Hostos Community College’s Office of Veterans Affairs (HOVA) will be hosting a film showing of the PBS documentary “The Borinqueneers” in partnership with the James J. Peters VA Medical Center on April 13 at 3 p.m, a date recognized by Congress as National Borinqueneers Day.
The documentary will be shown at Hostos’ Conference Center and chronicles the story of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the only all-Hispanic unit in the history of the U.S. Army. The documentary reveals how the regiment served meritoriously in World War I, World War II and the Korean War, despite facing discrimination within the Army.
Multiple special guests will be attending the event, including film director Noemi Figueroa Soulet, who will also be giving a presentation.
Five former members of the 65th Infantry Regiment will also be present: Cpl. José A. Rivera-Carrión, who served from 1950-1951, Cpl. Francisco Vega-Meléndez and Sgt. Julio A. Feliu, who both served from 1951-1952, Private Modesto Figueroa, who served from 1951-1953, and Private Vicente Arroyo, who served from 1953-1954.
“The Borinqueneers” has been shown at several film festivals and won multiple awards, including Best Professional Documentary at the Real to Reel International Film Festival and Best Puerto Rican documentary at the Rincon International Film Festival. HOVA’s film showing serves as a tribute to the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment and all who attend the event.
Sign up to attend the limited screening of the award-winning documentary at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-borinqueneers-a-documentary-on-the-all-puerto-rican-65th-infantry-tickets-600894831617.
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