An inspiring collection of more than 700 rare photographs which traces the glorious history of the 65th Infantry Regiment, the only Hispanic-segregated unit in U.S. Army history, comprised primarily of Puerto Ricans. This bilingual edition illustrates the regiment's more than 120 years of service, from its origins in 1899 through its service in three wars. The historical content and veteran quotes provide an in-depth perspective about the service of one of the country's last segregated military units. Recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, the unit's trajectory comes to life as they train and fight in Puerto Rico, Panama, Europe and Korea during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. The book provides a rich visual legacy of the regiment's dedicated service to our country.
Reviewed by Astrid Iustulin for Readers’ Favorite:
"Some stories can only be understood if you see the images of the people who lived them. This is the case of the 65th Infantry Regiment, whose story is told in The Borinqueneers by Noemí Figueroa Soulet. Through the hundreds of illustrations of this magnificent bilingual book (written in English and Spanish), readers will discover everything there is to know about the only Hispanic-segregated unit in U.S. Army history starting from 1899, the year of its creation. Then, they will learn about the deeds and lives of the soldiers and officers during the two World Wars and the Korean War, in which the regiment particularly distinguished itself. The photographs are meticulously ordered and have captions to help readers learn about people, places, and events.
The Borinqueneers is a book that arouses the enthusiasm and admiration of those who look at it. Noemí Figueroa Soulet has done an excellent job collecting the photographs and arranging them into thematic sections; this is especially helpful during the long narrative of the Korean War, to which most of the book is devoted. Two chapters struck me the most from a visual point of view: the one dedicated to the Puerto Rican soldiers in the snow and, above all, the one featuring the rare color photographs taken during the Korean War. I hope that The Borinqueneers will be appreciated as much as it deserves. It is a tribute that the families of those who served in the 65th Infantry Regiment will surely love, but military history buffs will also want to add this book to their collection."
Congratulations on the recognition for the SILVER MEDAL award from the Florida Book Awards for your amazing work. I’m sure you’ve heard it from others, but this book is a lasting treasure that we will pass to others in the family for generations. Your work memorializes the experiences my father endured during his tour in Korea, and sadly, everyday after he returned. The events were forever in his mind and even in his dying moments he was reaching out and talking to the childhood friends that served and died in the foxholes of Korea. As a Vietnam veteran, I am aware of the impact PTSD has on one’s wellbeing, self image, and relationships. Thank you for showing the world the experiences and sacrifices of this dying generation of Puerto Rican warriors. Respectfully, Alex Melendez, son of Borinqueneer CSM Cristobal Melendez-Claudio (Ret.)
"On its own, it is a marvelous book and great photo collection. But besides that, it makes a great complement to "The Borinqueneers" film. It puts in perspective the participation of the 65th Infantry Regiment in the Korean War, documenting the historic provenance of the unit and the aftermath of its action in combat.”
The visual & written history of these brave dedicated Puerto Ricans and the 65th is a treasure for the generations. My father would have loved the book. We shall pass it down thru our family and honor it always. Your years of hard work have paid off in so many ways. It has been a pleasure to have had even a small part in this. Lynne Harris Armstrong, daughter of Brig. Gen. William W. Harris, 65th Regimental Commander
"Often overlooked, this tribute to a Puerto Rican military unit is an important part of the island's history. More importantly, memoir recognizes how soldiers' bravely faced segregation and integration, life and death during peace and war... This is a must read for those interested in Puerto Rico, military, segregation, history and descendants of those who served." — Next Generation Indie Book Awards Judge, Winner-Military Category
I love the book! You've done a magnificent job compiling all this data. Congratulations! This book should become a great resource that future generations of Puerto Ricans and others to learn more about this important US Army Regiment and its history. It should be available in every school/college, library and museum for everyone to read. The book is filled with lots of data; it is very well-researched. Besides the photos, it contains much more additional information - facts and figures and so on, such as lists of commanders; service and casualty data, etc., which I'm sure will be valuable to students and other researchers. Because it is written in English and Spanish, I am sure it will be well received in Puerto Rico. As a fellow Boricua and retired Army sergeant, this book is definitively of much interest to me. It will become a part of my personal home library, along with a copy of the original documentary film of the same name. Thank you for taking the time and effort to publish such an important book.
"The high quality of the printing and binding make this a beautiful coffee table book, in addition to its being a thorough history and reference guide. The bilingual aspect of the book is impressive in its ambition and execution. You have meticulously researched and presented this material: I am sad that I had not heard of this all-Puerto Rican regiment and its extensive involvement across three wars. In your prose, you manage to concisely present us with a great deal of information. The book is an informative and inspiring blend of military and cultural history. I particularly enjoyed the Korean War section: the extensive photographic documentation of soldiers in action, the people of Korea, and the more casual moments (Chow Time, the snowman) paint a detailed portrait of the war. The photographs are very well reproduced throughout the book, especially considering their age. The color photos are astonishing." — π½π’πππ, 31π π‘ π΄πππ’ππ ππππ‘ππ'π π·ππππ π‘ ππππ-ππ’ππππ βππ π΅πππ π΄π€ππππ , π»ππππππππ ππππ‘πππ ππππππ, πππππππ‘πππ/π ππππππππ πΆππ‘πππππ¦
Noemi Figueroa Soulet will be attending the Awards Reception of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards to accept her book award this Friday evening, June 23rd in Chicago, IL. In addition, the book winners have been invited to participate in the American Library Association’s annual conference on Saturday, June 24th also taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago. For any librarians planning to attend the Conference, visit me at my book-signing event sponsored by Headline Books on Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM CT at Booth 4443. Come visit me!Our book will also be displayed at the Diversity in Publishing Pavilion Showcase which features exhibits from diverse publishers that will give attendees the chance to talk to editors, writers and authors.
CUNY TV will be airing The Borinqueneers documentary film on April 13, 2024 at 8:00 am (EST) in honor of National Borinqueneers Day. The broadcast of the film will be preceded by a repeat of The Forgotten War, Seventy Years After the Armistice, presenting in-depth interviews with North and South Korean war survivors who share their experiences and how they’ve rebuilt their lives in the United States.
The station reaches 7.3 million broadcast households in the New York metropolitan area from its studios at the CUNY Graduate Center and programming includes 28 locally produced shows and over 100 hours of programming from CUNY Colleges and other partnerships a month. CUNY TV is broadcast in the five boroughs over the air on channel 25.3; and through cable signals with Spectrum and Optimum on channel 75; RCN on channel 77; and Verizon FiOS on channel 30 as well as throughout the CUNY system, the nation’s largest urban university with 25 colleges and affiliated institutions.
CUNY TV is the City University of New York’s 24-hour television station and is New York’s leading public educational channel. Established in 1985, CUNY TV is committed to extending CUNY’s academic mission to connect and uplift the diverse experiences of New York communities through relevant & meaningful stories and offer lifelong learning opportunities to all New Yorkers.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards – Winner, Military Category
National Indie Excellence Book Awards – Winner, Military Nonfiction Category
Best Indie Book Awards – Winner, Nonfiction-History Category
International Latino Book Awards – Silver Medal, Best Book About Military Service
Florida Book Awards - Silver Medal, General Nonfiction Category
Reader’s Favorite – Bronze Medal, Nonfiction Military Category
Writer’s Digest Book Awards – Honorable Mention, Nonfiction/Reference Category
Best Book Awards - Finalist, Multicultural Nonfiction Category
The book “The Borinqueneers, A Visual History of the 65th Infantry Regiment” will be available for purchase. Meet the Author Noemí Figueroa Soulet and get your own copy signed. Note the events where the author will be conducting a presentation.
THURSDAY, OCT. 13, 2022, 6:00-8:00pm
Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park
1 Naval Park Cove
Buffalo, NY 14202
(Sponsored by the Hispanic American Veterans Memorial Monument Inc. in collaboration with the Buffalo & Erie Co. Naval & Military Park and the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western NY.)
AUTHOR PRESENTATION
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022, 2:00-4:00pm
Festival de Arte, Música y Literatura Hispano
Poinciana Public Library
101 N Doverplum Ave
Poinciana, FL 34758
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2022, 4:00-5:30pm
Poinciana Public Library
101 N Doverplum Ave
Kissimmee, FL 34758
AUTHOR PRESENTATION
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022 6:00-8:00pm
Perth Amboy Free Public Library
196 Jefferson Street
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
(Co-sponsored by the Borinqueneers Park Education Alliance)
AUTHOR PRESENTATION
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022, 2:00-3:30pm
Newark Public Library’s
Hispanic Research and Information Center
James Brown African American Room
5 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102-0630
AUTHOR PRESENTATION
PERTH AMBOY – The non-profit Borinqueneers Park Education Alliance is lauding the Sept. 15 signing of a joint resolution that designates “Borinqueneers Day” on April 13 in New Jersey.
According to the joint resolution in the state Legislature, “Borinqueneer” refers to members of the 65th Infantry Regiment, a unit comprised largely of Puerto Rican soldiers. Borinqueneer is derived from Boriquen, the indigenous, precolonial name for the island of Puerto Rico.
Samuel Delgado, chair of the Borinqueneers Park Education Alliance, said this resolution is an important moment for his organization, which is now working to construct Borinqueneer Park in Perth Amboy and build a veterans’ monument honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment there.
“We are very appreciative to Gov. Phil Murphy for his support of the plight of the Borinqueneers, as well as the members of the state Legislature who sponsored and supported this important joint resolution, particularly the Hispanic Legislative Caucus,” Delgado said. “Without the tremendous and ongoing support of our state lawmakers, the story of the Borinqueneers would just be another footnote in history, left uncelebrated and unrecognized.”
As the Borinqueneers Park Education Alliance continues to raise money for the veterans’ monument in Perth Amboy, as well as provide education about these brave soldiers to future generations, more and more people are embracing the military unit. Just this morning, Delgado noted, the story of the Borinqueneers was highlighted on the daytime television program, The View. Click here to see.
Delgado also noted that a book has also been recently published about the unit, The Borinqueneers, A Visual History of the 65th Infantry Regiment (El Pozo Prods., October 1, 2022, $39.99). The book is being launched at the Newark Public Library’s Hispanic Research and Information Center, James Brown African American Room, 5 Washington St. on Saturday, October 29 at 2 pm. The author, Noemí Figueroa Soulet, will be featured in partnership with the Borinqueneers Park Education Alliance.
Although the 65th Infantry Regiment served during in World War I and World War II, it was their valor during the Korean War that the regiment is recognized. The majority of the 61,000 Puerto Ricans who fought in the Korean War came from the island. Many served with the 65th.
The vast majority were volunteers who several times completed the island’s monthly recruiting quota. The chance that they may be sent to the 65th motivated thousands of Puerto Ricans to volunteer for service both in the mainland and on the island.
Throughout the conflict 3,540 Puerto Ricans became casualties of war, of whom 747 were killed in action. During the war, the 65th became a national icon on the island and among the growing Puerto Rican communities in the mainland particularly here in New Jersey.
New Jersey is special place for the Borinqueneers. Many Borinqueneers settled in New Jersey after their service. Many Puerto Rican already living in the New Jersey did their basic training in FT Dix before being transferred to the 65th. New Jerseyans played an important role in recognition of the 65th. New Jerseyans were instrumental in raising funds for the completion of the documentary “The Borinqueneers” helping bring recognition to the units’ hardships and heroism and giving impetus for the Congressional Gold Medal.
The 65th was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal as being the only Hispanic-segregated unit in US Army History. The congressional honor affirmed that they are American heroes who served their country with distinction, fighting bravely even while enduring the hardships of segregation and discrimination. On April 13, 2016, leaders of the United States House and Senate awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment
Learn more at www.bpealliance.org
In celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the creation of the 65th Infantry Regiment Borinqueneers, the White Rose Books & More bookstore will be hosting a book presentation of The Borinqueneers, A Visual History of the 65th Infantry Regiment by Noemi Figueroa Soulet on Saturday, May 18, 2024 from 3-5pm. Noemi will be showing a PowerPoint presentation using photos and veteran quotes from the book, and she will be selling and signing this award-winning coffee-table size book to add your collection. Come join us at 113 Broadway in Kissimmee, Florida!
Winnerrs announced for 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest International awards program for indie authors and independent publishers. In its seventeenth year of operation, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards was established to recognize and honor the most exceptional independently published books in 80+ different categories, for the year.
tuesday, October 4th, 2022, author Noemí Figueroa Soulet will be interviewed by the virtual program Coloqueo of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture to discuss her new book, "The Borinqueneers, The Visual History of the 65th Infantry Regiment." The program airs at 7PM via Facebook and using Zoom. It will be recorded and posted later on YouTube. The interview will be conducted in Spanish.
The video is now posted on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/icppr/videos/5671436092912943
And on their YOUTUBE channel:
https://youtu.be/1TYmLnAtMW4
We are so happy to announce the awarding of the SILVER Medal in the General Nonfiction Category by the FLORIDA BOOK AWARDS!! These winners of these competitive awards are selected from a large number of submissions and reviewed by a panel of three judges for the book's merits. I am grateful for this validation that our book "The Borinqueneers, A Visual History of the 65th Infantry Regiment" is a book worthy to be honored.
The Florida Book Awards, established in 2006, is an annual awards program that recognizes, honors and celebrates the literature by Florida authors and books about Florida in 11 categories. The awards program is coordinated by the Florida State University Libraries, with the involvement of other library, literary, and cultural organizations, including the State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Library Association, Florida Humanities, Florida Center for the Book, Midtown Reader, and the Word of South festival.
The awards will be presented to all award winners at a banquet in Tallahassee on April 20th. Florida Book Award winners are promoted in a variety of ways, including participation in conference and book festival panels. Winning books and their authors are featured in the Summer issue of FORUM, the statewide magazine of the Florida Humanities. Historical interviews with The Florida Book Award winners are featured on "The Florida Channel". Florida Book Award-winning books are on permanent display in the library at the Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee, and in an exhibit case on the third floor of Florida State University's Strozier Library.
Along with other winning authors, I will be appearing as a panelist in the non-fiction panel at the Word of South Festival of Literature and Music on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 2:45pm on the Flamingo Magazine Stage. The festival takes place April 21-23 in Tallahassee’s Cascades Park (https://www.wordofsouthfestival.com). It is a unique blend of writers and musicians and an exploration of the relationship between the two disciplines. Beginning with their first festival in 2015, the festival showcases authors who write about music, musicians who also are authors, authors and musicians trading places, and everything in between. The Midtown Reader bookstore will have copies of our book on site for sale and signing during the entire festival.
A news segment reporting on the launching of the new book “The Borinqueneers, A Visual History of the 65th Infantry Regiment” on Telenoticias in Telemundo Puerto Rico on December 9, 2022 at the Fort San Cristobal in Old San Juan (in Spanish).
Una entrevista en español para el lanzamiento del nuevo libro “Los Borinqueños, la historia visual del Regimiento 65 de Infantería” en Telenoticias por Telemundo Puerto Rico el 9 de diciembre de 2022 en el Castillo San Cristóbal del Viejo San Juan.
We are so thrilled to add another book award honor for our book “The Borinqueneers, A Visual History of the 65th Infantry Regiment. The National Indie Excellence Book Awards (NIEA) just announced our book as Winner in the Military Nonfiction Category. YEAH!! Keep them coming!
NIEA is proud to be a champion of self-publishing and small independent presses going the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect.
