Why do 35,000 Puerto Rican service members fight for a democracy they can't fully participate in? In this powerful episode of the Mano a Mano podcast, host George Laws Garcia sits down with Brigadier General Victor Perez —a 36-year military veteran who rose from enlisted soldier to general in the Puerto Rico National Guard—to discuss the contradiction of military service without voting rights.
General Perez shares his decades of experience advocating in Congress for Puerto Rican veterans and statehood, explaining why 250,000 Puerto Ricans have served throughout U.S. history—earning 9 Medals of Honor and the Congressional Gold Medal for the 65th Infantry Regiment—yet still cannot vote for their Commander-in-Chief or Congressional representatives when living on the island.
This conversation takes on new urgency as the U.S. deploys significant military forces to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean in response to drug trafficking, Venezuelan instability, and growing Chinese and Russian influence in the region. General Perez provides firsthand insight into why Puerto Rico's strategic location makes it indispensable to U.S. national security—and why statehood would benefit both Puerto Rico's 3.2 million citizens and America's geopolitical interests.
In this episode:
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction & Veterans Day Tribute
03:45 Puerto Rico's Military Service Record: 250,000+ Veterans
06:15 Serving Without Representation: The Democratic Deficit
12:35 Veteran Advocates: Stories of Sacrifice and Persistence
18:25 What Statehood Would Mean for Future Generations
23:30 Economic Inequality: Territory vs. State Status
29:10 The Fiscal Oversight Board and Colonial Control
33:20 Current Caribbean Military Deployment Explained
40:15 Chinese & Russian Influence in Latin America
45:50 Venezuela Crisis and U.S. Strategic Response
51:40 Why Puerto Rico is Key to Western Hemisphere Security
56:25 How Puerto Ricans View Military Presence on the Island
01:02:10 Advice for Statehood Advocates: Never Quit
01:08:45 Conclusion & Call to Action
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