Carlos Betances Ramirez

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Colonel Carlos Betances Ramirez (July 8, 1910 – October 28, 2001), born in the "Barrio" Las Delicias, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, was the only Puerto Rican to command a Battalion in the Korean War.



Col. Carlos Betances Ramirez
(1910-2001)


Bronze Star Medal

Betances' father died when he was young and as a result, he and his six other siblings were raised by his mother, grandfather and uncles. His mother worked as a seamstress, to support the family. Betances always stated that he was proud of being a "Jibaro" (A poor Puerto Rican farmer) however, Puerto Rico was going through a difficult economy crisis and Betances, like so many other farmers, had to seek employment elsewhere.

In 1928, at the age of 18, Betances joined the Puerto Rican National Guard. He served from 1928-1935 and returned again in 1938. He had served in the National Guard for a total of 8 years before joining the regular U.S. Army on November 11, 1942. Betances served as an enlisted man until July 13, 1943 when he was promoted to the rank of Platoon Sergeant.

Betances attended the Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia and on July 14, 1943 was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. During World War II, he served as Platoon Leader in Company I, 3rd Bat., 295 Infantry Regiment, which was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1945, he was promoted to the rank of Captain.

Until the Korean War, the Army was racially segregated. The 295th, 296th, and 65th Infantry Regiments were all formations consisting mostly of Puerto Rican enlisted men with Continental American officers. In 1946, Betances was assigned as Company Commander, Training Company, 65th Infantry Regiment. He took an Infantry Officers Advanced Course at Fort Benning and also in the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

In June of 1952, Betances arrived in Korea as a Lieutenant Colonel. In July 1952, he volunterred to take command of the 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, whose previous Commander had recently had his leg blown off in action. Taking command of a unit while it is in combat, is considered to be an extremely difficult thing to do.

In the letters that he wrote to his family ,Betances indicated how he went for long periods of time without sleep or rest, while commanding his soldiers and trying to prevent the Chinese from destroying his men and breaking through his lines. This was an extremely stressful time requiring intelligence and leadership of the approximately 850 men in his Battalion.

At one point, Betances and his Regimental Commander, Colonel Juan Cordero visited his men in the front lines, despite the dangers involved; this act was very important to his men as it helped to lift their moral and spirits. On October 28, 1952, Betances led his men in the victorious Battle of Jackson Heights.

Colonel Betances served as Battalion Commander from July to October of 1952. It is believed that he was the first and only Puerto Rican officer to have commanded an Infantry Battalion in the Korean War.

Between Nov. 1952 to Sept. 1953, Betances served as the Operations and Training Officer and Military Advisor to General Min Ki Sik, who commanded the 21st Infantry Division, Army of the Republic of Korea and was instrumental in organizing and training four Infantry Divisions for the Republic of Korea.

Betances retired in 1962. He never lost his love for the Army and his favorite regiment, The 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Borinqueneers". He had a large military library at his home and loved to keep in touch with his friends. On October 24, 2001, while in the hospital, Betances received the Bronze Star Medal, he had earned 49 years before.

Colonel Carlos Betances Ramirez died of heart and liver failure on October 28, 2001, exactly forty-nine years, to the day, after the Battle of Jackson Heights, in which he participated.