Killed in action, Post 9/11, U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico-born or Puerto Rico HOR

SPC Wilbel A. Robles Santa, USA, KIA April 6, 2013, Zabul, Afghanistan
SGT Luis A. Oliver Galbreath, USA, KIA August 16, 2012, Kandahar, Afghanistan
SGT José J. Reyes Cruz, USA, KIA July 18, 2012, Afghanistan
SGT Louie Ramos Velázquez, USA, KIA May 26, 2011, Kandahar, Afghanistan
SGT José M. Caraballo Pietri, USA, KIA April 10, 2011, Badghis, Afghanistan
SGT José M. Cintrón Rosado, USA, KIA January 2, 2011, Taji, Iraq
SPC José A. Delgado Arroyo, USA, KIA January 2, 2011, Taji, Iraq
PVT Francheska Vélez and her unborn child, USA, KIA, November 5, 2009, Fort Hood, Texas
SPC Israel Candelaria Mejías, USA, KIA April 5, 2009, Near Baghdad, Iraq
SrA Jonathan Vega Yelner, USAF, KIA April 29, 2008, Near Bagram AB, Afghanistan
CPT Ulises Burgos Cruz, USA, KIA April 6, 2008, Balad, Iraq
SGT Ricardo X. Rodríguez, USA, KIA October 4, 2007, Bayji, Iraq
SSG Wilberto Suliveras, KIA July 29, 2007, Taji, Iraq
CPT María I. Ortiz, USA, KIA July 10, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
CPT Anthony Palermo, USA, KIA April 6, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
SGT David A. Mejías, USA, KIA April 1, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
SPC Jason Nuñez, USA, KIA March 25, 2007, Baqubah, Iraq
SGT Eduardo Santini, USA, KIA March 17, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Karl O. Soto Pinedo, USA, KIA Feb. 27, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Jesús M. Montalvo, USA, KIA Oct.18, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq
LCpl Yull Estrada Rodríguez, USMC, KIA Sept. 20, 2006, Al Anbar, Iraq
SSG Irving Hernández, Jr., USA, KIA Jun. 12, 2006, Mosul, Iraq
SGT Jose M. Vélez, USA, KIA June 9, 2006, Kirkuk, Iraq
1SG Robert Méndez, USA, KIA April 27, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Luis M. Melendez, USAF, KIA Feb. 17, 2006, Gulf of Aden
LCpl Orville Gerena, USMC, KIA Feb. 6, 2006, Hit, Iraq
SGT Radhames Camilo Matos, USA, KIA Jan. 7, 2006, Taji, Iraq
SGT Jason López Reyes, USA, KIA Jan. 5, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq
CWO Isaías Santos, USA, KIA Dec. 26, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
SPC William López Feliciano, USA, KIA Dec. 22, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Milton Rivera Vargas, USA, KIA Dec. 8, 2005, Kirkuk, Iraq
SPC Javier A. Villanueva, USA, KIA Nov. 24, 2005, Hit, Iraq
SPC Alexis Román Cruz, USA, KIA Nov. 16, 2005, Balad, Iraq
PFC Antonio Méndez Sánchez, USA, KIA Nov. 11, 2005, Kirkut, Iraq
SFC Ramon A. Acevedo, USA, KIA Oct. 26, 2005, Rustamiyah, Iraq
1LT Carlos J. Díaz, USA, KIA Aug. 23, 2005, Baqubah, Iraq
SPC Miguel Carrasquillo, USA, KIA Aug. 9, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
PFC Emmanuel Hernández, USA, KIA June 8, 2005, Shkin, Afghanistan
SGT Miguel A. Ramos, USA, KIA May 31, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
MAJ Ricardo A. Crocker García, USA, KIA May 26, 2005, Haditah, Iraq
SGT Angelo Lozada, Jr., USA, KIA Apr. 16, 2005, Ramadi, Iraq
SPC Alenia Ramírez González, USA, KIA Apr. 15, 2005, Tikrit, Iraq
MSG Edwin Matos Colón, USA, KIA Apr. 6, 2005, Afghanistan
CWO David Ayala Rodríguez, USA, KIA Apr. 6 2005, Afghanistan
SPC Francisco G. Martínez, USA, KIA March 20, 2005, Tamin, Iraq
SPC Lizbeth Robles, USA, KIA March 1, 2005, Bayji, Iraq
SGT Julio E. Negrón, USA, KIA Feb. 28, 2005, Bayji, Iraq
SGT Carlos J. Gil, USA, KIA Feb. 18, 2005, Humaniyah, Iraq
SFC Pedro A. Muñoz, USA, KIA Jan. 2, 2005, Shindand, Afghanistan
SPC Jose Rivera Serrano, USA, KIA Dec. 27, 2004, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Henry E. Irizarry, USA, KIA Dec. 3, 2004, Taji, Iraq
SGT Carlos Camacho Rivera, USA, KIA Nov. 5, 2004, Fallujah, Iraq
LCpl Ramón Mateo, USMC, KIA Sept. 24, 2004, Al Anbar, Iraq
SPC Michael A. Martínez, USA, KIA Sept. 8, 2004, Baqubah, Iraq
SSG Gary A. Vaillant, USA, KIA Sept. 5, 2004, Khalidiya, Iraq
SPC Jacob D. Mártir, USA, KIA Aug. 18, 2004, Iraq
SGT Melvin Mora López, USA, KIA June 6, 2004, Camp Cooke, Iraq
PO3 Fernando Méndez Acevés, USN, KIA Apr. 6, 2004, Al Anbar, Iraq
SFC Jose A. Rivera, USA, KIA Nov. 5, 2003, Mahmudiyah, Iraq
SGT Francisco Martínez, USA, Nov. 4, 2003, Baghdad, Iraq
SGT Joel Pérez, USA, KIA Nov. 2, 2003, Fallujah, Iraq
SPC Frances M. Vega, USA, KIA Nov. 2, 2003, Fallujah, Iraq
SGT Juan M. Serrano, USA, KIA July 24, 2003, Baghdad, Iraq
SPC Ramón Reyes Torres, USA, KIA July 16, 2003, Baghdad, Iraq
SPC Kelvin Feliciano Gutierrez, USA, KIA June 28, 2003, Bagram AB, Afghanistan
SPC Richard P. Orengo, USA, KIA June 26, 2003, Najaf, Iraq
SPC Gil Mercado, USA, KIA April 13, 2003, Iraq
SGT Orlando Morales, USA, KIA March 29, 2003, Helmaud, Afghanistan
LCpl Robert M. Rodríguez, USMC, KIA March 27, 2003, Al Nasiriyah, Iraq

Case in point (today’s editorial from the island’s largest newspaper):

The unequal treatment for our veterans should stop

We join their demands to get the same treatment as other retired members of the Armed Forces

(GFR Media) Veterans living in Puerto Rico constitute a large, vulnerable and needy population that rightly claims to have the same services and care as their counterparts in the 50 U.S. states.

We join their demands to get the same treatment as other retired members of the Armed Forces. It will be the way to vindicate the rights of those Puerto Ricans who left their homes and families and risked their lives to defend democracy and freedom for their own country and for other nations.

The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington (PRFAA) recalled that the more than 200,000 Puerto Rican soldiers who have participated in U.S. wars were denied rights in the society for which they have fought. Those Puerto Ricans have marched under the U.S. flag to all battlefronts since World War I. However, they do not have the same access to assistance, scholarships and medical services as soldiers in the states, who have served in conflicts and military missions hand in hand with Puerto Rican soldiers.

It is up to Congress to correct this injustice.

Currently, there are 18 bills introduced by Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González seeking to eliminate the limitations on health benefits, education, employment and opportunities for the island’s veterans.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 103,921 veterans in Puerto Rico. Some reports indicate that 80 percent of them have served on battlefronts.

In 2015, the U.S. Census projected that 60 percent of these veterans were 65 years or older. The survey found 39 percent with disabilities and 19 percent living below the poverty level.

The emerging profile is that of elderly people who suffer from conditions associated with aging, in addition to others related to their participation in military scenarios. In many cases, these are chronic conditions with serious effects on their quality of life.

For these veterans, returning to their families, when they have a family, poses adaptation challenges. Meanwhile, their opportunities for independent living are reduced by the lack of employment opportunities and other factors. This is a population that requires regular treatment and medication. However, the number of specialists and health professionals available to treat them is insufficient.

We have to return to these brave men for the sacrifices they have made. First, we need to offer them optimal health services adjusted to their needs.

The package of measures proposed by Resident Commissioner González and by a broad group of veterans’ organizations includes a bill that would allow veterans to participate in the Tricare plan. In this way, they would have access to comprehensive care services at low costs, without deductibles or co-payments. In Puerto Rico, considered an overseas territory, veterans have access to the TriCare Select Overseas program, with a higher enrollment fee, premiums, and co-payments than veterans living in the United States.

Another proposal seeks to offer employment alternatives for newly retired members so that they would have a source of income and the Department of Veterans Affairs as their workplace. A third piece proposes to facilitate a larger enrollment of veterans at the island’s Medical Schools and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Tuition, books, technical equipment, and special fees are part of the benefits.

These proposals show how the package has the potential to expand treatment options for island veterans, as well as better options for education and workforce integration. The goal is to promote a better quality of life for a population that is precious to our people.

Congress has the power to rectify these inequalities that seem hard to eliminate in the United States. Its duty is to study and pass bills that will ensure a dignified life for all veterans, no matter where they live.

https://www.elnuevodia.com/english/english/nota/theunequaltreatmentforourveteransshouldstop-2496044/

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