Commencing with World War I, Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved. Accordingly, thousands of Puerto Ricans served in the Armed Forces of the United States during the Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War. Hundreds of them died, either killed in action (KIA) or while prisoners of war (POW). The Vietnam War started as a Cold War, and escalated into a military conflict that spread to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975.

Puerto Ricans, most commonly known as Boricuas, and also referred to as Borinqueños, Borincanos, or Puertorros, are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants, including those in mainland United States.