Despite an initial successful string of victories in the Korean War,
the 65th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army, conformed mostly of native Puerto Ricans,
suffered catastrophic casualties during the Battle of Outpost Kelly in September of 1952.
Less than a month later, the Borinqueneers faced an even more challenging undertaking,
and even after two weeks of intensive retraining,
they would suffer a far greater calamity during the Battle for Jackson Heights.
However, sick of the unfair treatment by their superiors, the Boricua soldiers would
not hold on to the last man, and their decision would cost them everything...
The Boriqueneers
The 65th Infantry Regiment, a Puerto Rican regiment of the US Army,
was established in March of1899 as the first body of native troops in Puerto Rico.
Nicknamed The Borinqueneers for the original Taino Indian name for Puerto Rico,
the regiment's motto was Honor et Fidelitas, or Honor and Fidelity.
The Infantry regiment went on to participate in World War 1, World War 2,
the Korean War, and most recently in the Global War on terrorism.
In the 1950s, the men of the 65th, attached to the United States Army's 3rd Infantry Division,
were amongst the first American troops to meet the enemy on the vicious battlefields of Korea.
Born in a tropical climate, the Boriqueneers suffered significantly from the cold weather.
But despite their lack of warm clothing, the 65th Infantry men fought through it all
and achieved great success in the early stages of the war.
Then, in mid-September of 1952, the 65th Infantry Regiment engaged in the Battle of Outpost Kelly,
where the United Nations Command and Chinese forces
fought for the possession of a UN outpost position.
During the engagement, the Chinese successfully seized the position and defended it against UN
counterattacks, resulting in 500 casualties from the Infantry Regiment. Because of the
failure to hold and recapture the United Nations outpost, the soldiers were pulled off from the
front line and sent to an intensive training program led by the 3rd Division commander.
Additionally, Colonel Juan Cesar Cordero, the Puerto Rican Regimental Commander,
was relieved of command and replaced by Colonel Chester De Gavre, a continental Commander.
Changes
In a meeting held at the regimental command post to welcome Colonel Chester De Gavre,
other top Battalion Commanders and Regimental staff discussed
the options to improve the regiment's lacking performance during the Battle of Outpost Kelly.
Many of the officers blamed the Puerto Rican soldiers and the previous Commander,
with one Regimental Executive Officer even suggesting that the men should shave off
their mustaches until they proved to be real men.
Still, General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the United States-led United Nations forces in
the early stages of the Korean war, recognized their: [QUOTE] "Magnificent ability and courage
in field operations. They are a credit to Puerto Rico, and I am proud to have them in my command.”
Carlos Betances, Commander of the 2nd Battalion and the senior Puerto Rican officer remaining
in the regiments, was quickly disgusted by the dishonorable behavior of the Regiment Officer's
comments, later calling it the dirtiest disloyalty he had ever seen in his life.
Despite a visit from three battalion Chaplains to try to explain to Colonel
De Gavre the cultural significance and even the religious implications of the
Puerto Rican soldiers to keep their mustaches, the advice was ignored.
The men from the 65th Infantry Regiment were all ordered to shave off what they
believed was a symbol of masculinity and maturity,
but many refused, and a rebellious streak spread throughout the unit.
De Gavre then gave the soldiers one week to comply with the order or face charges of a court-martial,
and many of the Boriqueneers waited until the last minute.
Several other orders from the top officers added to a general dissatisfaction within the regiment,
including a sudden change of rations from their native food to solely American food,
and an order to remove the word Borinqueneers from the regimental vehicles.
To them, it looked like the new Regimental Commander actively disliked the Puerto Ricans.
Meanwhile, despite the intensive two-week training, the regiment still lacked experience,
particularly the noncommissioned officers at the infantry platoon level.
Furthermore, the unit was suddenly ordered back into the battlefield,
and on the night of October 24, the Boriqueneers moved into a new position on the east side of the
Chowan valley with its right flank resting south of Hill 391, soon to be called Jackson Heights.
The regiment was taking the place of the Republic of Korea’s 51st Infantry Regiment, which had been
fighting the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the area since early October,
with the position now in danger of collapse.
A Brutal Encounter
On the night of October 24, the 65th's G company, led by Captain George Jackson,
took over the defense of the high ground immediately south of Jackson Heights.
While the hill had enough bunkers to house three rifle platoon command posts, company headquarters,
and even a forward artillery observer, none of the men were prepared to fight off such an attack.
Facing G Company were elements of the People's Volunteer Army's 3rd Battalion,
commanded by Hwueh Yiang-Hua, and protected by the 25th artillery, which soon began firing
against the Puerto Ricans' positions from 2,800 yards northwest, in Camel Back Hill.
By dusk, G company had been subjected to over 250 rounds of mortar and artillery fire,
and PVA nighttime patrols continued attacking them throughout the night.
During the next few days, Captain Jackson and his men attempted to break up the Chinese probes and
the advancing soldiers. However, the Chinese persisted, and one of their rounds hit the
Company's mortar ammunition supply, blowing up close to 150 rounds and taking dozens of lives.
By nightfall on the 27, the enemy had reduced the mortar platoon to only two mortars and seven men,
while the second platoon suffered significant casualties, including the leader and sergeant.
Consequently, Captain Jackson reported to the 2nd Battalion and asked for aid for his wounded men,
also requesting smoke around the heights to obstruct the PVA's view.
Not long after, a PVA artillery concentration hit the G Company's positions, leading Jackson and his
men to defend themselves by using whatever remaining mortars and weapons they had.
The second PVA assault of the evening was even more massive, firing an estimated 1,000 rounds
upon Jackson Heights in less than an hour and hitting the ammunition dump once again.
By then, the Company's Communications Sergeant reported that only three men
were left in his position and asked the 2nd Battalion for permission to withdraw.
While it is unclear whether the Sergeant acted on his own, Betances assumed the request was
coming from the Company Commander and ordered the withdrawal of G Company.
Jackson tried to verify the withdrawal order, but the communications lines were out,
as were the radios, and he then ordered his platoon leaders to withdraw.
Retaking Jackson Heights
When Colonel De Gavre found out about G Company's withdrawal,
he immediately ordered that A Company, led by 1st Lieutenant John Porterfield,
be placed under the operational control of Betances for a counterattack to regain the hill.
F Company, commanded by Captain Willis Cronkhite, would also take part in the attack and man the
outpost, while the men from C Company would prepare to back up A Company if necessary.
As the sun rose on October 28, Captain Cronkhite led F Company towards Jackson Heights,
and while they encountered a PVA platoon defending the hill, the Company quickly took over the crest.
Meanwhile, Porterfield and his A Company were also slowed down by enemy artillery fire,
but they pushed through and soon joined F Company on the hill.
Still, the remaining platoon was pinned down by mortar fire at the base of Jackson Heights hill.
And just when the men thought that the operation was going their way, a direct hit landed in the
middle of A Company’s command post and took the lives of Lieutenant Porterfield, a platoon leader,
and the forward observer, while severely wounding the one remaining platoon leader.
After the demoralizing attack, the men from A and F companies began
to retreat from the area and went back to the line. By the evening,
only some of Captain Cronkhite's F Company officers remained on the hill.
Orders from the 2nd Battalion to return to the hill were vehemently ignored.
Consequently, Colonel Betances ordered Cronkhite and his officers to withdraw
from Jackson Heights by nightfall.
The following day, the 65th Regiment attempted to take the hill once again by sending C Company,
led by 1st Battalion Commander Major Davies. The men moved up the hill
and took possession without enemy resistance, but fear soon took over and they left en masse.
Once again, the stragglers were ordered back up the hill, but over 50 of them refused,
forcing Davis to recall the command group back to the line.
Jackson Heights was now deserted and, according to the Puerto Ricans, rightfully so.
Aftermath
Colonel De Gavre was irate about G Company's withdrawal from Jackson Heights,
as he expected his men would hold the outpost no matter the cost.
After the battle, the US Army implemented several policy changes,
including one which only allowed the Division Commander to authorize a retreat.
Following the disastrous confrontation, 95 soldiers from the 65th Regiment were taken
to trial for desertion by general court-martial, in what became the largest mass trial of the war.
91 soldiers were found guilty and taken to prison terms, with sentences ranging from 12 months to 18
years of hard labor. However, following a public outcry and the intervention of the Puerto Rican
government years later, almost 100 convicted soldiers were granted clemency and pardons.
Captain Cronkhite was eventually awarded the Silver Star for his heroism in the Battle of
Jackson Heights, while 1st Lieutenant Porterfield
was posthumously promoted to Captain and received the Bronze Star award.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander Carlos Betances was relieved from his command.
Then, in November of that same year, the 65th Regiment returned to an intensive training
program. Major General George Smythe, the division commander, requested that a more
experienced combat-trained regiment be assigned either permanently or long-term
while the Puerto Ricans completed their program.
If neither alternative was possible, Smythe favored the reconstitution of
the Regiment with at least 60 percent mainland United States personnel,
while assigning the excess Puerto Ricans to other units.
As such, by March of 1953, the Borinqueneers ceased being the Puerto Rican Regiment.
With its Puerto Rican soldiers reintegrated into other units,
the 65th then became an Infantry Regiment like all the others in Korea,
and the percentage of Puerto Rican personnel dropped to a mere five percent.
Still, redemption for the 61,000 Puerto Ricans that bravely fought during the Korean War has
only grown throughout the years, as Professor of Communications at the University of Puerto Rico,
Silvia Alvarez Curbelo put it: (QUOTE) “The Puerto Rican soldier performance was
also an affair of dignity…a mixture of pride, courage, bravery, self-respect and patriotism.”
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