65th U.S. Army Regiment is remembered; Puerto Rican unit in Korean War.

Byline: Priyanka Dayal

WORCESTER - Scanning the faded black-and-white prints sitting on the table, Myles E. Geer, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, paused and pointed to a photo of one soldier.

"He was killed," he said.

Mr. Geer scanned the photos again. "But we had fun, too," he said, pointing to two men wrestling with a football near a leafy tree.

Mr. Geer served in the Puerto Rican 65th U.S. Army Infantry Regiment, an all-volunteer unit that was among the biggest, best trained and most successful regiments to fight in the Korean War.

While he was in Korea in 1953, he took many photographs. Yesterday, his photographs were seen by dozens of people who came to honor the regiment in anticipation of the completion this year of the Korean War Memorial on Worcester Central Boulevard.

"It's about time the 65th regiment got recognized for what they did," said Mr. Geer, who lives in Yukon, Mo. "The boys of the 65th may be the best that the Army ever had. ... If there was danger, they would be by your side all the time. There was never a task that was too hard for them."

The 65th Regiment began as the Puerto Rico Battalion of Volunteer Infantry in 1899. It 1908, the unit became part of the U.S. Army. Its soldiers, who made up one of very few ethnically based regiments in the Army, have fought in World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

To Col. Gilbert Villahermosa, inspector general of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, the history of the 65th Regiment reflects America. The colonel, who has spent 27 years in the Army in combat and later as a historian, has written a book about the regiment's service in Korea in the early 1950s.

"Our Army has always been tremendously ethnically diverse," he said. "(American) history is more than just the history of whites. It's the history of the Irish and the Italians. It's been the history of Puerto Ricans ... African Americans ... Asians."

Col. Villahermosa's interest in the 65th is natural - his father served in the regiment. He called his father "an indigenous peasant" who lived the American dream and succeeded.

"The (65th) Regiment fought brilliantly," he said, and their dramatic and heroic story should be told.

The Rev. Jose S. Perez of Worcester, who attended yesterday's reception, also served in the 65th Regiment. He had few words to say. He was just thankful.

"This means a lot," Rev. Perez said. "It means a lot of people remember the 65th."

He recalled his days in Korea as cold and long. "We had no rest," he said. And when soldiers did sleep, they were often burrowed in foxholes.

Because it was sandwiched between World War II and the Vietnam war, two seismic conflicts that defined the 20th century, the Korean War is often called "The Forgotten War." The Korean War Memorial was erected to ensure that veterans and soldiers killed in Korea are not forgotten.

The first part of the memorial, the Wall of Honor, is complete. The Walkway of Honor, which will include a section devoted to the 65th Regiment, will be completed before the dedication ceremony planned for Oct. 20. Organizers are hoping more than 1,500 people will attend.

A documentary about the 65th Regiment is scheduled to air on PBS on Aug. 1.

Scott W. Geer, a captain in the Massachusetts Army National Guard and son of the veteran Mr. Geer, said yesterday's event and the Korean War memorial will help people learn about the 65th Regiment's service.

"When you talk about war, when you talk about veterans, usually Korea is the last one to come up," he said. "I think that's why he talks more about it."

The older Mr. Geer's military service had a profound impact on his son, who also enlisted in the armed services.

"I'm very proud of my father's service," the younger Mr. Geer said. "My dad's my hero."

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: At a reception yesterday at the U.S. Presidential Museum, the Rev. Jose S. Perez of Worcester, from left, Col. Gilbert Villahermosa and veteran Myles E. Geer talk as they look over a painting, "The Borinqueneers," which depicts the Puerto Rican 65th Regiment fighting during the Korean War.

PHOTOG: T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA