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Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as Pablo José Hernández. Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.
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May 19, 2026
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Extensions of Remarks
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHONORING THE GENERATIONS WHO FORGED OUR LEGACY OF FREEDOM, PUERTO
RICO'S ETERNAL PLEDGE
HON. PABLO JOSE HERNANDEZ
of puerto rico
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Mr. HERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a truth that Puerto Rico has lived for more than a century: freedom is not inherited. It is forged. Forged in sacrifice, in courage, and in the lives of men and women who answered every call this Nation made, with unmatched devotion and without hesitation. This coming Memorial Day, as our people prepare to gather at the Morovis National Cemetery under the theme “Freedom Forged by Our Heroes,” I express our eternal gratitude to those who purchased our freedom with their lives, and our solemn pledge to be worthy of it.
to every theater of American conflict. In World War I and World War II, tens of thousands served with distinction, carrying the flag of this Nation across every theater of war. In Korea, the 65th Infantry Regiment, the Borinqueneers, forged a legacy that could not be ignored: two Korean Presidential Unit Citations, more than 2,700 Purple Hearts, and the Congressional Gold Medal, authorized by this body in 2014 and formally presented in 2016. Among them stood Private First Class Fernando Luis Garcia of Utuado, who threw himself upon an enemy grenade on September 5, 1952, so his fellow Marines could live. He became Puerto Rico's first Medal of Honor recipient. His name became a standard.
Specialist Hector Santiago-Colon of Salinas each gave their lives to save their comrades—Lozada by holding his exposed position under withering fire so his platoon could withdraw, Santiago-Colon by shielding a grenade with his body—both awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. Two men, two moments, one unbreakable thread of sacrifice.
That thread did not end there. Sergeant First Class Pedro A. Munoz of Quebradillas, a Green Beret, was killed on January 2, 2005, after his Special Forces patrol encountered enemy fire in Shindand, Afghanistan. Sergeant First Class Jose A. Rivera of Barranquitas, an 82nd Airborne paratrooper, was killed on November 5, 2003, when his patrol came under fire in Mumuhdyah, Iraq.
And recently, Puerto Rico mourned Major Ariana G. Linse Savino—a proud daughter of Puerto Rico, a 31-year-old Air Force pilot, Chief of Current Operations of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, killed in the line of duty on March 12, 2026, in western Iraq. Governor Gonzalez Colon awarded her the Governor's Medal for Valor and Patriotism—the first time in history that honor was given posthumously. Regarding her family: Puerto Rico embraces them, and will forever carry her memory.
Cemetery, a ground made sacred by the heroes it received. When Bayamon reached its capacity and closed to new interments, Puerto Rico did not leave its veterans without an answer. The Morovis National Cemetery rose to carry that sacred trust forward, extending the same dignity deeper into the heart of the island, closer to the communities that have given the most. Nestled in the mountains of Puerto Rico, Morovis stands as living proof that our commitment to those who serve does not expire. No hero of this island will rest forgotten, and no family will carry their grief without the full honor their loved one earned.
Freedom Forged by Our Heroes is not a phrase chosen lightly. It is a truth written in sacrifice, carried across generations, and honored in Morovis, Bayamon, and all across Puerto Rico.