Hello, lovelies!! It gives
me great pleasure today to host Talia Aikens-Nuñez and her new book, “Men of
the 65th: The Borinqueneers of the Korean War,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions
Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25
Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!
Also, come back daily to interact with Talia and to increase your
chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping
by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck
in this fabulous giveaway!!
Men of the 65th:
The Borinqueneers of the Korean War
by Talia Aikens-Nuñez
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GENRE: YA Nonfiction
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BOOK BLURB:
Honor
and Fidelity. That is the motto of the 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as
the Borinqueneers, the only Puerto Rican unit in the United States Army.
Since
the regiment’s creation in 1899, the men of the 65th have proudly served the US
through multiple wars, despite facing racial discrimination. Their courage,
loyalty, and patriotism earned them hundreds of accolades, including the
Congressional Gold Medal in 2014.
But
the honor and fidelity of the men of the 65th came into question in 1952, in the
midst of the Korean War, when ninety-one Borinqueneers were arrested and tried
for desertion and disobeying orders. How could this happen in one of the most
distinguished and decorated units of the Army?
In
this telling of one of the forgotten stories of the Korean War, author Talia
Aikens-Nuñez guides us through the history of the Borinqueneers and the
challenges they faced leading up to what was the largest court martial in the
entire war. Rediscover the bravery of the men of the 65th through Aikens-Nuñez’s
thorough writing and the soldiers’ firsthand accounts of the Korean War.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT ONE:
The
US public was shocked to discover that during the war, 162 soldiers of the 65th
Infantry Regiment had been court-martialed and ninety-one of those soldiers
found guilty of disobeying orders and desertion.
The
US military kept the courts-martial quiet. But the soldiers of the 65th sent
letters to their families describing what was happening, which led to public
outcry and confusion from the press. How could one of the most distinguished
regiments of the Korean War, whose soldiers had only months before been praised
by General Douglas MacArthur for their “brilliant record of heroism,” become
involved in the largest mass court-martial of the Korean War?
Did
the Borinqueneers lose their bravery and heroism in such a short time? Or were
they victims of discrimination in a prejudiced and segregated system? Were they
betrayed by the country they risked their lives for?
This
is the story of one of the bravest and most decorated regiments in the history
of the US military. It is a forgotten story in a forgotten war. But it is a
story of patriotism, loyalty, and bravery in the face of danger and
discrimination, and it is one that deserves to be told.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
My Favorite Scene in Men of the 65th:
My
very favorite scene from the book is the opening scene. The Men of the 65th had
been in the Korean War for about seven months at this point. They were ordered
to take a hill in South Korea that the North Koreans and the Chinese occupied.
The
Chinese army was tough. They would not easily give up a hill.
A
soldier, Modesto Cartagena, came to the hill determined. While engaging with
the enemy, a shot took out his machine gun. But, he had an idea.
He
charged the mountain. Intense gunfire was aimed at and around him. Grenades
exploded around him but he kept running. He lobbed one of his grenades at one
of the enemy’s emplacement’s and BOOM! He took it out along with enemy
soldiers.
He
looked back and saw that most of his platoon was behind him. He told them to
take cover and he continued to charge the hill.
The
enemy was still firing at him. Dirt and earth raining down around him. So, he started
to catch enemy grenades thrown at him and quickly throw them back at the
Chinese and North Koreans. He took out another one of their emplacements with
enemy soldiers.
He
did not have time to catch his breath before one of the enemy grenades knocked
him to the ground. He dusted himself off and continued to charge the hill.
Using
grenades thrown at him he would continue to catch them and throw them back at
the enemy destroying their emplacements and enemy soldiers. He destroyed five
emplacements and killing over 40 enemy soldiers before the enemy targeted him.
The enemy grenades would knock him down but he continued to get up and throw
grenades back at them.
Eventually,
he was hit. He lost a lot of blood but his platoon rescued him from that hill.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military
award. Some believe that he should have received the Medal of Honor, the
highest military award.
The
book details other stories of heroism like Modesto Cartagena who I affectionately
refer to as a real life G.I. Joe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Talia Aikens-Nuñez is passionate about sharing
with young readers the little known stories, accomplishments, and contributions
of people of color from all throughout history. Aikens-Nuñez is the author of Small Nap, Little
Dream, a bilingual Spanish/English picture book. She and her
husband live in Connecticut with their two children.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONNECT WITH TALIA:
Website:
http://www.kidslitbytalia.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/taliaaikensnunezchildrenswriter
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/talia_n
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6581341.Talia_Aikens_Nunez
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68755838-men-of-the-65th
Amazon Author Page:
https://amzn.to/4044FE2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRE-ORDER BOOK BUY LINKS & INFO:
**Men of the 65th: The Borinqueneers of the Korean War is
currently available for Pre-order and will be released on May 2nd,
2023**
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
https://amzn.to/42tBYBP
Amazon US Paperback:
https://amzn.to/3FGNW1s
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Men-65th-Borinqueneers-Korean-War-ebook/dp/B0BNT3ZRZQ
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Men-65th-Borinqueneers-Korean-War/dp/1728479142
Lerner Books Paperback:
https://lernerbooks.com/shop/show/22654
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFO:
Talia will be
awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a
randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**This
post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may
receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome
giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
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