Juan E. Negrón

Master Sergeant Juan E. Negrón (September 26, 1929 – March 29, 1996) was a member of the United States Army who served in the 65th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross 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 in 2014.[1]

Juan E. Negrón
Master Sergeant Juan E. Negrón, Medal of Honor recipient
BornSeptember 26, 1929
Corozal, Puerto Rico
DiedMarch 29, 1996(1996-03-29) (aged 66)
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Place of burial
Puerto Rico National Cemetery in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1948–1971 (22–23 years)
Rank Master Sergeant
Unit65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division
Battles/warsKorean War
AwardsMedal of Honor
Purple Heart (2)

Early life and military career

Juan E. Negrón Martínez [note 1] was born and raised in the town of Corozal, Puerto Rico. In March 1948, he entered the U.S. Army in San Juan and was assigned to the 65th Infantry Regiment.

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.[2] Among the battles and operations in which the 65th participated was Operation Killer 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.[3]

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 Distinguished Service Cross, 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.[4]

On March 29, 1996, Negrón died in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He was buried with military honors in plot J 0 3180 of the Puerto Rico National Cemetery located in the city of Bayamon.[5]

Honors

The Puerto Rico National Guard Readiness Center at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico will posthumously be named after Korean War Veteran and former member of the 65th Infantry Regiment and Medal of Honor 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 daughter Iris accepted the Medal of Honor for her late father on March 18, 2014.

Negron's distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in a ceremony in the White House.

The award came through the National Defense Authorization Act 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.[6][7]

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.[8] The award citation content, with the exception of the heading, remains the same as that for the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States
in the name of Congress
takes Pride in presenting the

Medal of Honor
(Posthumously)
to

MASTER SERGEANT
JUAN E. NEGRON
UNITED STATES ARMY

For service as set forth in the following citation: The Medal of Honor is posthumously presented to Juan E. Negron (RA10406243), Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with the 65th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division.

Master Sergeant Negron distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Kalma-Eri, Korea, on 28 April 1951. On that date, Sergeant Negron took up the most vulnerable position on his company's exposed right flank after an enemy force had overrun a section of the line. When notified that elements of the company were withdrawing, Sergeant Negron refused to leave his exposed position, but delivered withering fire at hostile troops who had broken through a road block. When the hostile troops approached his position, Sergeant Negron accurately hurled hand grenades at short range, halting their attack. Sergeant Negron held the position throughout the night, while an allied counter attack was organized and launched. After the enemy had been repulsed, fifteen enemy dead were found only a few feet from Sergeant Negron's position. The extraordinary heroism exhibited by Sergeant Negron on this occasion reflects great credit on himself and is in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service.

Military decorations

Negrón's military decorations include:[9]

A light blue ribbon with five white five pointed stars
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
1 Combat Infantryman Badge
2 Medal of Honor Purple Heart
with one bronze oak leaf cluster		 Army Good Conduct Medal
3 National Defense Service Medal Korean Service Medal
with three bronze service stars		 United Nations Korea Medal
4 Korean War Service Medal Navy Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

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.

Congressional Gold Medal

External video
video icon You can see a video of President Barack Obama awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the Borinqueneers here on YouTube

On June 10, 2014, President Barack Obama, signed the legislation, titled "The Borinqueneers CGM Bill", at an official ceremony. The Bill honors the 65th Infantry Regiment with the Congressional Gold Medal.[10][11][12][13]

See also

Notes
  1. In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Negrón and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

References
  1. Daniel Rothberg (2014-02-21). "Obama will award Medal of Honor to 24 overlooked Army veterans". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-02-21.
  2. The 65th Infantry at Jackson Heights-Why?, by Lt. Col. Baltazer Soto, Retrieved September 8, 2007
  3. "Outpost Kelly". Retrieved October 10, 2006.
  4. Caribbean Business Archived 2014-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Puerto Rico National Cemetery, Bayamón, Puerto Rico Archived 2000-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 107–107 (text) (PDF)
  7. "Obama to Award Medal of Honor to 24 Army Veterans – ABC News". abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  8. Obama to award Medal of Honor to 24 Army veterans
  9. "Master Sergeant Juan E. Negron | Valor 24 | Medal of Honor | The United States Army". army.mil. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
  10. Obama honors Puerto Rican Infantry Regiment with Congressional Gold Medal, Washington Post, June 10, 2014.
  11. Dan Friedman, "Puerto Rico's Borinqueneers recognized with Congressional Gold Medal," New York Daily News, June 11, 2014.
  12. Obama awards Borinqueneers Congressional Medal of Honor, NBC News, June 10, 2014.
  13. Richard Payerchin, "President Obama to honor Army's Puerto Rican regiment the Borinqueneers," The Morning Journal, June 9, 2014.

Further reading
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