Your portal to Puerto Rico Genealogy!
     
 

Military Records

Batallón Casadores de la Patria # 25, circa 1896
 

    
   Tidbits!

Puerto Rico has a longstanding tradition of citizen-soldiers and local militia in its over five hundred year old history going back to the year 1510.

The Milicias Urbanas de Puerto Rico was first organized in 1693 and reorganized in 1765 as the Milicias Diciplinadas de Puerto Rico. After the Lares Uprising of 1868, the Spanish doubting the loyalty of Puerto Ricans, began to disband these companies, including the Compañia de Artilleros Morenos de Cangrejos, a separate company of black Puerto Ricans. The milicias, are the direct lineal ancestors of two of today’s Puerto Rico National Guard Units, the 295th and 296th Infantry. The milicias were replaced in 1871 by another similar organization, El Instituto de Voluntarios.

Vintage photograph of the number 1 Battalion of the Institute of Volunteers of Puerto Rico, created in 1870 by Governor Don Laureano Sanz. The purpose of this group was to maintain the order among civilians and to support the Veteran Forces in case of war.

Although membership was voluntary, once the flag of oath was administered, the new members were subject to the same military code as the regular army. In 1898, the Institute also became an armed political party as its members were affiliated with a Spanish political party.

In 1899, the U.S. Congress authorized the establishment of a military unit comprised of Puerto Ricans and in 1900 the Porto Rico Battalion was established.

Through successive reorganizations this unit became the Porto Rico Voluntary Infantry, The Porto Rican Provisional Regiment of Infantry, the Porto Rico Regiment, U.S. Infantry and finally in 1920, the 65th Regiment, U.S. Infantry.

The Puerto Rico National Guard eventually became the 296th Infantry Regiment (“Alerta Esta” - "Always Alert").
  1992 painting depicting the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment's bayonet charge against a Chinese division during the Korean War. Photo courtesy U.S. Army Center for Military History.

 

UNIFORMS
 
Army Spain, 1898
 		  

US Navy, 1899

     


Our Heroes

The participation of the Puerto Ricans in the defense of the interests of the United States has been significant and in some cases, like in the Korean War, decisive.

Sirvieron
[Served]

Heridos
[Wounded]

Muertos en Combate
[Died in Combat]

Quedan Vivos
[Still Alive]

Primera Guerra Mundial
[World War I]
[1914-1918]

18,000

5

1

110

Segunda Guerra Mundial
[World War II]
[1939-1945]

65,034

165

33

30,000

Guerra de Corea
[Korean War]
[1950-1953]

61,000

3,049

756

38,000

Guerra de Vietnam
[Vietnam War]
[1963-1973]

48,000

3,000

332

33,000

Golfo Pérsico
[Persian Gulf]
[1990-1991]

4,300

?

1

?

Source: El Nuevo Día Newspaper, 30 May 2004

 
Medal and Patches


 
Worn from 1950's
to 14 Sep 1967


65th Infantry Regiment
U.S. Army
Worn from 14 Sep 1967
to current.

 

 

 

 The medal was awarded to officers and enlisted personnel of the United States Army for service in Puerto Rico from August 14, 1898 to December 10, 1898. The first recepient of this medal was Colonel Charles E. Morton on October 7, 1919
    Looking For Clues!
 


1862

If you were to pull out a photo album or a box of old family pictures and go through them one at a time, how long would it be before you encountered a snapshot of a family member in a military uniform? It probably wouldn’t take long.

Such pictures are a valuable resource for family historians and a tremendous aid in your search for genealogical information. Consider the clues you can uncover from studying a military photograph in your family photo collection:

  1. The picture should identify the individual. Be certain you know the individual’s real name. For example, if you knew the soldier as "Tio Pepe", his legal name may be Francisco or even Jose Francisco. His military records will list him under his legal name.
     
  2. The picture should help you determine the war in which the individual served if any or a time period. Look for clues such as the style of uniform, the clothing style of others in the picture, or objects that can determine a time period, such as an automobile. This information is extremely important, as military records are filed according to the time period served.
     
  3. The photograph should help you identify the branch in which your relative served through the uniform he wore.
     
  4. A careful inspection of the picture may reveal other important clues, such as a symbol or a patch that represents rank or unit (battalion, division, or platoon). Such information is helpful when researching military records.

The information gleaned from a careful examination of an old military photo can be very helpful. But even if you don’t have old pictures, this information is critical to have in order to learn more.

Many Happy Discoveries!

   
          Colored Troops in PR; 1919

   Items available on this site:

    Our members can also review the following files:


Our Soldiers!
General Military Database 
 [Select the first letter of the
surname "last name"]

A B C

D

 E F
G H I J K L
M N O P Q R
S T U V W X
* * Y Z * *

 

Genealogy is like walking in the footsteps of history.
   Suggested Reading and References
  • Crónica de la Guerra Hispano Americana en PR by Angel Rivero, Capitán de Artillería, 1898
  • Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico, Historia y Tradiciones by Jose Norat Martinez, 1987
  • Into the Desert: The Story of the PR National Guard in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm by PRNG, 1992
  • ¡Que Cosas! by General Luis Raul Esteves, 1953

Last Update January 22, 2012
Copyright © 1999-2011 Searching For Our Roots
All rights reserved.