Title: Puerto Ricans in World War II - Wikipedia
Headings: Puerto Ricans in World War II
Puerto Ricans in World War II
Contents
Lead-up to World War II
World War II
Homefront
Highly decorated combatants
United States Army Air Forces
Women in the military
Puerto Rican commanders
Discrimination
Human experimentation
Post World War II
Further reading
See also
Notes
References

Content: They were often subject to the racial discrimination that was widespread in the United States at the time. Puerto Rican women who served had their options restricted to nursing or administrative positions. In World War II some of the island's men played active roles as commanders in the military. The military did not keep statistics with regard to the total number of Hispanics who served in the regular units of the Armed Forces, only of those who served in Puerto Rican units; therefore, it is impossible to determine the exact number of Puerto Ricans who served in World War II. Contents
1 Lead-up to World War II
2 World War II
2.1 Homefront
2.2 Highly decorated combatants
2.3 United States Army Air Forces
3 Women in the military
4 Puerto Rican commanders
5 Discrimination
5.1 Human experimentation
6 Post World War II
7 Further reading
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
Lead-up to World War II
Soldiers of the 65th Infantry training in Salinas, Puerto Rico, August 1941
Before the United States entered World War II Puerto Ricans were already fighting on European soil in the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started following an attempted coup d'état committed by parts of the army, led by the Nationalist General Francisco Franco, against the government of the Second Spanish Republic. Puerto Ricans fought on behalf of both of the factions involved, the "Nationalists" as members of the Spanish Army and the "Loyalists" (Republicans) as members of the Abraham Lincoln International Brigade. Among the Puerto Ricans who fought alongside General Franco on behalf of the Nationalists was General Manuel Goded Llopis (1882–1936), a high-ranking officer in the Spanish Army. Llopis, who was born in San Juan, was named Chief of Staff of the Spanish Army of Africa, after his victories in the Rif War, took the Balearic Islands and by order of Franco, suppressed the rebellion of Asturias.