List of Puerto Rican military personnel

Notable Puerto Rican military personnel
First row: Miguel Enríquez Antonio Valero de Bernabé Antonio Valero de Bernabe Brigadier General Antonio Valero de Bernabé , aka The Liberator from Puerto Rico, was a military leader who fought for the independence of South America together with Simón Bolívar and who wanted the independence of Puerto Rico... Manuel RojasAugusto Rodríguez Second row: Juan Ríus Rivera Juan Rius Rivera General Juan Ríus Rivera , was the General of the Cuban Liberation Army of the West upon the death of General Antonio Maceo.-Early years:... Ángel Rivero Méndez Ángel Rivero Méndez Ángel Rivero Méndez was a Puerto Rican soldier, writer, journalist and a businessman who is credited with inventing the "Kola Champagne" soft drink... Luis R. Esteves Luis R. Esteves Major General Luis R. Esteves was the first Hispanic to graduate from the United States Military Academy , on June 19, 1915, and the founder of the Puerto Rico National Guard.-Early years:... Teófilo Marxuach Teofilo Marxuach Lieutenant Colonel Teófilo Marxuach, , was the person who ordered the first shot fired in World War I on behalf of the United States on an armed German supply ship trying to force its way out of the San Juan Bay... Third row: Félix Rigau Carrera Felix Rigau Carrera First Lieutenant Félix Rigau Carrera , known as "El Águila de Sabana Grande" , was the first Puerto Rican pilot and the first Hispanic fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps... Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas Fernando E. Rodriguez Vargas Major Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas, DDS was an odontologist , scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army who discovered the bacteria which causes dental caries.-Early years:... Frederick Lois Riefkohl Frederick Lois Riefkohl Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl , a native of Maunabo, Puerto Rico, was an officer in the United States Navy and the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and to be awarded the Navy Cross. The Navy Cross is the second highest medal, after the Medal of Honor, that... Carmen Lozano Dumler Fourth row: Pedro del Valle Pedro del Valle Lieutenant General Pedro Augusto del Valle was a United States Marine Corps officer who became the first Hispanic to reach the rank of Lieutenant General... Agustín Ramos Calero Agustin Ramos Calero Sergeant First Class Agustín Ramos Calero was awarded 22 decorations and medals from the U.S. Army for his actions during World War II, thus becoming the most decorated Hispanic soldier in the United States military during that war.-Early years:Calero was born and raised in the town of Isabela,... Marion F. Ramírez de Arellano Marion Frederic Ramírez de Arellano Captain Marion Frederic Ramirez de Arellano , was a submarine commander in the United States Navy and the first Hispanic submarine commanding officer... Carmen Contreras-Bozak Carmen Contreras-Bozak Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak was the first Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps where she served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions.-Early years:... Fifth row: José Antonio Muñiz José Antonio Muñiz Lieutenant Colonel José Antonio Muñiz was a former United States Air Force officer who during World War II served in the United States Army Air Forces. Together with then-Colonels Alberto A. Nido and Mihiel Gilormini he founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard... Modesto Cartagena Modesto Cartagena Sergeant First Class Modesto Cartagena , was a member of the United States Army who served in the 65th Infantry Regiment, an all-Puerto Rican regiment also known as "The Borinqueneers," during World War II and the Korean War... Fernando Luis García Fernando Luis García Private First Class Fernando Luis García , a member of the United States Marines, was the first Puerto Rican, from a total of five, to be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.-Early years:... Horacio Rivero Jr. Sixth row: Salvador FelicesJorge Otero Barreto Jorge Otero Barreto Sergeant First Class Jorge Otero Barreto a.k.a. "The Puerto Rican Rambo" , was a member of the United States Army who was the most decorated soldier in the Vietnam War-Early years:... Lizbeth Robles Lizbeth Robles SPC Lizbeth Robles , was a female soldier born in Puerto Rico that died in Operation Iraqi Freedom.-Early years:... María V. Martínez María V. Martínez Command Sergeant Major María V. Martínez is the first Puerto Rican female to reach the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the United States Army. She serves as Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director of the Army Diversity Office in the Pentagon, Washington D.C.... Location of the island of Puerto Rico (green)

Throughout history Puerto Ricans, including people of Puerto Rican descent, have gained notability as members of the military. They have served and have fought for many countries, such as Canada, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, England, Mexico, Spain, the United States

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

and Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

.

Puerto Ricans have fought and defended their homeland against attacks from the Caribs and pirates. They fought against the invasions of foreign countries and defeated the British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

, French

French colonization of the Americas

The French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France founded colonies in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America...

, and Dutch

Dutch colonization of the Americas

Dutch trading posts and plantations in the Americas precede the much wider known colonization activities of the Dutch in Asia. Whereas the first Dutch fort in Asia was built in 1600 , the first forts and settlements on the Essequibo river in Guyana and on the Amazon date from the 1590s...

in doing so. They fought alongside General Bernardo de Gálvez during the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

in the battles of Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...

, Mobile

Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...

, Pensacola

Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...

and St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

. and in Europe against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon I of France

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...

at the Siege of Saragossa

Siege of Saragossa (1808)

The First Siege of Saragossa was a bloody struggle in the Peninsular War. A French army under General Jean-Antoine Verdier besieged, repeatedly stormed, and was repulsed from the Spanish city of Saragossa over the summer of 1808....

.

Puerto Ricans such as Augusto Rodríguez, who resided in the United States in the mid-19th century, fought in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. They also fought against the Spanish Empire

Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

. They fought for Mexico's independence

Mexican War of Independence

The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...

and in the Latin American wars of independence alongside Simón Bolívar

Simón Bolívar

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...

. In Puerto Rico they revolted against Spanish rule and fought for Puerto Rico's independence in El Grito de Lares and in the Intentona de Yauco
Intentona de Yauco
The Intentona de Yauco a.k.a. the "Attempted Coup of Yauco" of 1897, was the second and last major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, staged by Puerto Rico's pro-independence movement....

. They also fought for Cuba's independence in the Ten Years' War

Ten Years' War

The Ten Years' War , also known as the Great War and the War of '68, began on October 10, 1868 when sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed Cuba's independence from Spain...

alongside General Máximo Gómez

Máximo Gómez

Máximo Gómez y Báez was a Major General in the Ten Years' War and Cuba's military commander in that country's War of Independence ....

and as members of the Cuban Liberation Army alongside José Martí

José Martí

José Julián Martí Pérez was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. In his short life he was a poet, an essayist, a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was also a part of the Cuban...

. At the end of the 19th century, Puerto Ricans fought alongside their Spanish counterparts in the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

against the United States in the Battle of San Juan Hill

Battle of San Juan Hill

The Battle of San Juan Hill , also known as the battle for the San Juan Heights, was a decisive battle of the Spanish-American War. The San Juan heights was a north-south running elevation about two kilometers east of Santiago de Cuba. The names San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill were names given by the...

; in Cuba as members of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Puerto Rican Provisional Battalions; and in Puerto Rico when the American military forces invaded the island, in what is known as the Puerto Rican Campaign

Puerto Rican Campaign

The Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...

. They also fought against the "Tagalos" during the Philippine Revolution

Philippine Revolution

The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...

.

Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States upon the signing of the Treaty of Paris

Treaty of Paris (1898)

The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....

on December 10, 1898. Upon the outbreak of World War I, the U.S. Congress approved the Jones-Shafroth Act

Jones-Shafroth Act

The Jones–Shafroth Act was a 1917 Act of the United States Congress by which Puerto Ricans were collectively made U.S. citizens, the people of Puerto Rico were empowered to have a popularly-elected Senate, established a bill of rights, and authorized the election of a Resident Commissioner to a...

, which gave Puerto Ricans a limited citizenship

Citizenship

Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...

. As a result many Puerto Ricans, with the exception of women, became eligible for the military draft

Conscription

Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...

. However they were, and still are, not permitted to vote for the President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, who is also the Commander in Chief of the armed forces.

World War I

In World War I

Puerto Ricans in World War I

Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. One of the consequences of the Spanish-American War was that Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States...

Puerto Ricans opened fire, in what is considered to be the first shot of that war on behalf of the United States, on an armed German supply ship trying to force its way out of San Juan Bay. As members of the "Porto Rico Regiment" they were sent to Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

to guard and defend the Panama Canal Zone

Panama Canal Zone

The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...

. In New York, many Puerto Ricans of African descent joined the 396th Infantry Regiment which was mostly composed of African-Americans. As members of the 396th Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Harlem Hellfighters

Harlem Hellfighters

The 369th Infantry Regiment, formerly the 15th New York National Guard Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the United States Army that saw action in World War I and World War II. The 369th Infantry is known for being the first African-American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary...

," they were not allowed to fight alongside their white counterparts; however, they were permitted to fight as members of a French unit in French uniforms and were awarded the French Croix de guerre

Croix de guerre

The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...

. Before the United States entered World War II, Puerto Ricans were already fighting on European soil, not only in the Rif War

Rif War (1920)

The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...

, but also on both sides of the Spanish Civil War

Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

World War II

During World War II

Puerto Ricans in World War II

Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. In World War II, Puerto Rican members of the U.S. armed forces guarded U.S...

, Puerto Ricans served in every military branch of the United States. Puerto Ricans from the island served in the 65th Infantry Regiment

65th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers," was an all-volunteer Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. Its motto was Honor et Fidelitas, Latin for Honor and Fidelity. It participated in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War...

, also known as The Borinqueneers, which participated in combat in the European Theater

European Theatre of World War II

The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...

—in Germany and Central Europe. Those who resided in the mainland of the United States were assigned to regular units of the military and served either in the European or Pacific theaters

Pacific War

The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...

of the war.

World War II was the first conflict in which Puerto Rican women were allowed to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.Over 1,000 applications were received and 200 women served in the Puerto Rican WAC unit, Company 6, 2nd Battalion, 21st Regiment of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, a segregated Hispanic unit. Some were assigned to nursing, dental or clerical duties, however some women were assigned to units which were stationed in the European Theater of operations. Puerto Ricans played important roles as commanders in the Armed Forces of the United States for the first time. Some Puerto Rican aviators served and fought for three different countries as members of the Royal Canadian Air Force

Royal Canadian Air Force

The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...

, the British Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

and the United States Army Air Force.

Korean War and other conflicts

During the Korean War Puerto Ricans distinguished themselves as part of the 65th Infantry Regiment receiving many awards and recognitions, including ten Distinguished Service Crosses

Distinguished Service Cross (United States)

The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...

, however some men were unjustly accused and involved in the largest court martial of said war. Puerto Ricans have continued to fight in every conflict in which the United States has been involved, among which are the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

in which four Puerto Ricans were awarded the Medal of Honor, Operation El Dorado Canyon

Operation El Dorado Canyon

The 1986 United States bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, comprised the joint United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps air-strikes against Libya on April 15, 1986. The attack was carried out in response to the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing.-Origins:Shortly after his...

, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Restore Hope, Operation Desert Storm and in the military campaigns of Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

and Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

, in what the United States and its allies refer to as the War on Terrorism

War on Terrorism

The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...

.

Some Puerto Ricans became notable commanders. Some have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States; or the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando (Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand

Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand

The Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand , commonly known as Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand , is Spain's highest military award for gallantry...

), the highest military decoration awarded by the Spanish government

Spanish Government

Spain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...

. In World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam WarUnivision Puerto Ricans were the most decorated Hispanic soldiers and in some cases, such as Operation Restore Hope and Operation Desert Shield, they were the first to die in combat. The following list has been divided by the century in which the person became notable and the surnames are placed in alphabetical order.

17th century

Juan de Amezquita
Juan de Amezquita
Captain Juan de Amezquita , was a Puerto Rican soldier who defended Puerto Rico from an invasion by the Dutch in 1625. He fought and wounded Captain Balduino Enrico who was ordered by the Dutch Government to capture Puerto Rico.-Early years:Amezquita was born and raised in the town of San...

, Captain, Puerto Rican Militia
Defeated Captain Balduino Enrico (Boudewijn Hendricksz), who in 1625 was ordered by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

to capture Puerto Rico.

18th century

Rafael Conti
Rafael Conti
Colonel Rafael Conti, also spelled "Conty" was a Puerto Rican who joined the Spanish Army and was placed in charge of the Puerto Rican Militia in the town of Aguadilla. In 1790, he captured 11 enemy ships involved in smuggling stolen goods. In 1797, he helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defend...

, Colonel, Spanish Army
In 1790, Conti captured 11 enemy ships involved in smuggling stolen goods. In 1797, he helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defend Puerto Rico from a British invasion in his hometown, Aguadilla. In 1809, he organized a military expedition fight with the aim of returning Hispaniola, which now comprises the nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, back to Spanish rule.

Antonio de los Reyes Correa
Antonio de los Reyes Correa
Capt. Antonio de los Reyes Correa , also known as El Capitán Correa, was a Puerto Rican soldier who defended the town of Arecibo from a British invasion.-Early years:...

, Captain, Spanish Army
Puerto Rican hero who defended the town Arecibo
Arecibo
Arecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...

in 1702 from an invasion by defeating the British. He was awarded "La Medalla de Oro de la Real Efigie" (The Gold Medal of the Royal Image), by King Philip V of Spain and given the title of "Captain of Infantry."

José and Francisco Díaz
Jose and Francisco Diaz
Sergeants José "Pepe" Díaz and Francisco Díaz were two cousins in the Toa Alta Militia who helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defend Puerto Rico from a British invasion in 1797.-Early years:...

, Sergeants, Puerto Rican militia
They were two cousins in the Toa Baja Militia who helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defended Puerto Rico from a British invasion in 1797.

Miguel Henríquez, Captain, Spanish Navy
In 1713, Henríquez defeated the British in Vieques and was awarded the La Medalla de Oro de la Real Efigie (The Gold Medal of the Royal Effigy).

19th century

Juan Alonso Zayas
Juan Alonso Zayas
Second Lieutenant Juan Alonso Zayas , was a Puerto Rican in the Spanish Army who was the commander of the 2nd Expeditionary Battalion stationed in Baler which fought in the Siege of Baler in the Philippines.-Early years:...

, 2nd Lieutenant, Spanish Army
Alonso Zayas was the commander of the 2nd Expeditionary Battalion of the Spanish Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...

stationed in Baler
Baler, Aurora
Baler is a 4th class municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines. It is the provincial capital of Aurora. According to the latest census, it has a population of 34,492 people and 5.955 members per household....

which fought in the Siege of Baler
Siege of Baler
The Siege of Baler, from July 1, 1898 to June 2, 1899, was a battle of the Philippine Revolution and concurrently the Spanish-American War. Filipino revolutionaries laid siege to a fortified church manned by colonial Spanish troops in the town of Baler, Philippines for 11 months.The battle is...

in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.

Francisco Gonzalo Marín
Francisco Gonzalo Marin
Lieutenant Francisco Gonzalo Marín, also known as Pachín Marín , considered by many as the designer of the Puerto Rican Flag was a poet and journalist who fought alongside José Martí as a member of the Cuban Liberation Army....

, Lieutenant, Cuban Liberation Army
Gonzalo Marin, considered by many as the designer of the Puerto Rican Flag
Flag of Puerto Rico
The flags of Puerto Rico represent and symbolize the island and people of Puerto Rico. The most commonly used flags of Puerto Rico are the current flag, which represents the people of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico; municipal flags, which represent the different regions of the island; political...

, was a poet and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

who fought alongside José Martí
José Martí
José Julián Martí Pérez was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. In his short life he was a poet, an essayist, a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was also a part of the Cuban...

for Cuba's independence.

Demetrio O'Daly
Demetrio O'Daly
Field Marshal Demetrio O'Daly , was the first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Field Marshal in the Spanish Army. O'Daly was awarded the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando , the highest military decoration awarded by the Spanish government. He represented Puerto Rico as a delegate to the Spanish Courts...

, Field Marshal, Spanish Army
O'Daly was the first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...

in the Spanish Army. O'Daly also was also elected as delegate to the Spanish Courts in representation of Puerto Rico.

Luis Padial
Luis Padial
Brigadier General Luis Padial , was a soldier, politician and one of the most important figures who was responsible for the abolishment of slavery in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

, Brigadier General, Spanish Army
In 1863, Padial's battalion was deployed with the intention of "squashing" a pro-independence rebellion in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

in which he was wounded. Padial played an instrumental role in the abolishment of slavery in Puerto Rico.

Ramón Power y Giralt
Ramon Power y Giralt
Captain Ramón Power y Giralt , commonly known only as "Ramón Power", was, according to Puerto Rican historian Lidio Cruz Monclova, among the first native born Puerto Ricans to refer to himself as a "Puerto Rican" and to fight for the equal representation of Puerto Rico in front of the parliamentary...

, Captain, Spanish Navy
Power y Giralt was a distinguished naval officer who during the years of 1808–1809 led the defense of the Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) against an invasion from Napoleon's French forces by enforcing a blockade in support of the Spanish ground troops.

Ángel Rivero Méndez
Ángel Rivero Méndez
Ángel Rivero Méndez was a Puerto Rican soldier, writer, journalist and a businessman who is credited with inventing the "Kola Champagne" soft drink...

Captain, Spanish Army
Rivero Méndez fired the first shot against the United States in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

in Puerto Rico. Rivero Mendez later invented the "Kola Champagne," a soft drink.

Juan Ríus Rivera
Juan Rius Rivera
General Juan Ríus Rivera , was the General of the Cuban Liberation Army of the West upon the death of General Antonio Maceo.-Early years:...

, Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Liberation Army.
Ríus Rivera fought in "El Grito de Lares" under the command of Mathias Brugman
Mathias Brugman
Mathias Brugman , a.k.a. Mathias Bruckman, was a leader in Puerto Rico's independence revolution against Spain known as El Grito de Lares .-Early years:...

. He also fought in Cuba's Ten Years' War
Ten Years' War
The Ten Years' War , also known as the Great War and the War of '68, began on October 10, 1868 when sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed Cuba's independence from Spain...

(1868–1878) against Spain under the command of General Máximo Gómez
Máximo Gómez
Máximo Gómez y Báez was a Major General in the Ten Years' War and Cuba's military commander in that country's War of Independence ....

and became the General of the Cuban Liberation Army of the West upon the death of General Antonio Maceo Grajales
Antonio Maceo Grajales
Lt. General José Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales was second-in-command of the Cuban Army of Independence....

.

Augusto Rodríguez, Lieutenant, United States Union Army.
Rodríguez was a member of the 15th Connecticut Regiment (a.k.a. Lyon Regiment) and served in the defenses of Washington, D.C. He led his men in the Battles of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...

and Wyse Fork
Battle of Wyse Fork
The Battle of Wyse Fork was a battle fought in the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, resulting in a Union Army victory.-Background:...

in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Manuel Rojas, Commander in Chief of the Puerto Rican Liberation Army
On September 28, 1868, Manuel Rojas led 800 men and women in a revolt against Spanish rule and took the town of Lares in what is known as the Grito de Lares
Grito de Lares
El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...

.

José Semidei Rodríguez
José Semidei Rodríguez
Brigadier General José Semidei Rodríguez . Before becoming a Brigadier General in the Cuban National Army,...

, Brigadier General in the Cuban Liberation Army.
Semidei Rodríguez fought in Cuba's War of Independence
Cuban War of Independence
Cuban War of Independence was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War and the Little War...

(1895–1898) and after Cuba gained its independence he continued to serve in that country as a diplomat.

Antonio Valero de Bernabé
Antonio Valero de Bernabe
Brigadier General Antonio Valero de Bernabé , aka The Liberator from Puerto Rico, was a military leader who fought for the independence of South America together with Simón Bolívar and who wanted the independence of Puerto Rico...

, Brigadier General Latin American wars of independence
Valero de Bernabé fought against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...

at the Siege of Saragossa
Siege of Saragossa (1808)
The First Siege of Saragossa was a bloody struggle in the Peninsular War. A French army under General Jean-Antoine Verdier besieged, repeatedly stormed, and was repulsed from the Spanish city of Saragossa over the summer of 1808....

. He joined the Mexican Revolutionary Army headed by Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...

and was named Chief of Staff. He successfully fought for Mexico's independence from Spain. Later he fought alongside Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...

and helped liberate South America from Spanish Colonial rule. Bernabé is known as the "Puerto Rican Liberator"

20th century

Humberto Acosta-Rosario
Humberto Acosta-Rosario
PFC Humberto Acosta-Rosario was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry ; 25th InfantryDivision, United States Army who is currently the only Puerto Rican MIA whose body has never been recovered....

, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
Acosta-Rosario was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry (Mechanized); 25th Infantry Division, United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. He is currently the only Puerto Rican MIA
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...

whose body has never been recovered.

Ricardo Aponte
Ricardo Aponte
Brigadier General Ricardo "Rico" Aponte is a United States Air Force officer who was the first Hispanic Director, J-7, of the United States Southern Command, located in Miami, Florida.-Early years:...

, Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
Aponte is the former Director of the Innovation and Experimentation Directorate, United States Southern Command
United States Southern Command
The United States Southern Command , located in Miami, Florida, is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning and operations in Central and South America, the Caribbean The United States Southern Command...

. He is the first Puerto Rican to hold said position.

Félix Arenas Gaspar
Felix Arenas Gaspar
Captain Félix Arenas Gaspar , a Puerto Rican, was a Captain in the Spanish Army who was posthumously awarded the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando for his actions in the Rif War....

, Captain, Spanish Army
Arenas Gapar was posthumously awarded the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando (Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand
Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand , commonly known as Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand , is Spain's highest military award for gallantry...

- Spain's version of the Medal of Honor) for his actions in the Rif War
Rif War (1920)
The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...

.

Domingo Arroyo, Jr., Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps
Arroyo was the first Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

and American serviceman to be killed in Operation Restore Hope during the Somalian Civil War.

Joseph (José) B. Aviles, Sr.
Joseph B. Aviles, Sr.
CWO2 Joseph B. Aviles, Sr. , served in the U.S. Navy and later in the Coast Guard. On September 28, 1925, Aviles became the first Hispanic Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard...

, Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Coast Guard
On September 28, 1925, Aviles became the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

. During World War II he received a war-time promotion to Chief Warrant Officer, becoming the first Hispanic to reach that level as well.

Rafael Celestino Benítez
Rafael Celestino Benitez
Rear Admiral Rafael Celestino Benítez was a highly decorated submarine commander who led the rescue effort of the crew members of the during the Cold War. After retiring from the Navy, he was Pan American World Airways' vice president for Latin America...

, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
Benítez was a highly decorated submarine commander who led the rescue effort of the crew members of the USS Cochino which was involved in the first American undersea spy mission of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

.

Carlos Betances Ramírez
Carlos Betances Ramirez
Colonel Carlos Betances Ramírez , was the only Puerto Rican to command a Battalion in the Korean War.-Early years:...

, Colonel, U.S. Army
Betances Ramírez was the first Puerto Rican to command a battalion in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

. In 1952, he assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment.

José M. Cabanillas
Jose M. Cabanillas
Rear Admiral José M. Cabanillas , was an Executive Officer of the USS Texas which participated in the invasions of North Africa and the Battle of Normandy during World War II.-Early years:...

, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
In World War II Cabanillas was Executive Officer of the USS Texas
USS Texas
Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Texas, in honor of the state of Texas:, the US Navy's first battleship, which served from 1895 until 1911, a New York-class dreadnought battleship that served in both World Wars, the second Virginia-class nuclear guided missile cruiser ,...

and participated in the invasions of Africa and Normandy (D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

).

Richard Carmona
Richard Carmona
Richard Henry Carmona is an American physician, public health administrator, and politician. He was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as the seventeenth Surgeon General of the United States. Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002, Carmona left office...

M.D., Vice Admiral, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
Carmona served as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States
Surgeon General of the United States
The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government...

under President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

.

Modesto Cartagena
Modesto Cartagena
Sergeant First Class Modesto Cartagena , was a member of the United States Army who served in the 65th Infantry Regiment, an all-Puerto Rican regiment also known as "The Borinqueneers," during World War II and the Korean War...

, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
Cartagena, the most decorated Hispanic soldier in history, distinguished himself in combat during the Korean War as a member of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry, and is being considered for the Medal of Honor.

Carmen Contreras-Bozak
Carmen Contreras-Bozak
Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak was the first Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps where she served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions.-Early years:...

, Tech4, U.S. Women's Army Corps
Contreras-Bozak was the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps
Women's Army Corps
The Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...

. She served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions during World War II.

Juan César Cordero Dávila
Juan Cesar Cordero Davila
Major General Juan César Cordero Dávila , was the commanding officer of the 65th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War, rising to become one of the highest ranking ethnic officers in the United States Army.-Early years:...

, Major General, U.S. Army
Cordero Dávila was the commanding officer of the 65th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War, thus one of the highest ranking ethnic officers in the Army.

Encarnacion Correa
Puerto Ricans in World War I
Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. One of the consequences of the Spanish-American War was that Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States...

, Sergeant, U.S. Army
Correa fired the first warning shots in World War I on behalf of the United States, against a ship flying the colors of the Central Powers. This occurred on March 21, 1915 when Correa manned a machine gun and, under the orders of then-Lieutenant Teófilo Marxuach, opened fire on the "Odenwald," an armed German supply ship trying to force its way out of San Juan Bay.

Ruben A. Cubero
Ruben A. Cubero
Brigadier General Ruben A. Cubero was a highly decorated member of the United States Air Force who became the first Hispanic graduate of the United States Air Force Academy to be named Dean of the Faculty of the academy.-Early years:...

, Brigadier General U.S. Air Force
Cubero was a highly decorated member of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

who, in 1991, became the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

graduate of the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

, to be named Dean of the Faculty of said academy.

Pedro Del Valle
Pedro del Valle
Lieutenant General Pedro Augusto del Valle was a United States Marine Corps officer who became the first Hispanic to reach the rank of Lieutenant General...

, Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps
Del Valle was the first Hispanic three-star Marine general. His military career included service in World War I, in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

during the so-called Banana Wars
The Banana Wars
The Banana Wars were a series of occupations, police actions, and interventions involving the United States in Central America and the Caribbean. This period started with the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the subsequent Treaty of Paris, which gave the United States control of Cuba and Puerto Rico...

of the 1920s, and in the seizure of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...

. He later served as Commanding General of the U.S. 1st Marine Division. During World War ll, Del Valle played an instrumental role in the defeat of the Japanese forces in Okinawa.

Carmelo Delgado Delgado
Carmelo Delgado Delgado
Lieutenant Carmelo Delgado Delgado was a leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party . Delgado joined the Abraham Lincoln International Brigade and fought against General Francisco Franco and the Spanish Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War...

, Lieutenant, Abraham Lincoln International Brigade
Abraham Lincoln Brigade
The Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. They fought for Spanish Republican forces against Franco and the Spanish Nationalists....

Delgado was the first Puerto Rican, and one of the first U. S. citizens, to fight and die in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

against General Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

and the Spanish Nationalists.

Alberto Díaz, Jr.
Alberto Diaz, Jr.
Rear Admiral Alberto Díaz, Jr. is the first Hispanic to become the Director of the San Diego Naval District and Balboa Naval Hospital.-Early years:...

Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
Díaz is the first Hispanic to become the Director of the San Diego Naval Medical District.

Luis R. Esteves
Luis R. Esteves
Major General Luis R. Esteves was the first Hispanic to graduate from the United States Military Academy , on June 19, 1915, and the founder of the Puerto Rico National Guard.-Early years:...

, Major General, U.S. Army
In 1915, Esteves was the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

. Esteves also organized the Puerto Rican National Guard.

Salvador E. Felices
Salvador E. Felices
Major General Salvador E. Felices was the first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Major General in the United States Air Force. In 1957, he participated in "Operation Power Flite", the first round-the-world nonstop flight by a jet airplane.-Early years:Felices was born in the Santurce section of...

, Major General, U.S. Air Force
Felices was the first Puerto Rican general in the U.S. Air Force. During the Korean War in 1953, Felices flew in 19 combat missions over North Korea. In 1957, he participated in a historic project that was given to the Fifteenth Air Force by the Strategic Air Command headquarters. It was known as "Operation Power Flite
Operation Power Flite
Operation Power Flite was a United States Air Force mission in which three Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses became the first jet aircraft to circle the world nonstop, when they made the journey in January 1957 in 45 hours and 19 minutes, using in-flight refueling to stay aloft...

," the first around the world non-stop flight by all-jet aircraft.

Charles Roy Fonseca, Corporal, Special Air Service, British Army
Fonseca fought in the Falklands/Malvinas War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

in 1982, and was the first and only Puerto Rican POW in that conflict.

Rose Franco
Rose Franco
CWO3 Rose Franco , a Puerto Rican, was the first Hispanic woman to become a Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Marine Corps.-Early years:...

, Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Marine Corps
Franco was the first Hispanic woman Chief Warrant Officer in the Marine Corps. In 1965, Franco was named Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, Paul Henry Nitze by the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...

.

Edmund Ernest García
Edmund Ernest García
Rear Admiral Edmund Ernest Garcia was a United States Navy officer who commanded the destroyer escort USS Sloat during World War II and participated in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and France.-Early years:...

, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
During World War II García was commander of the Destroyer USS Sloat
USS Sloat
USS Sloat may refer to:, a destroyer commissioned in 1920 and decommissioned in 1930, a destroyer escort commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1947...

and saw action in the invasions of Africa, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

, and France.

Fernando Luis García
Fernando Luis García
Private First Class Fernando Luis García , a member of the United States Marines, was the first Puerto Rican, from a total of five, to be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.-Early years:...

, Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps
García was the first Puerto Rican awarded the Medal of Honor. He was posthumously awarded the medal for his actions against enemy aggressor forces in the Korea War on September 5, 1952.

Linda Garcia Cubero
Linda Garcia Cubero
Captain Linda Garcia Cubero is a former United States Air Force officer, of Mexican-American-Puerto Rican descent.In 1980 Cubero was a member of the first class of women to graduate from the United States Air Force Academy, and thus became the first Hispanic woman to graduate from any service...

, Captain, U.S. Air Force
In 1980, Garcia Cubero became the first Hispanic woman graduate of the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

and the first to graduate from an American Military Academy.

Carmen García Rosado
Carmen García Rosado
PFC Carmen García Rosado is an educator, author and activist for the rights of women veterans who was among the first 200 Puerto Rican women to be recruited into the WAC's during World War II...

, Private First Class, U.S. Women's Army Corps
García Rosado was among the first 200 Puerto Rican women to be recruited into the WAC
Women's Army Corps
The Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...

's during World War II and the author of "LAS WACS-Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Segunda Guerra Mundial" (The WACs-The participation of the Puerto Rican women in the Second World War), which is the first book which documents the experiences of the first 200 Puerto Rican women to participate in said conflict as members of the armed forces of the United States.

Mihiel "Mike" Gilormini
Mihiel Gilormini
Brigadier General Mihiel "Mike" Gilormini , was a United States Air Force officer who served in the Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. He was the recipient of the Silver Star, the Air Medal with four clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross 5 times...

, Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
World War II hero, recipient of 5 Distinguished Flying Cross's. Gilormini, together with then Colonel Alberto A. Nido and Lieutenant Colonel Jose Antonio Muñiz founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. Gilormini had previously flown for the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...

(1941) and the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

(1941–1942).

Manuel Goded Llopis
Manuel Goded Llopis
Manuel Goded Llopis was a Spanish Army general who was one of the key figures in the July 1936 revolt against the Second Spanish Republic. Having unsuccessfully led an attempted insurrection in Barcelona, he was captured and executed by the Republican government...

, General, Spanish Army
Goded Llopis was a high ranking Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

in the Spanish Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...

who was one of the first generales to join Spanish General Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

, in the revolt against the Spanish Republican government (also known as Spanish loyalists) in what is known as the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

. Previously, Goded Llopis had distinguished himself in the Battle of Alhucemas of the Rif War
Rif War (1920)
The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...

.

César Luis González
César Luis González (Aviator)
First Lieutenant César Luis González was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Gonzalez was the first Puerto Rican pilot in the United States Army Air Force and the first Puerto Rican pilot to die in World War II...

, First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Force
Gonzalez was the first Puerto Rican pilot in the United States Army Air Force and the first Puerto Rican pilot to die in World War II.

Diego E. Hernández
Diego E. Hernandez
Vice Admiral Diego E. Hernandez is a retired United States Navy officer who was the first Hispanic to be named Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command.-Early years:...

, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy
Hernández was the first Hispanic to be named Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...

. He flew two combat tours in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and in 1980, took command of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
USS John F. Kennedy is a John F. Kennedy class aircraft carrier, the last conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy. The ship is named after the 35th President of the United States, John F...

(CVA/CV-67). The Kennedy is one of two non-nuclear aircraft carriers still on active duty with the United States Navy.

Zak Hernández
Zak Hernández
Sergeant Zak Hernández Laporte , was a 22-year-old member of the United States Army who was killed in Panama City when the Humvee in which he was riding was ambushed on the eve of President George H. W. Bush's visit to Panama. His accused murderer, Pedro Miguel González Pinzón, was acquitted in...

, Sergeant, U.S. Army
Hernández was killed in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

on the eve of President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

's visit. His accused murderer, Pedro Miguel González Pinzón, was acquitted and later elected President of Panamá's National Congress, an event which has generated protests from the governments of the United States and Puerto Rico.

Haydee Javier Kimmich, Captain, U.S. Navy
Kimmich was the highest ranking Hispanic female in the Navy. She was assigned as the Chief of Orthopedics at the Navy Medical Center in Bethesda and she reorganized Reservist Department of the medical center during Operations Desert Shield
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

and Desert Storm
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

.

Orlando Llenza
Orlando Llenza
Major General Orlando Llenza is the second Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Major General in the United States Air Force. Llenza served as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard .-Early years:...

, Major General, U.S. Air Force
Llenza is the second Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Major General (two-star General) in the United States Air Force. He was the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard.

Carlos Lozada
Carlos Lozada
Private First Class Carlos James Lozada , was a member of the United States Army who was one of five Puerto Ricans who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their actions in combat.-Early years:...

, Private First Class, U.S. Army
Lozada was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on November 20, 1967, at Dak To
Dak To
Đắk Tô is a village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and in the so-called "tri-border" area where the borders of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia all come together. Located just north of the Vietnamese town of Tan Canh , Dak To is populated by a Montagnard tribal people known as the Degar...

in the Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

.

Carmen Lozano Dumler, 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Women's Army Corps
Dumler was one of the first Puerto Rican women Army officers. In 1944, she was sworn in as a 2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the 161st General Hospital in San Juan.

Antonio Maldonado
Antonio Maldonado
Brigadier General Antonio Maldonado , was an officer of the United States Air Force, who in 1967 became the youngest pilot and Aircraft Commander of a B-52 Stratofortress nuclear bomber. He served as Chief, U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation, Madrid, Spain. He was the senior Department of Defense...

, Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
In 1965, Maldonado became the youngest person to pilot a B-52 aircraft. His active participation in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

included 183 air combat missions.

Joseph (José) R. Martinez
Puerto Rican recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross
Puerto Ricans have served as members of the United States Armed Forces and have fought in every major conflict in which the United States has been involved from World War I onward. Many Puerto Ricans, including those of Puerto Rican descent, have distinguished themselves during combat as members...

, Private First Class, U.S. Army
Martinez destroyed a German Infantry unit and tank in Tuniz by providing heavy artillery fire, saving his platoon from being attacked in the process. He received the Distinguished Service Cross from General George S. Patton, becoming the first Puerto Rican recipient of said military decoration.

Lester Martínez López
Lester Martinez Lopez
Major General Lester Martínez López , MD, MPH, is the first Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland...

, MD, MPH, Major General, U.S. Army
Martínez López was first Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command.

Gilberto José Marxuach
Gilberto Jose Marxuach
Colonel Gilberto José Marxuach a.k.a. "The Father of the San Juan Civil Defense" , was a former officer in the United States Army who in 1951 founded and became the first director of the Civil Defense in the City of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Early years:Marxuach was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to...

, Colonel, U.S. Army
Marxuach, the son of Teófilo Marxuach, is "The Father of the San Juan Civil Defense"

Teófilo Marxuach
Teofilo Marxuach
Lieutenant Colonel Teófilo Marxuach, , was the person who ordered the first shot fired in World War I on behalf of the United States on an armed German supply ship trying to force its way out of the San Juan Bay...

, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
"Marxuach fired a hostile shot from a cannon located at the Santa Rosa battery of "El Morro" fort, in what is considered to be the first shot of World War I fired by the regular armed forces of the United States against any ship flying the colors of the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...

, forcing the Odenwald to stop and to return to port where its supplies were confiscated.

George E. Mayer
George E. Mayer
Rear Admiral George E. "Rico" Mayer is a retired United States Naval officer and Naval Aviator. At the time of his retirement, he was the first Puerto Rican Commander of the Naval Safety Center.-Early years:...

, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
Mayer was the first Hispanic Commander of the Naval Safety Center. He led an international naval exercise known as Baltic Operations (BALTOPS
BALTOPS
BALTOPS is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it....

) 2003 from his flagship, the USS Vella Gulf (CG-72). It was the first time in the 31 year history of BALTOPS that the exercise included combined ground troops from Russia, Poland, Denmark and the United States.

Angel Mendez
Angel Mendez
Angel Mendez was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Mendez saved the life of his platoon commander, Lieutenant Ronald D. Castille, who is currently the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. U.S...

Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
Mendez was awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

in Vietnam and is being considered for the Medal of Honor. He saved the life of his Lieutenant - Ronald D. Castille
Ronald D. Castille
Ronald D. Castille is the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. He was the District Attorney of the City of Philadelphia from 1986 until 1991 and is a member of the Republican Party...

, who went on to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Enrique Méndez, Jr.
Enrique Mendez, Jr.
Major General Enrique Méndez, Jr. , was a United States Army officer who was also the first Puerto Rican to hold the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs...

, Major General, U.S. Army
Méndez was the first Puerto Rican to assume the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

Virgil R. Miller
Virgil R. Miller
Colonel Virgil Rasmuss Miller was a United States Army officer who served as Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team , a unit which was composed of "Nisei" , during World War II...

, Colonel, U.S. Army
Miller was the Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a unit which was composed of "Nisei
Nisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...

" (second generation Americans of Japanese descent), during World War II. He led the 442nd in its rescue of the Lost Texas Battalion
Lost Battalion (World War II)
"The Lost Battalion" refers to the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry , which was surrounded by German forces in the Vosges Mountains on 24 October 1944....

of the 36th Infantry Division, in the forests of the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France.

José Antonio Muñiz
José Antonio Muñiz
Lieutenant Colonel José Antonio Muñiz was a former United States Air Force officer who during World War II served in the United States Army Air Forces. Together with then-Colonels Alberto A. Nido and Mihiel Gilormini he founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard...

, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force
Muñiz together with then-Colonels Alberto A. Nido and Mihiel Gilormini founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 1963, the Air National Guard Base, at the San Juan International airport in Puerto Rico, was renamed "Muñiz Air National Guard Base" in his honor.

William A. Navas, Jr.
William A. Navas, Jr.
Major General William A. Navas, Jr. is the first Puerto Rican to be named an Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Navas, who served in the Department of Veterans Affairs resigned in 2007.-Early years:...

, Major General, U.S. Army
Navas is the first Puerto Rican named Assistant Secretary of the Navy. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Navas was nominated in 2001 by President George W. Bush to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs).

Héctor Andrés Negroni
Hector Andres Negroni
Colonel Héctor Andrés Negroni is a historian, senior aerospace defense executive, author and the first Puerto Rican graduate of the United States Air Force Academy...

, Colonel, U.S. Air Force
Negroni was the first Puerto Rican graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. A Veteran of the Vietnam War, Negroni was awarded the Aeronautical Merit Cross, Spains highest Air Force peacetime award for his contributions to the successful implementation of the United States-Spain Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.

Alberto A. Nido
Alberto A. Nido
Brigadier General Alberto A. Nido is a former United States Air Force officer who during World War II served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, the British Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Forces. He was also the co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.-Early years:Nido was...

, Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
Nido was a World War II hero who, together with then Colonel Mihiel Gilormini and Lieutenant Colonel Jose Antonio Muñiz, founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard and served as its commander for many years. Nido served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, the British Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Ramón Núñez-Juárez
Ramón Núñez-Juarez
-Postscript:PFC Ramón Núñez-Juárez's remains have never been recovered and a symbolic burial with full military honors was held on October 25, 1970. There is a headstone with his name inscribed above an empty grave in the Puerto Rico National Cemetery, located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico...

, Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps
Núñez-Juárez was listed as Missing in Action during the Korean War and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, second highest medal after the Medal of Honor, that can be awarded by the Department of the Navy. He was the only Puerto Rican member of the United States Marine Corps whose remains have never been recovered and who was listed as Missing in Action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...

during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

.

Jorge Otero Barreto
Jorge Otero Barreto
Sergeant First Class Jorge Otero Barreto a.k.a. "The Puerto Rican Rambo" , was a member of the United States Army who was the most decorated soldier in the Vietnam War-Early years:...

, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
Otero Barreto with 38 decorations was the most decorated soldier in the Vietnam War, which included 3 Silver Star Medals, 5 Bronze Star Medals with Valor, 5 Purple Heart Medals and 5 Air Medals.

Dr. Dolores Piñero
Dolores Piñero
Dr. Dolores Piñero, was one of the first four Puerto Rican women to earn a medical degree. She was also one of the first civilian doctors, and the first Puerto Rican female doctor to serve under contract in the U.S. Army during World War I...

, U.S. Army Medical Corps
Army Medical Department (United States)
The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army – known as the AMEDD – comprises the Army's six medical Special Branches of officers and medical enlisted soldiers. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the...

Piñero was first Puerto Rican woman doctor to serve in the Army under contract during World War I. At first she was turned down, however after writing a letter to the Army Surgeon General in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

she was ordered her to report to Camp Las Casas
Camp Las Casas
Camp Las Casas was a United States military instalation established in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1904. The camp was the main training base of the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry," On January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of Puerto Rico to Porto Rico a segregated U.S...

in Santurce, Puerto Rico. On October 1918, She signed her contract with the Army.

José M. Portela
Jose M. Portela
Brigadier General José M. Portela , is a retired officer of the United States Air Force who served in the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air while also serving as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 1972, Portela became the youngest C-141 Starlifter aircraft commander...

, Brigadier General U.S. Air Force
Portela served in the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air while also serving as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard
Puerto Rico Air National Guard
The Puerto Rico Air National Guard is the air force militia of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is, along with the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, an element of the Puerto Rico National Guard.History=...

. In 1972, Portela became the youngest C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...

aircraft commander and captain at age 22. Portela is also the only reservist ever to serve as director of mobility forces for Bosnia.

Marion Frederic Ramírez de Arellano
Marion Frederic Ramírez de Arellano
Captain Marion Frederic Ramirez de Arellano , was a submarine commander in the United States Navy and the first Hispanic submarine commanding officer...

, Captain, U.S. Navy
Ramírez de Arellano was the first Hispanic submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

commander. He was awarded two Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

s and a Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...

for his actions against the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II.

Antonio J. Ramos
Antonio J. Ramos
Brigadier General Antonio J. Ramos was an officer of the United States Air Force. He was the first Hispanic to serve as commander, Air Force Security Assistance Center, Air Force Materiel Command, and dual-hatted as Assistant to the Commander for International Affairs, Headquarters Air Force...

, Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
Ramos was the first Hispanic to serve as commander, Air Force Security Assistance Center, Air Force Materiel Command, and dual-hatted as Assistant to the Commander for International Affairs, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command.

Agustín Ramos Calero
Agustin Ramos Calero
Sergeant First Class Agustín Ramos Calero was awarded 22 decorations and medals from the U.S. Army for his actions during World War II, thus becoming the most decorated Hispanic soldier in the United States military during that war.-Early years:Calero was born and raised in the town of Isabela,...

, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
With 22 military decorations Ramos Calero was the most decorated soldier in all of the United States during World War II.

Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci
Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci
Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci , was an F-111F pilot in the United States Air Force. He was killed in action during Operation El Dorado Canyon, the April 15, 1986 U.S. air raid on Libya.-Early years:...

, Major, U.S. Air Force
Ribas-Dominicci was one of the pilots who participated in the Libyan air raid as member of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing. His F-111F was shot down in action over the disputed Gulf of Sidra off the Libyan coast. Ribas-Dominicci and his weapons systems officer, Capt. Paul Lorence, were the only U.S. casualties of Operation El Dorado Canyon.

Frederick Lois Riefkohl
Frederick Lois Riefkohl
Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl , a native of Maunabo, Puerto Rico, was an officer in the United States Navy and the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and to be awarded the Navy Cross. The Navy Cross is the second highest medal, after the Medal of Honor, that...

, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
Riefkohl was the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and in World War I became the first Puerto Rican to be awarded the Navy Cross.

Rudolph W. Riefkohl
Rudolph W. Riefkohl
Colonel Rudolph William Riefkohl , was an officer in the United States Army, who played an instrumental role in helping the people of Poland overcome the 1919 typhus epidemic.-Early years:...

, Colonel, U.S. Army
Riefkohl played an instrumental role in helping the people of Poland overcome the 1919 typhus epidemic.

Félix Rigau Carrera
Felix Rigau Carrera
First Lieutenant Félix Rigau Carrera , known as "El Águila de Sabana Grande" , was the first Puerto Rican pilot and the first Hispanic fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps...

, 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps
Rigau Carrera was the first Puerto Rican pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

and the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...

in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

. Rigau Carrera was also the first Puerto Rican parachutist and the first pilot to fly on air mail carrying duties in Puerto Rico.

Manuel Rivera, Jr., Captain, U.S. Marine Corps
Rivera was the first Puerto Rican and U.S. servicemen to die in Operation Desert Shield.

Pedro N. Rivera
Pedro N. Rivera
Brigadier General Pedro N. Rivera, M.D. is a retired United States Air Force officer who in 1994 became the first Hispanic to be named medical commander in the Air Force. He was responsible for the provision of health care to more than 50,000 patients.-Early years:Rivera was born in San German,...

, M.D., Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
In 1994, Rivera became the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

to be named medical commander in the Air Force. He was responsible for the provision of health of health care to more than 50,000 patients.

Horacio Rivero Jr., Admiral, U.S. Navy
In 1964, Rivero became the first Puerto Rican and second Hispanic four-star admiral. Rivero participated in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and in 1962, Admiral Rivero was the commander of the American fleet sent by President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...

to set up a quarantine (blockade) of the Soviet ships in an effort to stop the Cold War from escalating into World War III.

Pedro Rodríguez
Pedro Rodriguez (soldier)
Rodríguez, PedroOrganization:HEADQUARTERS 3D INFANTRY DIVISION G.O. # 261 – 8 July 19512nd Citation:-Later years:Sgt. Rodríguez retired from the Army with the rank of Master Sergeant and went to work as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Puerto Rico. In 1979, Rodríguez went to live at...

, Master Sergeant, U.S. Army
Rodríguez was a member of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry. He earned two Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

s within a seven day period during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

..

Antonio Rodríguez Balinas
Antonio Rodriguez Balinas
Brigadier General Antonio Rodríguez Balinas was the first commander of the Office of the First U.S. Army Deputy Command.-Early years:...

, Brigadier General, U.S. Army
Rodríguez Balinas was the first commander of the Office of the First U.S. Army Deputy Command. During the Korean War he fought with Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment and was awarded the Silver Star Medal
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

Maria Rodriguez Denton
Puerto Rican women in the military
One of the least known roles played by Puerto Rican women has been that of revolutionists and soldiers. This is a brief account of some the Puerto Rican women who have participated in military actions either as members of a political revolutionary movement or the Armed Forces of the United...

, Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
Rodriguez Denton was the first woman from Puerto Rico who became an officer in the United States Navy as member of the WAVES
WAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...

. It was Lt. Denton who forwarded the news (through channels) to President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

that the war had ended.

Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas
Fernando E. Rodriguez Vargas
Major Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas, DDS was an odontologist , scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army who discovered the bacteria which causes dental caries.-Early years:...

, DDS, Major, U.S. Army
Rodríguez Vargas was an odontologist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...

(dentist), scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army who in 1921 discovered the bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

which causes dental caries
Dental caries
Dental caries, also known as tooth decay or a cavity, is an irreversible infection usually bacterial in origin that causes demineralization of the hard tissues and destruction of the organic matter of the tooth, usually by production of acid by hydrolysis of the food debris accumulated on the...

.

Eurípides Rubio
Euripides Rubio
Captain Eurípides Rubio , born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was a United States Army officer and one of five Puerto Ricans who were posthumously awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor — the Medal of Honor for actions on November 8, 1966 during the Vietnam War...

, Captain, U.S. Army
Rubio was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Tay Ninh Province in the Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

on November 8, 1966.

José L. Santiago
José L. Santiago
Sergeant Major Jose Luis Santiago is a member of the United States Marine Corps who has the distinction of being the 2nd Battalion 9th Marines' first Hispanic Sergeant Major and its first Sergeant Major since its reactivation on July 13, 2007...

, Sergeant Major, U.S. Marine Corps
Santiago has the distinction of being the 2nd Battalion 9th Marines
2nd Battalion 9th Marines
The 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I, the unit played an instrumental role in the defeat of the Japanese forces in the Battles of Guam and Iwo Jima during the World War II...

first Hispanic Sergeant Major and its first Sergeant Major since its reactivation on July 13, 2007.

Héctor Santiago-Colón
Hector Santiago-Colon
Specialist Four Héctor Santiago-Colón is one of five Puerto Ricans who have been posthumously presented with the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States...

, Specialist 4, U.S. Army
In 1968, Santiago-Colón was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Quảng Trị Province
Quang Tri Province
Quảng Trị is a province on the North Central Coast of Vietnam, north of the former imperial capital of Huế.-Geography:Located in North Central Vietnam, Quang Tri Province is surrounded by Quang Binh Province on the north, Thua Thien-Hue Province on the south, Savannakhet Province of Laos on the...

, Vietnam as member of Company B of the 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division.

Antulio Segarra
Antulio Segarra
Colonel Antulio Segarra , was a United States Army officer who in 1943 became the first Puerto Rican in history to command a Regular Army Regiment. Segarra served as Military Aide to the Military Governor of Puerto Rico Theodore Roosevelt, Jr...

, Colonel, U.S. Army
In 1943, Segarra became the first Puerto Rican Regular Army officer to command a Regular Army Regiment when he assumed the command of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment which at the time was conducting security missions in the jungles of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

.

Frankie Segarra
Frankie Segarra
Master Gunnery Sergeant Frankie Segarra , is the first Hispanic to reach the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant in his Military Occupational Specialty, 0451 air delivery specialist.-Early years:...

, Master Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
Segarra is the first Puerto Rican to reach the grade of Master Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps within his MOS.

Rafel Toro
Rafel Toro
Private Rafel Toro was a United States Marine Corps private who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his "extraordinary heroism in battle" while fighting in Nicaragua during the second Nicaragua campaign in 1927....

, Private, U.S. Marine Corps
Toro was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

for his "extraordinary heroism in battle" while fighting in Nicaragua
History of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the least densely populated nation in Central America, with a demographic similar in size to its smaller neighbors. It is located about midway between Mexico and Colombia, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. Nicaragua ranges from the Caribbean Sea on the...

during the second Nicaragua campaign in 1927.

Humbert Roque Versace
Humbert Roque Versace
Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace was a United States Army officer of Puerto Rican-Italian descent who was awarded the United States' highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his heroic actions while a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He was the first member of...

, Captain, U.S. Army
In 2002, Versace was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions while a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

(POW) during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

. He was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity.

Raúl G. Villaronga
Raúl G. Villaronga
Colonel Raúl G. Villaronga is a retired United States Army officer who has the distinction of being the first Puerto Rican mayor of a Texas city...

, Colonel, U.S. Army
Villaronga was the first Puerto Rican to be elected as Mayor of a Texas city (Killeen
Killeen, Texas
Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921...

).

21st century

Ivan Castro
Ivan Castro (soldier)
Captain Iván Castro is a U.S. Army officer who has continued serving on active duty in the Special Forces despite losing his eyesight. He is one of three blind active duty officers who serves in the U.S. Army and the only blind officer serving in the United States Army Special Forces...

, Captain, U.S. Army
Castro is one of three blind active-duty officers who serves in the US Army and the only blind officer serving in the United States Army Special Forces
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...

.

Ramon Colon-Lopez
Ramón Colón-López
Chief Master Sergeant Ramón Colón-López is pararescueman with the U.S. Air Force, who in 2007, was the only Hispanic amongst the first six airmen to be awarded the newly created Air Force Combat Action Medal...

, Chief Master Sergeant, U.S.Air Force
On June 13, 2007, Colon-Lopez a pararescueman, was the first and only Hispanic among the first six airmen to be awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal
Air Force Combat Action Medal
The Air Force Combat Action Medal is a relatively new medal issued by the United States Air Force. It was first awarded on June 12, 2007 for actions from September 11, 2001 to a date to be determined and may be awarded posthumously.-Criteria:...

. He is the Commandant of the Pararescue and Combat Rescue Officer School

Emilio Díaz Colón
Emilio Díaz Colón
Major General Emilio Díaz Colón , is a former United States National Guard officer who served as the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard...

, Major General, US Army; PRNG
Díaz-Colón is the first Superintendent of the Puerto Rican Police who once served as the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard.

Hila Levy
Hila Levy
First Lieutenant Hila Levy is an officer in the United States Air Force who made history in 2007 when she became the first Puerto Rican to be awarded a Rhodes scholarship.-Early years:...

, 1st Lieutenant, U.S.Air Force
In 2007 Levy became the first Puerto Rican
Puerto Ricans in the United States
Stateside Puerto Ricans are American citizens of Puerto Rican origin, including those who migrated from Puerto Rico to the United States and those who were born outside of Puerto Rico in the United States...

Rhodes scholar.

María V. Martínez
María V. Martínez
Command Sergeant Major María V. Martínez is the first Puerto Rican female to reach the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the United States Army. She serves as Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director of the Army Diversity Office in the Pentagon, Washington D.C....

, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army
Martínez is the first Puerto Rican female to reach the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the United States Army. She serves as Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director of the Army Diversity Office in the Pentagon, Washington D.C..

Rafael O'Ferrall
Rafael O'Ferrall
Brigadier General Rafael O'Ferrall is a United States Army officer who is the first Hispanic of Puerto Rican descent to become the Deputy Commanding General for the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba while simultaneously serving as Assistant Adjutant General and Deputy Commanding General of...

, Brigadier General, U. S. Army
O'Ferrall is the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

and Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

to become the Deputy Commanding General for the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...

, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

while simultaneously serving as Assistant Adjutant General (Army) and Deputy Commanding General of the Joint Force Headquarters at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Maria Ines Ortiz
María Inés Ortiz
Captain María Inés Ortiz , was the first American nurse to die in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Army nurse to die in combat since the Vietnam War.-Early years:...

, Captain, U.S. Army
Ortiz was the first Puerto Rican
Puerto Ricans in the United States
Stateside Puerto Ricans are American citizens of Puerto Rican origin, including those who migrated from Puerto Rico to the United States and those who were born outside of Puerto Rico in the United States...

nurse to die in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

nurse to die in combat since the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

..

Hector E. Pagan
Hector E. Pagan
Brigadier General Hector E. Pagan is a United States Army officer who is the first Hispanic of Puerto Rican descent to become Deputy Commanding General of the U.S.Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina....

, Brigadier General, U.S. Army
Pagan is the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

of Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

descent to become Deputy Commanding General of the U.S.Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...

, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

.

Lizbeth Robles
Lizbeth Robles
SPC Lizbeth Robles , was a female soldier born in Puerto Rico that died in Operation Iraqi Freedom.-Early years:...

, Specialist, U.S. Army
In 2005, Robles was the first female soldier born in Puerto Rico to die in combat as an active soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Maritza Sáenz Ryan
Maritza Sáenz Ryan
Colonel Maritza Sáenz RyanThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name "Sáenz" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Ryan". , is a United States Army officer and the head of the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy...

, Colonel, U.S. Army
Sáenz Ryan is the head of the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

. She is the first woman and first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

(Puerto Rican and Spanish heritage) West Point graduate to serve as an academic department head. She also has the distinction of also being the most senior ranking Hispanic Judge Advocate.

Frances M. Vega
Frances M. Vega
SPC Frances M. Vega, also known as "That Girl Benitez" , was the first female soldier of Puerto Rican descent to die in a combat zone in Operation Iraqi Freedom.-Early years:...

, Specialist, U.S. Army
On November 2, 2003, Vega became the first female soldier of Puerto Rican descent to die in a combat zone during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Notable Puerto Ricans who served in the military

Notable Puerto Ricans who served in the military
First row: José Gautier Benítez José Gautier Benítez José Gautier Benítez is considered Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era.-Early years:Gautier Benítez was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Rodulfo Gautier and the renowned Puerto Rican poet, Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier. His great-aunt, Maria Bibiana Benitez, was also a renowned Puerto Rican... Angel Mislan Angel Mislan Ángel Mislan , was a composer of Puerto Rican Danzas.-Early years:Mislan was born in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico where he was raised and educated. The small town is located in the western part of Puerto Rico. His father was a music teacher who gave private lessons on the use of musical instruments... Antonio Paoli Antonio Paolí Antonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts... Second row: Pedro Albizu Campos Pedro Albizu Campos Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death... Rafael Hernández (left) w/brother Jesus Rafael Hernández Marín Rafael Hernández , was one of the most important composers of Puerto Rican popular music during the 20th century.-Early years:... Nicholas Estavillo Nicholas Estavillo NYPD Chief of Patrol Nicholas Estavillo , is a former member of the New York Police Department who in 2002 became the first Puerto Rican and the first Hispanic in the history of the NYPD to reach the three-star rank of Chief of Patrol.-Early years:Estavillo was born and raised in the sector Hato... Third row: David Zayas David Zayas David Zayas is a Puerto Rican theatrical, film, and television actor. He is most known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series Dexter and as Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama Oz.- Life and career :... Joseph M. Acaba Joseph M. Acaba Joseph Michael "Joe" Acaba is an educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004 he became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19... Joe Sánchez Joe Sánchez Joe Sánchez , is a former New York City police officer and author who published books about corruption within the New York City Police Department, or NYPD. Upon exposing the illegal acts committed by some high-ranking NYPD officers, Sánchez was arrested on the basis of false allegations which were...

The following are the names of notable Puerto Rican men and women or people of Puerto Rican descent who served in the military of Spain, Cuba, Venezuela, England, United States or of that of any other country and have gained fame through previous or subsequent endeavors, infamy, or successes:

A

Joseph M. Acaba
Joseph M. Acaba
Joseph Michael "Joe" Acaba is an educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004 he became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19...

, U.S. Marine Corps - Astronaut, scientist, educator
First Puerto Rican astronaut

Johnny Albino
Johnny Albino
Johnny Albino was a Puerto Rican bolero singer, born in Yauco.-Biography:Albino played and sang through his youth years. It wasn't until years later, however, that he would get a chance to sing as part of an organized act...

, U.S. Army - bolero singer

Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...

, U.S. Army - Politician
President and principal leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.

Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda
Carlos Albizu Miranda
Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda is the first Hispanic educator to have a North American University renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D...

, U.S. Army - Psychologist, educator
First Hispanic Educator to have a North American University renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology in the United States.

Ray Barretto
Ray Barretto
Ray Barretto was a Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican jazz musician.-Early years:Barretto was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent...

, U.S. Army - Percussionist, jazz and salsa leader

Dr. Víctor Manuel Blanco
Victor Manuel Blanco
Dr. Víctor Manuel Blanco, PhD, was a Puerto Rican astronomer who in 1959 discovered "Blanco 1," a galactic cluster. Blanco was the second Director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, which had the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. In 1995, the telescope...

, U.S. Army Air Force - Astronomer
In 1959, Blanco discovered "Blanco 1," a galactic cluster. Blanco was the second Director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, which has the largest 4-m telescope in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...

, In 1995, the telescope was dedicated in his honor and named the "Víctor M. Blanco Telescope" and is also known as the "Blanco 4m"

Frank Bonilla
Frank Bonilla
Professor Frank Bonilla was an American academic of Puerto Rican descent who became a leading figure in Puerto Rican Studies...

, U.S. Army - Academic of Puerto Rican descent
Bonilla became a leading figure in Puerto Rican Studies.

Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...

, U.S. Marine Corps - Major League baseball player,
First native Puerto Rican to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sixto Escobar
Sixto Escobar
Sixto Escobar was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he became Puerto Rico's first world champion....

, U.S. Army - Boxer
First Puerto Rican world champion and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.

Nicholas Estavillo
Nicholas Estavillo
NYPD Chief of Patrol Nicholas Estavillo , is a former member of the New York Police Department who in 2002 became the first Puerto Rican and the first Hispanic in the history of the NYPD to reach the three-star rank of Chief of Patrol.-Early years:Estavillo was born and raised in the sector Hato...

, U.S. Marine Corps - Former Chief of Patrol, NYPD
In 2002, Estavillo became the first Puerto Rican and the first Hispanic in the history of the NYPD to reach the three-star rank of Chief of Patrol.

Noel Estrada
Noel Estrada
Noel Estrada was the composer of "En mi Viejo San Juan", one of the most famous Boleros in Puerto Rico.-Early years:Estrada was born in the town of Isabela, Puerto Rico where he received his primary education...

, U.S. Army - Composer
Composer of "En Mi Viejo San Juan."

Pedro Flores
Pedro Flores (composer)
Pedro Flores born was one Puerto Rico's best known composers of Ballads and Boleros.-Early years:Flores was one of 12 children born into a poor family in the town of Naguabo, Puerto Rico. Flores' father died when he was only nine years old and therefore, he was forced to work at a young age...

, U.S. Army - Composer
One of Puerto Rico's best known composers of Ballads and Boleros.

Dr. Joxel García
Joxel García
Joxel García is a Puerto Rican physician and a former four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as the thirteenth Assistant Secretary for Health , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from March 13, 2008 to January 20, 2009...

, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Physician
García is a former four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as the thirteenth Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH).

José Gautier Benítez
José Gautier Benítez
José Gautier Benítez is considered Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era.-Early years:Gautier Benítez was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Rodulfo Gautier and the renowned Puerto Rican poet, Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier. His great-aunt, Maria Bibiana Benitez, was also a renowned Puerto Rican...

, Spanish Army - Poet
Considered by many to be Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era.

Aníbal González Irizarry
Aníbal González Irizarry
Aníbal González Irizarry - educator, journalist and news broadcaster.-Early years:Irizarry was born and raised in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, where he also received his primary and secondary education. He completed 3 years of high school at Sabana Grande High School before his family moved to...

, U.S. Army - Journalist
Former newscaster for "Telenoticias en accion."

Rafael Hernández
Rafael Hernández Marín
Rafael Hernández , was one of the most important composers of Puerto Rican popular music during the 20th century.-Early years:...

, U.S. Army - Composer
Composer of "Preciosa" and "Lamento Borincano"

Lorenzo Homar
Lorenzo Homar
Lorenzo Homar , is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest graphic artist.-Early years:Homar, born in the "Barrio" Puerta de Tierra of San Juan, Puerto Rico, inherited his love for the arts from both of his parents. His father was an arts promoter and his mother a pianist. He went to...

, U.S. Army - Visual artist
Considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest graphic artist.

Dr. Jacob Lozada
Jacob Lozada
Dr. Jacob Lozada was nominated by U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director to serve as the Human Resource Agency's Special Advisor to the Director of OPM for Diversity Strategy. He was nominated by President George W. Bush as the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Formerly a Management...

, U.S. Army - Management Consultant
Nominated by President George W. Bush to be Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

José "Aguila Blanca" (White Eagle) Maldonado Román
José Maldonado Román
José Maldonado Román a.k.a. "Aguila Blanca" was a Puerto Rican revolutionary who fought with the Cuban Liberation Army and whose controversial exploits in Puerto Rico have contributed to making him part of Puerto Rican lore....

, Cuban Liberation Army - Puerto Rican revolutionary
His controversial exploits in Puerto Rico have contributed to making him part of Puerto Rican lore.

Hugo Margenat
Hugo Margenat
Hugo Margenat , was a Puerto Rican poet and Puerto Rican Independence advocate. His art was committed to serving a militant nationalistic agenda...

, U.S. Army - Poet
Margenat was the founder of the political youth pro-independence organizations "Acción Juventud Independentista" and "Federación de Universitarios Pro Independencia"

Angel Mislan
Angel Mislan
Ángel Mislan , was a composer of Puerto Rican Danzas.-Early years:Mislan was born in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico where he was raised and educated. The small town is located in the western part of Puerto Rico. His father was a music teacher who gave private lessons on the use of musical instruments...

, Spanish Army - Composer of Danzas

P

Antonio Paoli
Antonio Paolí
Antonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...

, Spanish Army - Tenor, opera singer
First person in history to record an entire opera

Pedro Pietri
Pedro Pietri
Pedro Pietri , was a Nuyorican poet and playwright who co-founded the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was the poet laureate of the Nuyorican Movement.-Early years :...

, U.S. Army - Nuyorican
Nuyorican
Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Rican diaspora located in or around New York State especially the New York City metropolitan area, or of their descendants...

poet and playwright
Pietri co-founded the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Nuyorican Poets Café
The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...

.

R

Sylvia Rexach
Sylvia Rexach
Sylvia Rexach , was a comedy scriptwriter, poet, singer and composer of boleros .-Early years:Rexach was born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico. There she attended public school and received her primary education...

, U.S. Women's Army Corps - Singer, composer

Marie Teresa Rios
Marie Teresa Rios
Marie Teresa Ríos, also Marie Teresa Ríos Versace, was the Puerto Rican - American author of a book which was the basis for the 1960s television sitcom, The Flying Nun. Ríos was the mother of Humbert Roque Versace, the first U.S...

, U.S. Women's Army Corps - Author
Author of the novel "The Fifteenth Pelican," which was the basis for the popular 1960s television sitcom, The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...

.

Tomás "Maso Rivera" Rivera Morales
Tomás Rivera Morales
Tomás Rivera Morales, simply known as "Maso" Rivera , was a Puerto Rican musician and a major exponent of Puerto Rico’s Jibaro music. Rivera composed over 1,000 instrumental compositions for the Cuatro, Puerto Rico's national instrument.-Early years:Rivera was born in the barrio Galateo in the...

, U.S. Army - Composer
Composed over 1,000 instrumental compositions for the cuatro.

Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez, U.S. Army - Professional golfer
He is the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Joe Sánchez
Joe Sánchez
Joe Sánchez , is a former New York City police officer and author who published books about corruption within the New York City Police Department, or NYPD. Upon exposing the illegal acts committed by some high-ranking NYPD officers, Sánchez was arrested on the basis of false allegations which were...

, U.S. Army - Author and former New York City police officer
Sánchez is a highly decorated former New York City police officer, and author whose books give an insight as to the corruption within the department.

Daniel Santos
Daniel Santos (singer)
Daniel Santos was a singer and composer of boleros, and an overall performer of multiple Caribbean music genres, including guaracha, plena and rumba...

, U.S. Army - Composer
Singer of boleros

Miguel Ángel Suárez
Miguel Angel Suarez
Miguel Ángel Suárez was a Puerto Rican soap opera and movie actor.-Early years:Suárez and his sister were born into a middle class family and raised in the Santurce section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. His father worked at a local supermarket and his mother was a housewife. When Suárez was a child,...

, U.S. Navy - Actor, playwright, stage director
Acted in various films such as Stir Crazy
Stir crazy
Stir crazy may refer to:*Stir crazy , a mental condition experienced by prisoners*Stir Crazy , a 1980 comedy film*Stir Crazy , a US restaurant chain*Stir Crazy , a short-lived 1985 CBS sitcom...

and Under Suspicion
Under Suspicion
Under Suspicion may refer to:* Under Suspicion , an American television police drama* "Under Suspicion" , an episode of the American television series CSI: Miami...

.

Ray Suarez
Ray Suarez (politician)
Regner E. Suarez is alderman of the 31st ward of the City of Chicago; he was first elected in 1991.-Personal life:Suarez was born in Yauco, Puerto Rico, and later enlisted in the United States Marine Corps...

, U.S. Marine Corps - Politician
Alderman of the 31st ward in Chicago.

Francisco Torralbo
Francisco Torralbo
Francisco Torralbo y Robles , acting governor of Puerto Rico, brigadier general, King's Lieutenant of Puerto Rico.He served as Spanish governor of Puerto Rico on two occasions, 1789 and 1792–1793, both ad interim...

, Spanish Army - Politician
Torralbo served as Spanish acting governor of Puerto Rico on two occasions, 1789 and 1792–1793, both ad interim.

Guillermo José Torres
Guillermo José Torres
Guillermo José Torres is a Puerto Rican television reporter and news anchorman.-External links:*...

, U.S. Army - Journalist
Television reporter and news anchorman

José "Chegui" Torres
José Torres
José Torres , was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he defeated Willie Pastrano to win the WBC and WBA light heavyweight championships...

, U.S. Army - Boxer
Light Heavyweight Championship and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.

Rafael Tufiño
Rafael Tufiño
Rafael Tufiño Figueroa was a Puerto Rican painter, printmaker and cultural figure in Puerto Rico, known locally as the "Painter of the People"...

, U.S. Army - Painter and printmaker

Antonio J. Vicens
Antonio J. Vicens
Antonio J. Vicens-Gonzalez is the 18th Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard since January 2, 2009. The Adjutant General is the Commander of the Puerto Rico National Guard. As the Adjutant General he is also the Senior Military Advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico and oversees both...

, U.S. Army - Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard.

David Zayas
David Zayas
David Zayas is a Puerto Rican theatrical, film, and television actor. He is most known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series Dexter and as Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama Oz.- Life and career :...

, U.S. Air Force - Theatrical, film, and television actor
He is most known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series Dexter
Dexter
Dexter is a Latin adjective meaning "on the right hand side, skillful, fortunate, favourable, proper, fitting".Dexter may also refer to:...

and as Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...

.