto Rico’s 65th Infantry Regiment. The episode also features reaction to The Borinqueneers which has already garnered praise around the state:

This documentary brings to life the phenomenal contributions of Latinos in general and Puerto Ricans in particular.
– Corey Booker, Mayor of Newark

The story of The Borinqueneers, which we should all learn, is a story like that of the Tuskegee Airman who served so valiantly.
– Mary Sue Sweeny Price, Director of the Newark Museum

I’ve always heard people ask “What are the contributions that Puerto Ricans have made to this country?” This documentary answers this question.
– Johnny Torres, Executive Director of Save Latin America Inc.

Schedule of PBS Screenings:

Thursday, Aug. 2nd at 11am & 8pm &
Sunday, Aug. 12th at 3:30pm - WMFE (Orlando, FL)

Monday, Aug. 6th at 8pm & 9:30pm - WNJN (Trenton, NJ) (LIVE PLEDGE PROGRAM!)

Wednesday, Aug. 8th at 10:30pm - CET (Cincinnati, OH)

Thursday, Aug. 9th at 8pm - WNET (New York, NY) (LIVE PLEDGE PROGRAM!)

Friday, Aug. 10 at 9:30pm - KCET (Los Angeles, CA)

Sunday, Aug. 12th at 7pm &
Saturday, Aug. 18th at 12am - KLRN 9 (San Antonio, TX)

Monday, Aug. 13th at 9pm &
Tuesday, Aug. 14th at 1:30am - WXEL (West Palm Beach, FL)

Wednesday, Aug. 15th at 9:30PM - WPBT (Miami, FL) (LOCAL PLEDGE PROGRAM!)

Wednesday, Aug. 15th at 8pm - WEDU-Ch 3 (Tampa, FL)

week of Aug. 4-11 - WQED (Pittsburgh, PA)
(exact date to be determined)

Monday, August 27th at 9pm - KLRU (Austin, TX)

Thursday, September 13th at 8pm - WGBH-Ch. 2 (Boston, MA)

Sunday, Sept. 16 at 3:30pm - WTTW (Chicago, IL)