Puerto Rico Defended the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a human-made waterway across Central America. Before it was opened in 1914, ships had to sail around Cape Horn, the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego. Ships heading from the Pacific to the Atlantic could save a month’s travel by going through the canal, and avoid the perilous passage around the Horn. Now the canal is involved in about 6% of all global maritime trade, including container ships, passenger ships, oil and natural gas cariers, and more. In both World Wars, Puerto Rico defended the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal

The canal runs roughly 50 miles from northwest to southeast, between the city of Colón on the Caribbean coast and Panama City on the Pacific coast.  It cuts across the Isthmus of Panama, the narrow land bridge connecting North and South America. Thuis it links the Atlantic Ocean via the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. By providing a direct maritime route between the two oceans, the canal dramatically reshaped global trade, naval strategy, and international power dynamics.

Rather than being a sea-level canal, it is a lock canal, lifting ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial freshwater lake created by damming the Chagres River, and then lowering them back to sea level on the opposite side.

Just as the canal shortens shipping time for major trade routes, in wartime, the canal provides greater speed and flexibility for the military. Quicker travel means rapid redeployment of naval forces between oceans and shorter supply chains.

During World War II, the canal was considered so vital to Allied operations that it was heavily fortified and defended against sabotage or attack. Any disruption could have forced naval vessels to detour thousands of miles, weakening military response times and logistical coordination.

Because the canal is a narrow, fixed chokepoint, it is also inherently vulnerable. Even limited damage to locks or infrastructure could halt traffic entirely, making it a high-value strategic target. This vulnerability has shaped military planning, diplomacy, and security arrangements surrounding the canal for more than a century.

The Borinqueneers

The Borinqueneers were  first established as the 1st Puerto Rican Infantry Battalion,  which was authorised by Congress on 2 March 1899. Next came the 2nd Puerto Rican Mounted Battalion. In 1908, the Borinqueneers were recognized as a regiment of the U.S. Army.

In 1917, the regiment was deployed to protect the Canal Zone. They carried out garrison and patrol duties along the approaches to the canal, coastal areas, and key infrastructure. This assignment reflected the trust the Army placed in them to safeguard an asset whose loss or disruption could cripple U.S. naval operations. President Woodrow Wilson feared that Germany would occupy Denmark and then annex the Virgin Islands, which were then the Danish West Indies. The United States paid Denmark $25 million in gold for these islands as part of the plan to safeguard the canal.

The regiment returned to Puerto Rico in 1919, but soldiers from Puerto Rico continued to defend the Panama Canal until 1927.

Puerto Rico defended the Panama Canal during World War II as well.  The regiment trained in Salinas, at the training center which is now Camp Santiago, and then perfected their skills in jungle warfare in Panama before going into active service there. By 1943, some 5,000 Puerto Rican soldiers were active in the Canal Zone.

Puerto Rico

The United States turned over control of the Canal Zone to Panama in 1999, and currently has no military bases in Panama. Puerto Rican soldiers were essential for the safety of Panama and therefore for global shipping and defense. Puerto Rico ocntinues to be key for U.S. national security in the Caribbean and Latin America now. Puerto Rico should have been admitted as a state many years ago. Reach out to your legislators and make sure they know that you want to see them on the right side of history, supporting Puerto Rico statehood.