On Monday, U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski honored retired Staff Sgt. Leonardo Martinez. The 96-year-old is Maryland's last living member of the U.S. Army's 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Borinqueneers" because of its high number of Puerto Rican soldiers.

The Maryland Gazette reports that Martinez joined the army at the age of 26 in 1944. He served as a Borinqueneer for 17 years in Korea. On Dec. 16, 1950 he was hurt in the back and leg while three men from his unit died. Despite the cold winter, Martinez was able to live through his injuries thanks to six layers of clothing. The veteran received a Purple Heart for his efforts and even continued to serve after his recovery. Martinez retired in 1968 and then worked for the U.S. Post Service in Baltimore for 22 years.

"It's my great honor today to present Staff Sgt. retired Leonardo Martinez with a flag flown over the Capitol and a signed copy of the Resolution passed by the House and Senate recognizing the Borinqueneers for their brave service by awarding them with the Congressional Gold Medal," Mikulski said at the event according to WBALVTV.

According to the Maryland Gazette, The Borinqueneers, got its name from Borinquin (land of the brave lord), the indigenous Taíno people's name for the island of Puerto Rico. The segregated unit made a name for themselves during the Korean War, when the mostly Puerto Rican soldiers earned a whopping 2,771 Purple Hearts, 606 Bronze Stars, 256 Silver Stars and 10 Distinguished Service Crosses.

Five generations' worth of Martinez's family attended Monday's celebration.

"When you get a Latin man in the fighting mood, he's going to fight like a tiger," Angel Martinez, Leonardo's son, told the Maryland Gazette. "They gave him the right name: Leonardo, which is Leon, 'like a lion.' Like a lion, he can bite and snarl, but it's always in the spirit of getting something done."

"I'm very proud of him," Alexi Martinez, the veterans' grandson, added. "It was nice to see him up there. I'm glad that he was here to see the recognition given."

The Borinqueneers also served in World War I and World War II.

"To be derided and say the only thing they were good for was to do the cha-cha or the conga line, they heard all this stuff, and they went out there and they fought their hearts out," Mikulski continued. "... I think that we showed these men had guts, and they never got the glory."

Martinez is part of the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance, which campaigns for the unit to get the Congressional Gold Medal, the second highest civilian medal after the Presidential Medal of Freedom, according to Fox News Latino. The House and Senate have approved the bill; only President Barack Obama's signature is needed.

"The idea has been in the works since 2000," Samuel Rodriguez, a Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance representative, told Maryland Gazette. "We started going to people and getting petitions. This really is a team effort. There are thousands of people across America that are pushing to get this recognition."
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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