The 65th Infantry Regiment Motorcycle Association 

In Honor of the Memory of one of our fallen Hereos.

In Memorium Corporal Martin Laboy Santiago 

Born January 1, 1930

Died March 22, 2014 

at the Age of 84 years young went to Heaven with his Brothers in Arms

He served in the U.S. Army with the 3rd Infantry Division

with the Elite Unit of the 65th Infantry Regiment

Rank: Corporal

Company: F 

He resided with his family in Patchugue, NY 

Borinqueneer Laboy went with the Lord just 3 months prior to the President signing the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal into Law. 

Even though he was not with us, His Legacy will Live on Forever...

From Salinas Puerto Rico to Chorwon Korea- Martin Laboy Santiago

This story line was written by the son of 65th Infantry Regiment Veteran Martin Laboy Santiago, Denyzio Laboy. 

My father Martin Laboy-Santiago was one of nine children born to my grandparents Valerio Laboy and Candida Santiago. In the Puerto Rican and other Hispanic cultures, it was customary that both parents’ names are used and recognized.  

My father was born in Salinas Puerto Rico on January 1, 1930.  Born into extreme impoverish conditions, he managed to make it through the tenth grade before having to find work to help the family.  He ended up working as a milker. A milker is a person whose job was to go around and manually milks cows for milk. This appears easily in description, but certainly is not as easy as it sounds. Nonetheless and honest days’ work.

He watched his brothers get drafted into the military and he did not want to be left alone in the impoverish conditions, so he courted, and later married my mother Ada Morales - Camera and sought to voluntarily join the army. 

As a Puerto Rican American, in those days the racial divide was extreme, so upon joining he was assigned to the Army's 65th Infantry Regiment, F Company. The 65th was the all Hispanic (Puerto Rican) unit and was one of two minority army military divisions during these times. The other being the all black 24th Infantry Regiment. The very public and prevalent racism was thick, and the language barrier didn't make things any easier for my dad or the thousands of others who spoke little to no English. Imagine if you can, being in middle of an all-out war. The stress of war alone is beyond imagination and one that no one who has never experienced being amid a real war, could ever understand. Now add the hostility of racism, dysfunctional equipment, and weather inappropriate clothing. The conditions according to my dad were intolerable. However, his commitment (and all the other men in his unit) did not waiver in any way. My father was proud to be an American and even prouder to fight in the interest of his country.

Some of the history of 65th Army Infantry Regiment is captured in a book titled, “Puerto Rico’s Fighting 65th U.S. Infantry…From San Juan to Chorwan” written by the Army Brigadier General W.W. Harris. A self-proclaimed racist, General Harris was the leader of the 65th during the Korean War. He was brave enough to admit his faults, but even braver for correcting them and forever stamping his legacy as a great leader. He was proud enough and saw it important enough to memorialize the bravery, commitment and honor of the Borinqueneers in his book. 

Another book titled, “Honor and Fidelity…The 65th Infantry in Korea, 1950-1953” written by Gilberto N. Villahermosa (Colonel), also provides record of this esteemed Army unit. The unit only had about half of the number of men in the Regiment. A typical Regiment size normally consist of about 3k men. According to my dad’s accounts he says, “If you said 800, I would say that was wrong, it was more like 500 to 600 men”.

As the story goes, it was during the Korean War were the Borinqueneers exhibited their bravery and worth, when one of the U.S. Marine divisions was surrounded and under violent attack by the “Enemy” (as my dad would always say). They were being annihilated and they did not want to send anymore soldiers for fear of losing them also. The “Rum and Coca Cola” unit (the derogatory nickname given to the 65th), undermanned and under equipped, proudly volunteered to go with the expectation they would likely be annihilated as well. 

The Fighting 65th Regiment F Company saved the Marine Corp unit and themselves. My father remembered and spoke more about the bravery of his comrades while downplaying his own. He would always tell stories of his friends who jumped into direct enemy fire to save other soldiers. “The Marines were getting obliviated! Bombs and rapid gun fire from all angles, I was sure I was going to die! The Koreans had children baring rifles with bayonets attached at the tip. It was them or us! ... ME!” he would say, and then burst into tears remembering what happened and what needed to be done. “I remember running into fire and grabbing my fellow soldiers out of harms way and then suddenly I felt a massive sting in my right leg. It appeared I was hit in my knee. All I kept thinking about was, I made a commitment to serve and protect against all odds, and myself and my brothers kept fighting. We did so while wearing short sleeve shirts and shorts in almost subzero-degree weather.” He would point at his toes and say “see! Frost bite, I feel nothing in this toe”

I learned to realize my father and many other Soldiers like him in the 65th Regiment F Company, were real hero’s. I made it my mission to restore my father’s accomplishments and heroics while serving to protect a country that did not protect or respect him, nor his Puerto Rican brothers in the 65th. I did not know about the Borinqueneers organization lead by Noemi Figueroa Soulet nor did I know about the 65th Infantry Regiment MA. I only knew I had to write my congressman and other political leaders to pursue my dad legacy. I later learned about these greatly committed groups, who have made it their life work to recognize and honor men like my father. It was with their help that today my father is being honored.

Recently, because of organizations and people like Hector Diaz, Noemi Figueroa, Congress has finally recognized the bravery of my dad and his unit and saw it necessary to establish the “Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal” for their commitment and service during the Korean War. The First Medal of its kind given to any unit in the Korean War. 

The Congressional Gold Medal is the Highest Award Bestowed by the United States Congress, this award is given to those individuals or groups that has had an impact on American  History such as the first Puerto Rican to receive the Congressional Gold Medal Roberto Clemente for his Humanitarian work. The US Air Force African american Pilots the Tuskegee Airmen, the U.S. Marine Corp African American Montford Point Marines, the Native American Indians Navajo code Talkers, Filipino Veteran Americans of WWII and also now the 65th Infantry Regiment