WELCOME TO HAVOCT INC.
The Hispanic-American Veterans of Connecticut, Inc. mission is to provide bilingual (Spanish & English) services to any Connecticut Veterans who are actively serving, honorably discharged or members with a need to update their discharge, or retired, as well as their family.
It is with so much honor and previlege tha we continue our journey that promises to change the life our Service members and Veterans and their family who primarily reside in the state of Connecticut.
It is our goal that our members receive training to become service representatives so we may be able to assist the prior and current Service members in applying for their service needs. We also endeavor to grow the organization to allow us to provide couseling services to those prior and current Service members requiring it and to assist with housing, educational and health access, on a case by case basis.
We are currently recruiting new members to volunteer for this worthy cause. You do not need to be a Veteran to be a volunteer. We look forward to hearing from you so we can give back to Connecticut Veterans what they have earned. 
The Hispanic-American Veterans of Connecticut, Inc. (HAVOCT, Inc.) was founded on November 05, 2006. The organization was created from a group of veterans and community volunteers that came together after they joined efforts for several weeks to bring Hispanic-American Veterans representation to the Greater Hartford Veterans Parade 2006.
Two of the individuals that had the vision of such representation were Ms. Marilda Gándara, former President of the Aetna Foundation and Mr. Calixto Torres, former Councilman for the City Of Hartford and former Executive Director of the Connecticut Puerto Rican Forum Inc.
Their vision not only became a reality but also during the meetings originated by Lucy Goicoechea-Hernandez, Edna Berastain, MAJ Jorge L. Rodriguez, SGT Luis M. Vera, SFC (RET) Zenen Figueroa, SGT Luis Centeno, Edith Miller and Elsa Huertas, the idea to create an actual Hispanic Veterans organization evolved. During the actual Veterans parade, the idea evolved to the point that not only this fine group of individuals came together, but they also brought forward more people and ideas.
As a result, on November 25, 2006, with the guidance of Mr. Gumersindo Gómez, Founder and Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Veterans Association of Massachusetts, a Vietnam Veteran and a Retired Army Sergeant First Class as well, a core group of individuals were appointed the responsibility to lead; they were the President, SFC Juan L. Cruz, Secretary, Luis Vera and Treasurer SFC (RET) Julio Diaz, who provide the organization the administrative component needed to make the dream of the organization’s mission a reality for the membership collectively.
2020 Yearly Monthly Meeting Calendar
65th Infantry Regiment "Borinqueneers" Congressional Gold Medal
Description
The 65th Infantry Regiment “Borinqueneers” three–inch medal is a bronze duplicate of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded collectively to the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers, in recognition of its members’ pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and many acts of valor in the face of adversity.
Composed primarily of Hispanic soldiers, the U.S. Army 65th Infantry Regiment was the last segregated unit of the U.S. military. Though restricted to noncombat roles during World War I, the regiment served heroically on the battlefields of World War II and Korea. As the regiment sailed to Asia in September 1950, members of the unit informally decided to call themselves the “Borinqueneers,” a term derived from the Taίno word for Puerto Rico meaning “land of the brave lord.” The regiment participated in some of the fiercest battles from 1950 to 1952, earning the admiration of many, and dispelling negative stereotypes and reservations about its fighting experience. By 1953, the regiment was fully integrated.
In April 1956, as part of the reduction in forces following the Korean War, the regiment was officially deactivated. In all, approximately 61,000 Puerto Ricans served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, the majority were part of the 65th Infantry Regiment.
The obverse design depicts a portrait of a fictional Borinqueneer. The soldiers in the background are in an inverted “V” formation, taking the high ground with fixed bayonets during an assault on the enemy during the Korean War. The inscriptions are “65th INFANTRY REGIMENT” and “BORINQUENEERS.” The Crossed Rifles insignia appears at the bottom of the design.
The reverse design depicts the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is a 16th-century citadel, a central symbol of Puerto Rico and the preferred military command ceremonial parade site of the 65th Infantry Regiment. The inscriptions are “HONOR ET FIDELITAS,” “1899–1956,” “WORLD WAR I,” “WORLD WAR II,” “KOREAN WAR,” and “ACT OF CONGRESS 2014.”
To purchase the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal - replica in Bronze, please visit US MINTS GOV (https://catalog.usmint.gov/medals/military/)
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