Sergeant First Class Agustín Ramos Calero (June 2, 1919 – February 10, 1989) was awarded 22 decorations and medals from the U.S. Army for his actions during World War II, thus becoming the most decorated Puerto Rican and Hispanic soldier in the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

during that war.Who was Agustín Ramos Calero?
"Interview: "The Borinqueneers", August 2005; Captain Charles E. Boyle; Operations and Intelligence Section of the 65th Regimental Headquarters from 1950-1951

Early years

Calero was born and raised in the town of

Isabela, Puerto Rico Isabela () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of San Sebastián; west of Quebradillas; and east of Aguadilla and Moca. It is named in honor of Isabella I of Castile. Isabela is s ...

, which is located in the northern region of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. The economic situation in Puerto Rico during the 1930s was difficult as a result of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Due to the shortage of jobs in the island, many Puerto Ricans joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

which offered a guaranteed income.

World War II

In 1941, Calero joined the Army and was assigned to Puerto Rico's

65th Infantry Regiment The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" during the Korean War for the original Taíno Indian name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen), is a Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. The regiment's motto is ''Honor et Fidelita ...

Camp Las Casas Camp Las Casas was a United States military installation established in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1904. The camp was the main training base of the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry," On January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of ...

in Santurce, Puerto Rico. There he received his training as a

rifleman A rifleman is an infantry soldier armed with a rifled long gun. Although the rifleman role had its origin with 16th century hand cannoneers and 17th century musketeers, the term originated in the 18th century with the introduction of the ri ...

. Upon the outbreak of World War II, Calero was reassigned to the Third U.S. Infantry Division and sent to Europe. In 1945, Calero's company was in the vicinity of Colmar, France and engaged in combat against a squad of German soldiers in what is known as the Battle of Colmar Pocket. Calero attacked the squad, killing ten of them and capturing 21 shortly before being wounded himself. Following these events, he was nicknamed "One-Man Army" by his comrades. For these actions he was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

. Calero had been wounded a total of four times in Europe when the war ended. He was awarded a total of 22 decorations and medals for his actions, making him the Puerto Rican soldier with the most military decorations in all of the United States during that conflict.

Korean War

Calero returned to Puerto Rico and was reassigned once more to the 65th Infantry Regiment. The 65th Infantry departed from Puerto Rico on August 26, 1950, when the United States became involved in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. They arrived in

Pusan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

on September 23. In Korea, Calero was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the regiment. He was the personal assistant to the regimental commander, Brigadier General (then Colonel) William W. Harris.

Later years

Calero retired from the U.S. Army in 1962 after total of 21 years of service. He retired with the rank of Sergeant First Class. At the end of his years, Calero suffered from terminal

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. Sergeant First Class Agustín Ramos Calero died on February 10, 1989, at 69 years of age and was buried with full military honors in the

Puerto Rico National Cemetery Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in the city of Bayamón, in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It encompasses of land, and at the end of 2005, had 44,722 interments. Until 2021, it was the only United St ...

in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. His hometown, Isabela, honored his memory by naming an avenue after him.

Notes

Military awards and decorations

Among Calero's decorations were the following: Foreign unit decorations. * Fourragère CG

Fourragère cord, granted by France to the Third Infantry Division. The Bravery Gold Medal of Greece was given by the Government of Greece to the 65th Infantry Regiment and to the members of the regiment who fought in the Korean War. * Greek Cross of Valour ribbon

Chryssoun Aristion Andrias The Cross of Valour ( el, Αριστείον Ανδρείας, ''Aristeion Andreias'', lit. "Gallantry/Bravery Award") is the second highest (and until 1974 the highest) military decoration of the Greek state, awarded for acts of bravery or distin ...

(Bravery Gold Medal of Greece) Congressional Gold Medal On June 10, 2014, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, signed the legislation known as "The Borinqueneers CGM Bill" at an official ceremony. The Bill honors the 65th Infantry Regiment with the

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

.Richard Payerchin, "President Obama to honor Army's Puerto Rican regiment the Borinqueneers," ''The Morning Journal'', June 9, 2014.
/ref>

References

External links

Who was Agustín Ramos Calero?
Retrieved November 19, 2006.

Retrieved November 19, 2006.

Retrieved November 19, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Calero, Agustin Ramos 1919 births 1989 deaths United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War People from Isabela, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Army personnel Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Silver Star