Torres: Today we thank our veterans and dream of peace
Atop my dresser, encased in a humble box made of wood and glass is the American flag the U.S. military presented to my grandmother the day my grandfather was buried in St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx in March 1968.
I was two years old when cancer claimed the man I was named after: Juan Calderon.
When I learned as a teen that my grandfather served in the U.S. Military during World War I, I asked my grandmother if I could have the flag. She said yes, but I would have to wait until she joined him. Now it sits in a place of honor in my home, a place where I can see it every morning and give thanks for the country I was born in and for the men and women who have protected and continue to protect our freedoms.
Before meeting my grandmother, my grandfather joined the military in Puerto Rico, though then it was called Porto Rico from 1899 to 1932. When the "war to end all wars" broke out in Europe, the cannons on San Juan's El Moro Fort were used to dissuade German U-boats. My grandfather was 20 years old when he enlisted, as did many Puerto Rican men, hoping to prove their valor on the fields of France.
But that was not to be the case.
The "Porto Rican Regiment of Infantry" was never meant to go to Europe. Instead the government would use the men to relieve "white soldiers" of their duties, freeing them up to go fight in the war. So, instead of going to the battlefront, my grandfather's regiment was instead sent to Panama, to relieve soldiers there in defense of the Panama Canal, looking out for the possibility of a German attack.
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On May 14 1917, the regiment was deployed to Panama. They returned to Puerto Rico in March 1919, where the group was renamed "The 65th Infantry Regiment." My grandfather was one of nearly 20,000 Puerto Rican men to serve defending the canal.
Unbeknownst to many at the time, Puerto Ricans who left the island and signed up for duty in New York did get to fight in Europe.
If he had gone to fight in Belgium or France, he may not have made it back and I certainly would not be here right now. Still, there is something that makes me feel very proud of the fact that my grandfather volunteered and served in World War I.
I wish I could have spoken to him about it.
We mark Nov. 11 every year as Veterans Day because the hostilities of World War I ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Many people (especially in Europe) still wear a red poppy to commemorate the day. In the U.S. the poppy is typically worn or displayed in May, on Memorial Day.
A Canadian field surgeon, serving in Belgium, observed red poppies starting to sprout from a blood-drenched, ravaged battlefield. He composed a poem, "In Flanders Fields," in which he talks about the poppies sprouting up from the destruction.
Unfortunately, the war did not end all wars and there is conflict raging in various parts of our planet. But today we remember those who pick up arms in pursuit of protecting our freedoms and our lives. We thank those who answer that call even as we all hope this time is the very last time we need to do so.
I learned from an aunt this week that even though my grandfather's service was brief, my grandfather was very proud of having served. Every Sunday he would shine a medal he received from the American Legion for his service.
I never knew all that when I asked for his flag. I only knew that something inside me wanted to have it.
Contact Torres at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on X @johnalbertorres or on Facebook at facebook.com/FTjohntorres.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Veterans Day, a day to thank veterans and dream of peace | Torres
