Dear Editor,

I was horrified to read a misguided letter to the editor yesterday questioning my support for the Borinqueneers. I am proud to have passed a resolution honoring the Borinqueneers in 2009 on the House Floor and organizing an award ceremony with then-Gov. Charlie Crist, with many of these brave Puerto Rican veterans in attendance. I have also hosted a dinner where I presented the resolutions to several veterans, participated in multiple Veteran's Day Events, supported their request to have a U.S. Stamp, among other acts. While the letter stated correctly that I did not attend the ceremony for the naming of a new park honoring the 65th Infantry, the drafter never bothered to find out why. At that time, I was in our capitol in committee meetings representing our community in compliance with my constitutional duty and thus was unable to attend. My district assistant Cecilia Figueroa was in attendance on my behalf. The writer (who is not a Borinqueneer or he would have known better) would serve the readers better by actually knowing what he's talking about before writing. I appreciate the sacrifices these brave men have made as much as a civilian can and will continue to pass on their heroic story. Viva Borinqueneers!

State Representative Darren Soto