Master Sergeant Juan E. Negrón (September 26, 1929 – March 29, 1996) was a member of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

who served in the

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 ...

during 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 ...

. He was awarded a

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

for his actions during combat in the Chinese Spring Offensive at Kalma-Eri, North Korea, on April 28, 1951, which was posthumously upgraded to the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

in 2014.

Early life and military career

Juan E. Negrón Martínez was born and raised in the town of

Corozal, Puerto Rico Corozal () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central-eastern region, north of Orocovis and Barranquitas; south of Vega Alta; southwest of Toa Alta; east of Morovis and Orocovis; and west of Naranjito. Corozal is spread ...

. In March 1948, he entered the U.S. Army in San Juan and was assigned to the

. Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, the men of the 65th, now attached to the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, deployed to the Republic of Korea. They were among the first infantrymen to meet the enemy on the battlefield. After November 1950, they fought daily against units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) after the Chinese entered the war on the North Korean side. One of the hardships suffered by the Puerto Ricans was the lack of warm clothing during the cold and harsh winters.The 65th Infantry at Jackson Heights-Why?, by Lt. Col. Baltazer Soto
Retrieved September 8, 2007 Among the battles and operations in which the 65th participated was

Operation Killer Operation Killer was the start of the second major counter offensive launched by United Nations Command (UN) forces against the Chinese Communist People's Volunteer Army (PVA) and the North Korean Army (KPA) during the Korean War between 20 Febru ...

in January 1951, becoming the first regiment to cross the Han River in South Korea during the operation. In April 1951, the regiment participated in the Uijeonbu Corridor drives. On April 28, 1951, Negrón's unit came under heavy enemy attack. He was able to halt the enemy attack, despite the wounds which he received, by accurately throwing hand grenades at short range. For his actions, he was awarded the

, the Army's second highest military decoration for heroism. After the war, Negrón continued to serve in the military. Among the positions which he held were that of senior non-commissioned officer for the Directorate of Doctrine and inspector general in Thailand. Master Sergeant Negrón retired from the U.S. Army in 1971 after 23 years of service.

Later years

Upon his retirement, he entered the federal service in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. On March 29, 1996, Negrón died in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He was buried with

military honors A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

in plot J 0 3180 of 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 ...

located in the city of Bayamon.

Honors

The

Puerto Rico National Guard The Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG) – es, Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico– is the national guard of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and s ...

Readiness Center at

Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico United States Army Garrison Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, is a United States Army installation in Puerto Rico. It is located in the metropolitan area of the capital, San Juan. History Puerto Rico was part of the Spanish Empire from the time of Chr ...

will posthumously be named after

Veteran and former member of the

and

recipient Master Sergeant Juan E. Negrón. A statue in honor of Master Sgt. Juan E. Negron is located in his hometown of Corozal, Puerto Rico.

Medal of Honor

Negron's distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the

by 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 ...

in a ceremony in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. The award came through the

National Defense Authorization Act The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the name for each of a series of United States federal laws specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense. The first NDAA was passed in 1961. The U.S. Congress o ...

which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor. Negrón is among three other Puerto Ricans whose Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States. He also has the distinction of being one of nine Puerto Ricans and the only member of the 65th Infantry Regiment to be honored with the decoration. The award citation content, with the exception of the heading, remains the same as that for the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medal of Honor citation

Military decorations

Negrón's military decorations include: Foreign decoration 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

, signed the legislation, titled "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>

Early life and military career

Later years

Honors

Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor citation

Military decorations

See also

Notes

References

Further reading