the Borinqueneers - a Documentary Film about the Brave Soldiers of the all Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment

PETITION FOR A U.S. STAMP OF THE BORINQUENEERS – DEADLINE FEBRUARY 15TH

Now that the holidays are over, we want to remind our supporters about the petition campaign for a commemorative U.S. stamp honoring the Borinqueneers of the 65th Infantry Regiment. Remember that the deadline to submit the signatures is February 15th (although we have already begun to receive signed petition forms). We have also received the support from various organizations that are promoting member drives to obtain as many signatures as possible, such as the Borinqueneers Motorcycle Club and all its nationwide chapters; and the members of the American Legion Post 19 of Cayey, Puerto Rico. Others have been helpful by forwarding this information to their email database

According to the Postal Service guidelines, a suggested event, person(s), or theme must have a widespread national appeal and significance to be considered for commemoration as a U.S. stamp. As such, El Pozo Productions is organizing a nationwide petition campaign to request that The Borinqueneers of the 65th Infantry Regiment be considered for the issuance of a commemorative U.S. stamp honoring their unique military service as the only all-Hispanic unit in U.S. Army history. We think it is a fitting tribute for these brave soldiers.

The selection of subjects for U.S. postage stamps and stationery is a difficult task, since only a limited number of new commemorative items can be issued annually. To help in this selection process, the Postmaster General established the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) 50 years ago.

Subjects should be submitted at least three years in advance of the proposed date of issue to allow sufficient time for consideration and for design and production, if the subject is approved. All eligible subjects are reviewed by the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee regardless of how they are submitted, i.e., stamped cards, letters or petitions.

If you want to help, click here to download the Petition Form and obtain as many signatures as you can. It is in PDF format so you will need to have Acrobat Reader to open the document. If you do not have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to read the PDF files, you can click here to download free Acrobat Reader software.

Return the original signed petitions to El Pozo Productions, PO Box 302, Crompond, NY 10517 by February 15, 2010. We will then forward the petitions to the Committee for their consideration. We would prefer to send all the petitions in one submission to make an impression, but if you prefer to send your own individual letter instead, send it to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee at the address below.

Stamp proposals are to be submitted in writing to the following address:

Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
c/o Stamp Development
U.S. Postal Service
1735 North Lynn St., Suite 5013
Arlington, VA 22209-6432.
Let's get together to make this happen! Thank you!

PUERTO RICAN PANORAMA INTERVIEW IN PHILADELPHIA
Producer Noemi Figueroa Soulet will be appearing as a guest on Puerto Rican Panorama, the world's longest-running television show of its type from the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, dealing exclusively with Hispanic issues and Latin culture. The segment will be aired on Saturday afternoon, January 16th, at 1:30 p.m. on Channel 6-abc of Philadelphia—and it will be close-captioned. It will be rebroadcast on the same station Sunday morning at 5 a.m. and overnight between Sunday & Monday at 3:30 a.m. Then it will be shown on their second channel (6.2) all through the week (the exact times are still to be determined and will be announced once we have them).

For people who don't have digital TV sets, but subscribe to cable or have FiOS, their second channel is available on Ch. 245 of Comcast or Ch. 466 of FiOS. (But that's only for the re-runs; the initial airs (3 times) are all on the basic Channel 6. Channel 6 is the leading (#1) TV station in Philadelphia and covers southeastern Pennsylvania, central & southern N.J., Delaware, and northeastern Maryland. And, because the show is in English, the audience is not limited to Hispanics—mainstream viewers are also watching it.

The show is hosted by Diego Castellanos, a published author who has worked as a print reporter, columnist, and editor in both Spanish and English publications and has hosted radio shows in Camden and Trenton. He has also served as a commissioned officer in the New Jersey National Guard.

THE NEW JERSEY HUDSON COUNTY BOARD OF FREEHOLDERS HOPES TO HONOR "THE BORINQUENEERS" WITH A MONUMENT IN FRONT OF HUDSON COUNTY PLAZA
The Hudson County Board of Freeholders voted unanimously on December 8, 2009 to remove an agenda item to erect a $225,000 metal sculpture that resembled flowers and instead asked the administration to explore the possibility of installing a monument honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment, "The Borinqueneers" an all-volunteer Puerto Rican regiment of the U.S. Army. Freeholder William O'Dea, of Jersey City, said not only would the monument recognize the Latino community, it would pay tribute to all veterans.
You can read the full article at The Jersey Journal.

THE BORINQUENEERS PROFILED IN THE MORNING JOURNAL NEWSPAPER OF NORTHERN OHIO
Two Lorain, Ohio veterans, SSG Miguel Berlingeri (Ret.) and Carlos Montes who attended “The Borinqueneers” presentation in Columbus, Ohio this past October which was sponsored by Nationwide Insurance are profiled in an article of The Morning Journal newspaper of Northern Ohio dated October 15, 2009.
You can read the full article at The Morning Journal.