Puerto Rico has sent many soldiers into the U.S. military, and many of those men and women have stood out in their military service. One of these remarkable men was Agustin Ramos Calero, who served in the U.S. Army for 21 years.
Ramos Calero began his military career in 1941 as a member of the 65th Infantry Regiment, the Borinqueneers. He received artillery training and was transferred to the Third Infantry Division. It was with this division that he went to Germany, where he distinguished himself in battle.
Agustin Ramos Calero received 22 medals during his service in World War II, making him the most decorated Hispanic American and the second most decorated soldier in that conflict. It is said that in a single battle in Germany in 1945, Ramos Calero killed 10 and captured 21 German soldiers, earning himself the nickname “One Man Army.”
In addition to the Purple Heart and Silver Star and a number of other U.S. military decorations, Ramos Calero was also awarded decorations by both France and Greece for his bravery during the second World War. He was wounded four times during his WWII service, and returned to Puerto Rico and to the Borinqueneers at the end of the war.
In 1950, his regiment was sent to Korea. Ramos Calero was in the Headquarters Unit, where he served as personal assistant to Colonel William W. Harris, who later became a Brigadier General.
Ramos Calero remained in the U.S. army until 1962, when he retired as a Sergeant First Class. His native town of Isabela named a street in his honor. He was buried with full military honors in the Puerto Rico National Cemetery in Bayamón in 1969.
Like all the men and women of Puerto Rico who have fought for the United States, Agustin Ramos Calero was not able to vote for his Commander in Chief.
