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Esta página no está disponible en español. EL SENTINELLETTERS: 65th Infantry Was Better Than The Credit It Was Given
March 30, 2002 I am writing in response to a letter written by George Pavletich in which he remembers the 65th Infantry Regiment as being a "bug-out" regiment during the time he served in Korean. We are the producers of a documentary which will chronicle the history of the glorious 65th Infantry Regiment and its significant participation during the Korean War. We feel that this is an important untold chapter of history and one about which there is much misinformation. We hope to also address the court martial incidents which occurred in the latter part of the war, after the 65th had served valiantly and efficiently for more than two years, gaining a reputation as one of the best units in Korea. Although it is correct that a number of men from the 65th abandoned their positions, they were by no means the only troops to do so; others included the 1st Cavalry Division and the 2nd Infantry Division. Also, less than 100 men were court-martialed, not hundreds. Yes, there were hundreds transferred to the 65th, but that was as a result of the Army's decision to integrate this segregated unit of Puerto Ricans, just as they had integrated African-American segregated units. I am sure that Mr. Pavletich will agree that being in combat is a difficult situation. Until we know the full story, we should reserve our judgment before placing labels on men who were placed under tremendous challenges. Nor should we forget the sacrifices of the many men who fought and died courageously because of one unfortunate incident. Noemi Figueroa
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