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BY 1952, the war in Korea had settled into something that more closely resembled World War I than the fluid movement of World War II. The front lines of the opponents, the Republic of Korea and United States in the south and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and China in the north, had more or less stabilized along a front that wound from the East Sea to the West Sea at around the 38th parallel. This line ebbed and flowed both north and south as peace talks continued at Panmunjon-with both sides using offensive or defensive actions to strengthen their position in the negotiations. Into this stalemated war, the Army sent a young lieutenant and placed him in a unit recovering from a tragic episode. The lieutenant, Richard Cavazos, would command a company with distinction and demonstrate the combat leadership that eventually earned him four stars as the first Hispanic promoted to full general in the United States Army.1
The 65th Infantry Regiment
The Borinqueneers of the 65th Infantry Regiment, Puerto Rican National Guard, arrived in Korea early in the war. Sent straight from Puerto Rico, the regiment quickly pushed into the Naktong Bulge where it was attached to the 2nd Infantry Division. Arriving almost simultaneously with the Inchon landing and the breakout from the Naktong Bulge, the regiment gained valuable combat experience as it accompanied the 2nd Division (and for a short time the 25th Infantry Division) north of the 38th parallel. Eventually earning accolades for its actions at the Hamhung Peninsula, the regiment was critical in supporting the seaborne evacuation of the U.S. X Corps in December 1950 after the Chinese intervened and forced the corps to redeploy to the south.2
The regiment continued to fight for the remainder of the war primarily assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division as the "division's fourth regiment" and gradually gaining experience among its noncommissioned officer corps and soldiers.3 The unit struggled at times with discrimination that was typical of the Army of the 1940s and 1950s. This was compounded by the fact that many of the soldiers could not speak English, which required orders to be translated to Spanish into make them clear-a process often not accomplished in time to execute the operation. Despite these...