Brigadier General Antonio Rodríguez Balinas (February 28, 1928 – September 21, 2011) was the first commander of the Office of the First U.S. Army Deputy Command.

Early years

Rodríguez Balinas was born and raised in the town of

Adjuntas, Puerto Rico Adjuntas (, ) is a small mountainside town and municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwestern portion of the island on the Cordillera Central, north of Yauco, Guayanilla, and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; an ...

, where he received his primary and secondary education. He joined the United States Army upon graduating from the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

, where he earned is Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Doctorate in Law from University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Rodríguez Balinas entered the

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Ty ...

program and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon completing the program. At the outbreak of 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 assigned to 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 ...

Korean War

On April 23, 1951, Rodríguez Balinas, who was assigned to "F" Co., of the 65th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, defended the left flank of his company from constant enemy attacks at Ognyo-Bong, Hill 305 at a great risk to his life. He was awarded the

Silver Star Medal 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 en ...

and promoted to the rank of first lieutenant for his bravery. On December 23, 1951, he fearlessly walked through a lethal hail of enemy fire directly toward the hostile bunker of the enemy, hurled his hand grenades and singlehandedly completely destroyed the enemy position and its occupants near Sorgyon-Myon,

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 ...

. For his actions he was awarded his second Silver Star and a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

Later career

Rodríguez Balinas continued his academic education and earned a PhD degree in Law from the UPR. In March 1968, the reserve units in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands of the United States Army were organized into the 166th Support Group. On July 14, 1973, the then-Colonel Rodríguez Balinas took command of the 166th Support Group and was given full command and control of all USAR (

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...

) units in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. One of Colonel Rodríguez Balinas's accomplishments was to have all the missions and functions of a major U.S. Army Reserve Command under the First U.S. Army. He wanted full autonomy for the Army Reserve forces in Puerto Rico. In February 1977, the USAR Forces in Puerto Rico became a General Office Command with the establishment of the Office of the First U.S. Army Deputy Command with Antonio Rodríguez Balinas, who was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, as its first General Officer. In 1979, the USAR Forces in Puerto Rico were awarded the Best Major U.S. Army Reserve Command Award. Brigadier General Rodríguez Balinas held the position of General Officer until February 27, 1988, when he retired after 37 years of active and reserve duty. He was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal upon his retirement.

Death

He died on September 21, 2011, in

Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Río Piedras is a populous district of San Juan, and former town and municipality of Puerto Rico, which was merged with the municipality of San Juan in 1951. The district today is composed of various '' barrios'' (these are the primary legal divi ...

, and 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 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.

Military awards and decorations

Among Rodríguez Balinas' decorations were the following: 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

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 ...

, 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.
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Silver Star citations

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez Balinas, Antonio 1928 births 2011 deaths Burials at Puerto Rico National Cemetery United States Army generals Puerto Rican Army personnel Puerto Rican military officers United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army officers United States Army reservists Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Adjuntas, Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico alumni