"So Puerto Ricans were entering U.S. military service before they were even recognized as citizens. Think about that for a second. A colonized people whose constitutional rights were still being debated in courts and whose political future was still unresolved, still decided to fight for a country they believed in. And when you zoom out across U.S. history, the scale becomes staggering. While there is no way to know how many Puerto Ricans truly served, it's estimated that 190,000 Puerto Ricans served in the U.S. armed forces since World War I. To put these numbers in perspective, this is about 20,000 during World War I, 60,000 during World War II, 61,000 during the Korean War, 48,000 during the Vietnam War, and 1,700 during the Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan War. This includes people like my father and his brothers that fought in Vietnam. Yet Puerto Rico remains a colony. That contradiction sits at the center of the Puerto Rican experience in America. For episode two of American Colony, T.J. Rafael explores the story of a Vietnam veteran born in Puerto Rico that can't return to his home for fear that he won't get the medical care he needs. Now, in his old age, the dream of living his last days in paradise will likely never come true. Find the episode at the Latino newsletter or wherever you get podcasts. Follow along for more as we unravel the history of Puerto Rico and the United States."