Veterans and their families came together in the South End Nov. 11 to commemorate service members at the annual Puerto Rican Veterans Day celebration.
The event took place at the only Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial in the country, located at Washington and Dedham streets in Boston’s South End. Families and friends gather every year to celebrate the day alongside others in the Puerto Rican veterans community, many of whom they see once a year at this event.
Antonio Molina, president of the Puerto Rican Veterans Association and a Marine veteran said, “We’re the only city in the country that has a monument dedicated to Puerto Rican veterans.”
Molina also praised Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s participation and advocacy for the organization; Wu is a former board member of the association.
Lisitte Santiago, Molina’s granddaughter, said she attends the event with her family every year.
“I’ve kind of grown up in this life,” Santiago said. “[Molina] has been a veteran since before I was born. He helped erect this monument here in the South End, so we always come out every year to show support.”
The keynote speaker, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, danced with constituents before speaking about why the memorial is important to the city.
“I find the event inspiring,” Pressley said in an interview. “It’s so important that in our monuments and symbols of our city that we have diverse representation, the accurate telling of our history and all of the people who have been patriots and defenders of our democracy.”
During her speech, Pressley emphasized the importance of recognizing all veterans, especially those who have become homeless after returning from service.
“There are many veterans who, when they come back from conflict, have to face another war,” Pressley said. “Every veteran deserves to access quality health care from our VA system, the full benefits of the GI Bill and to have their humanity seen and centered.”
Wu attended the celebration and spoke about the importance of attending the event each year.
“From the very first plaque to this statue representing not only men, but also women who have served, it has been wonderful to keep the energy going,” Wu said. “It is important to make sure we’re passing on those stories to the next generation.”
Boston City Council President Edward Flynn and Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy spoke about the recent City Council vote to cut veterans’ benefits by $900,000.
“Thankfully, Mayor Wu supported veterans’ benefits,” Flynn said. “Let us advocate every day and support veterans here in Boston and across the country.”
The event concluded with a veterans awards ceremony during which Wu recognized over a dozen veterans for their bravery and dedication to the country.
