The U.S. Army's 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Borinqueneers" because of its high number of Puerto Rican soldiers, is on its way to getting the Congressional Gold Medal.

On Monday, the House of Representatives approved the bill to award the Borinqueneers the honor, which is the highest civilian medal that Congress can bestow, according to Fox News Latino. Bill Posey, Republican Florida representative, and Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner and co-author, introduced the bill.

"Members of the unit are called Borinqueneers," Pierluisi told the House of Representatives on Monday. "Since the term was first used over 60 years ago, coined by members of the Regiment on their way to Korea, it has become synonymous with honor, courage, redemption and pride."

The Borinqueneers made a name for themselves during the Korean War when the mostly Puerto Rican unit earned a whopping 2,771 Purple Hearts, 606 Bronze Stars, 256 Silver Stars and 10 Distinguished Service Crosses, Fox News Latino reports. The unit, which got its name from Borinquen, the indigineous name of the island of Puerto Rico, also served in World War I and World War II, according to NBC News. The veterans have been lobbying for this recognition for years.

"They served their country, and then they got back to Puerto Rico to find that they don't have the same status as other soldiers," Javier Morales, the president of the 65th Infantry Veterans Association, said.

José Serrano and Nydia Velázquez, Democratic New York representatives of Puerto Rican descent, support the bill as well. Serrano said that the Borinqueneers "helped the larger public to understand the need for equality for all citizens."

If the bill passes in the Senate, the Borinqueneers will receive the Congressional Gold Medal at the Smithsonian Institution.

Other minority-heavy military units to receive the award in the past include the Tuskegee Airmen, Women's Air Service Pilots, Nisei Soldiers, Navajo Wind Talkers and Montford Point Marines.

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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