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UNITED STATES MILITARY SOURCES:
1) Just as the Spain did when it controlled Puerto Rico, the United States began to enlist men in the defense of the island. 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.
2) The Porto Rico Regiment, U.S. Infantry, 4,000 strong, served in World War I. From 1917 to 1919 it guarded the
Panama Canal. During this period, the Porto Rico National guard also came into existence with the creation of the
295th and 296th Infantry Regiments. Additionally, several “Home Guard” units were organized and many other
Puerto Ricans living in the continental U.S. served in mainland units that fought in Europe. Dark skinned Puerto
Ricans were placed in such racially segregated units as the 396th Infantry, “The Harlem Hell Fighters” who fought under French command. Rafael Hernandez the famous Puerto Rican musician/composer and his brother, Jesus, served in that unit’s band. All told, 236,000 Puerto Ricans registered for the WWI draft and 18,000 served in the military.
3) During WWII approximately 65,000 Puerto Ricans served in the U.S. armed forces and the 65th Infantry
Regiment “Puerto Rico’s Own” saw combat in the Italian-French Border in the winter of 1944. Records for this unit can be found at the NARA in College Park Md. There are some five boxes of documents recording various troop movements and actions including names of personnel and awards made to them.
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Copyright 2005 © Miguel J. Hernandez -
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Puerto Rican Units
The Oxford Companion to American Military History | 2000 | John Whiteclay Chambers II | Copyright http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O126-PuertoRicanUnits.html
4) Puerto Rico has a long history with the U.S. military. Some Puerto Ricans participated as auxiliary troops in the U.S. invasion of 1898. After taking the island from Spain, the United States initiated new units with native personnel: the Porto Rico Battalion (1899) of infantry (cavalry was added in 1900) to assist in repressing armed peasants, and the Porto Rico Regiment, U.S. Volunteers Infantry (1900). This force —U.S. officers and native troops comprising 900 men —replaced the 700 regular U.S. troops sent to help suppress the Philippine insurrection. In 1901, it became the Provisional Puerto Rican Infantry Regiment, which was integrated into the regular army (1908) as the Porto Rican Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army.
5) During World War I, an enlarged regiment was assigned to protect the Panama Canal. In 1916, an ROTC program was established at the University of Puerto Rico. In 1917, soon after the Jones Act extending U.S. citizenship to Puer to Ricans, military conscription was introduced. Some 18,000 Puerto Ricans were drafted or enlisted and a National Guard unit was created in 1919. In 1920, the Puerto Rican regiment was renamed the
65th Infantry Regiment, but this colonial unit, similar to the Philippine Scouts, was never fully integrated into the
U.S. Army structure.
6) At the onset of World War II, the 65th Infantry was sent to guard the Panama Canal. In 1944, it transferred to the Mediterranean and European theaters and saw some combat, suffering 348 casualties . More than
65,000 Puerto Ricans served in the U.S. armed forces during the war, most of them as soldiers garrisoning
U.S. bases in the Caribbean.

7) During the Korean War , the 65th Infantry engaged in intensive combat duty, suffering 743 combat and 186 noncombat casualties in the winter of 1950 –51. All told, some 49,200 Puerto Ricans were conscripted or enlisted. Since 1952, when the 65th Infantry was disbanded, Puerto Ricans have served in regular U.S. Army units or the Puerto Rican National Guard. During the Vietnam War , 23,350 Puerto Ricans participated, suffering 1,300 casualties. Numerous Puerto Rican military personnel also served in the Persian Gulf War .
Jorge Rodríguez Beruff
Fort Buchanan History http://www.buchanan.army.mil/sites/about/history.asp
The history of the U.S. Army in Puerto Rico dates back to the Spanish American War. Army troops invaded the island on July 25, 1898 and swiftly defeated a weak Spanish army force.
8) The United States Army and Fort Buchanan have a very rich history in Puerto Rico. It dates back to the Spanish American War, when on July 25, 1989, U.S. forces landed in Guánica, on the southern shore of the island. On October 18, 1989, the last Spanish unit left the island of Puerto Rico and the Department of Porto Rico was established. Their last Headquarters was Ballajá, which still stands in old San Juan. It was the largest structure built by Spain the New World. Today it houses the Museum of the Americas.
9) With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in December 1898, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States and the island became an unincorporated territory of the United States.
10) In 1903, the first Puerto Rican U.S. Army unit was formed – the “Porto Rico Regiment” – under the command of then Colonel James A. Buchanan, for whom our installation was named. “Camp Buchanan” was established in 1923. It was originally located on a 300 acre tract of land, some 6 miles south of San Juan Bay, and called Camp Miles.
11) From 1926 to 1930, Camp Buchanan was used as a maneuver training area and range by the Regular Army, by the
National Guard troops, and as a Citizen Military Training Camp and processing station. In May 1940 it was officially designated as Fort Buchanan and expanded to 1,514 acres initially, later to 4,500 acres. Permanent facilities were constructed.
12) During World War II, Fort Buchanan housed a depot supplying the Army Antilles Department. It also processed local troops through its replacement center. The industrial complex included pier facilities, ammunition storage areas and an extensive railroad network connecting it to the bay. Puerto Rican soldiers were deployed for World War II and Korea from our train station located where our Golf Club is now located, to our own rail-connected Army terminal by the bay.
13) After World War II, the post was gradually reduced in size to its current 746 acres. The post continued to be used throughout the Korean War as a supply and replacement depot. The post continued to be used as an Army facility until the deactivation of the Antilles Command on December 31, 1966, Fort Buchanan came under the control of the U.S. Navy.
14) Today, Buchanan is the only Department of Defense installation in the Caribbean Basin area. It continues to support the Reserve Component and the Active Component Soldiers in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. A definite asset for
DoD relations with Central and South America. The installation also provides support to DoD operations in the Caribbean area.