An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Dec. 28, 2010

Puerto Rico National Guard recognizes a fallen hero

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Luis Orengo Puerto Rico National Guard

COAMO, Puerto Rico - The Puerto Rico National Guard on Monday posthumously promoted one of the Guardmembers killed in a Dec. 20 helicopter crash.

Army Col. Victor J. Torres, deputy adjutant general of the Puerto Rico National Guard, was promoted to brigadier general on Monday here.

Torres, 58, along with three other Citizen-Soldiers and two state prosecutors, died in the Dec. 20 accident during Operation New Dawn in support of the Puerto Rico Justice Department when a UH-72A Lakota helicopter crashed into the sea.

The bodies of Torres, the state prosecutors and two of the other Citizen-Soldiers – Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hector Ramirez and Army Staff Sgt. Jose O. Sostre – were recovered from the sea on Dec. 21.

One Citizen-Soldier, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Carlos Acevedo, remains missing.

Torres’ career spanned more than 30 years of faithful and loyal service to the Puerto Rico National Guard, attaining high recognition from superior officers, peers, subordinates and state and federal government officials.

His wake, at the Coamo Convention Center, saw thousands of people from all over the island gather to pay their respect to a man considered by many to be a great teacher, Soldier and public servant.

The governor of Puerto Rico, the Hon. Luis G. Fortuño, the state secretary and the president of the state Senate were among participants.

“The loss of Victor J. Torres is a loss to all Puerto Rico," the governor said. "This hero, and his companions, fell doing their job: to protect the people of this island, and I know that for as long as we have the Puerto Rico National Guard the name of Victor Torres will forever be remembered."

Torres was recognized with the following awards: The Legion of Merit Medal and the Puerto Rico National Guard Merit Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Medal of Valor and Law Enforcement Ribbon.

The awards were presented to Torres’ two surviving sons and one daughter.

"There are no words to describe Victor Torres," said the adjutant general of Puerto Rico, Army Maj. Gen. Antonio J. Vicéns.  "He was a man dedicated to serve his nation and his country who gave his life trying to make a better Puerto Rico and a better nation.

 

“He was an optimistic man who saw the bright side of life and who knew how to instill in others the desire to become better people for the good of others.

 

“The Puerto Rico National Guard will sorely miss him and his leadership. Let his example become the beacon that will guide the next generations of Citizen-Soldiers – a beacon that will forever stand strong in our values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage.

“The Puerto Rico National Guard has lost a great man; the Nation has lost a great man."

The body of Army Brig. Gen. Victor J. Torres was scheduled to be interned at his hometown of Coamo, Puerto Rico, today.

 

 

Related Articles
Soldiers assigned to the 152nd Engineer Support Company stand in formation during their farewell ceremony at Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo, New York, Jan. 2, 2025. The unit will train in Texas, before heading to Africa to support Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
New York Army Guard Engineers Heading for Horn of Africa
By Capt. Jason Carr, | Jan. 6, 2025
BUFFALO, N.Y. - One hundred and forty-five New York Army National Guard Soldiers heading to the Horn of Africa were sent off with a formal ceremony at the Connecticut Street Armory Jan. 2.The Soldiers, members of the 152nd...

Staff Sgt. Jason Capostagno, left, and Staff Sgt. Curtis Grady, right, with the New York Air Guard’s 222nd Command and Control Squadron, stand with Gen B. Chance Saltzman, chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force, at the Space Force Association's Spacepower Conference in Orlando Fla., Dec.10-12, 2024. Capostagno was named the winner of the Space category, while Grady won the Intelligence category award.
NY Air Guard Members Receive Space Force Association Award
By Capt. Jason Carr, | Jan. 6, 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Space Force Association recognized two New York National Guard Airmen as enlisted service members of the year for 2024 during the organization’s annual conference Dec. 10-12.Staff Sgt. Jason Capostagno was...

Brig. Gen. Lenny Williams, the assistant adjutant general - Army of the Illinois National Guard and the commander of the Illinois Army National Guard, State Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Kelly, and State Command Chief Warrant Officer CW5 Thomas Black present Staff Sgt. Francisco Orozco with an award at the Illinois Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion's annual awards banquet Nov.16, 2024, in Peoria. Orozco was the Illinois Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year with 35 enlistments.
Illinois Army Guard’s Top Recruiter Pays it Forward
By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton, | Jan. 3, 2025
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. - When Francisco Orozco first approached an Army National Guard recruiter in 2016, the recruiter “would not give me the time of day.”Orozco was overweight and had a neck tattoo. Both disqualified him from...