Infantryman Dr. Juan Manuel Torres, Purple Heart Recipient and Veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. This 86 years old decorated Korean and Vietnam veteran, beloved father and grandfather passed away after a courageous battle with cancer and pneumonia. Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, New York, this true American hero joined the US Army in 1950 at the age of fifteen by “revising” his birth certificate. Dr. Torres was immediately deployed to Korea where he was assigned to the 21st Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division and placed directly into combat against aggressing North Korean and Chinese troops. Outnumbered 5 to 1, his unit suffered heavy casualties over many months of sustained fighting. When Dr. Torres’ squad leader was killed during an intense battle, he was given a field promotion to Corporal. While in a foxhole during one battle, his buddies affectionately called him “Skip,” a name he used for the rest of his life. Skip received a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained from gunshot and shrapnel wounds while in combat against the North Koreans and Chinese. He also received several other distinctions, such as the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB), for his combat service.
Skip was discharged and returned from Korea after the Army discovered he was only 16 years old. He then was allowed to join the US Air Force when he came of age. This included a one-year tour in Vietnam during the height of the conflict protecting US jet fighters and bombers during the “Tet Offensive” when 100,000 Viet Cong attacked, he was injured during the battle. He helped save many injured US troops but declined any awards saying: “It was just my duty.” When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Skip was chosen to lead the Honor Guard at Montauk Air Force Base in New York.
Retiring from the armed forces, Skip was recruited by the US Marshals Service as a Deputy US Marshal and later promoted to Chief Deputy US Marshal where he led key task forces against drug cartels and mafias in the southeast and northeast regions of the United States. He was again injured during a gun battle with a drug gang. Retiring after 30 years government service, Skip earned a PhD in seminary studies and became an ordained minister where he faithfully served his community for the remainder of his life. He gave most of his US military and government retirement pay to charities and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide, such as a “Pakistan Relief Fund” for victims of a devastating earthquake in 2005.
He was an inspiration to his sons, grandsons and granddaughters who went on to become members of the US military, civil servants and medical professionals. Skip will be greatly missed by his former spouse, Diana V. Torres and his sons, among them the eldest Jerry W. Torres, who retired as Special Forces Green Beret, and granddaughter Valeria Torres, currently serving with the FBI.