German Immigration To Puerto Rico - German Influence in Puerto Rican and Popular Culture

German Influence in Puerto Rican and Popular Culture

Besides having distinguished careers in agriculture and the military, Puerto Ricans of German descent have made many other contributions to the Puerto Rican way of life. Their contributions can be found, but are not limited to, the fields of education, commerce, politics, science and entertainment.

Puerto Rican politics has been influenced by the contributions of politicians such as Federico Degetau, Erwin Kiess, Henry Neumann, Kimberly "Kimmie" Raschke, Larry Seilhamer Rodríguez, and the President of the Puerto Rican Senate Thomas Rivera Schatz. Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff, relative of the late German Rieckehoff, president of the Puerto Rican Olympic committee, was the President of the New York chapter of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in the 1930s.

The first renowned Puerto Rican scientist was Dr. Agustín Stahl with diverse interests in the fields of ethnology, botany and zoology. and the first Puerto Rican to be named Director of the Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest single dish radio telescope was Dr. Sixto Gonzalez Edick.

Two brothers from the Riefkohl family had distinguished military careers, they were Frederick Lois and Rudolph W. Riefkohl. Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl, U.S. Navy, was the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and in World War I and the first Puerto Rican to be awarded the Navy Cross. His brother, Colonel Rudolph W. Riefkohl, U.S. Army, played an instrumental role in helping the people of Poland overcome the 1919 typhus epidemic. Major General Luis R. Esteves Völckers, U.S. Army, became the first Puerto Rican and Hispanic in 1915, to graduate from the United States Military Academy. Esteves Völckers also organized the Puerto Rican National Guard. Colonel Virgil R. Miller, U.S. Army, was the Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a unit which was composed of "Nisei" (second generation Americans of Japanese descent), during World War II. He led the 442nd in its rescue of the Lost Texas Battalion of the 36th Infantry Division, in the forests of the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France. Rear Admiral George E. Mayer, U.S. Navy, was the first Hispanic Commander of the Naval Safety Center. He led an international naval exercise known as Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2003 from his flagship, the USS Vella Gulf (CG-72). It was the first time in the 31 year history of BALTOPS that the exercise included combined ground troops from Russia, Poland, Denmark and the United States.