- November 16, 2025
Ivey Rodriguez poses with her father, Luciano Arce Diaz, after the received the Ambassador of Peace medal. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Angel Cordero reads the proclamation from South Korea honoring Luciano Arce with an Ambassador of Peace medal. Marine Corps veteran Jeff Kingdon is in the background. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Luciana Arce is overcome with emotion after receiving the Ambassador of Peace medal. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Family and friends pose with Luciano Arce after he received the Ambassador of Peace medal at the Flagler Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Photo by Brent Woronoff
South Korea began giving out Ambassador for Peace medals in 1975 to veterans of UN coalition nations who fought in the Korean War.
Luciano Arce Diaz received his on Monday, Nov. 3, at the Flagler Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Bunnell. Arce, who recently celebrated his 93rd birthday, received the medal in front of family and friends in a ceremony led by Army veteran Angel Cordeo.
“It is a great honor and pleasure to express the everlasting gratitude of the Republic of Korea and our people for the service you and your countrymen have performed in restoring and preserving our freedom and democracy,” Cordero read from South Korea’s proclamation. “We cherish in our hearts, the memory of your boundless sacrifices in helping us reestablish our free nation. With grateful recognition of your dedicated contributions, it is our privilege to proclaim you an Ambassador for Peace.”
Cordero handed the medal to Arce and tears came to Arce’s eyes. Arce would not have been able to travel to receive the medal because he is ill and currently on dialysis, his daughter, Ivey (pronounced Evie) Rodriguez said.
“We are so proud of him, and this is such a great honor, and we couldn't be happier,” Rodriguez said. “I’m so happy that he’s still around (to receive it).”
Naomi Figueroa Soulet, who produced and directed the 2007 PBS documentary, “The Borinqueneers,” made the celebration possible.
Arce, who was born in Puerto Rico, was a member of the 65th Infantry Regiment, the only Hispanic-segregated unit in the history of the U.S. Army. The regiment, made up almost entirely of Puerto Ricans, was known as the Borinqueneers.
Figueroa Soulet, who lives in Ponciana, Florida, has a database of soldiers who served in the 65th during the Korean War.
“I have a friend in New York, who's involved with this subject matter, and he was going to the Korean Embassy to pick up two of the Ambassador for Peace medals for somebody else,” Figueroa Soulet said. “So, he said, ‘do you have any that you need?’ So, I started calling, and I found three from Florida.”
Cordero, who served in the Army for 21 years, recently moved to Palm Coast. He has been working with Figueroa Soulet for 25 years, assisting her in her projects and presentations.
“When she found out that Luciano Arce lived here, she called me up and asked if I would come and join in the presentation,” Cordero said.
Arce has also received two other medals for his service. He received Bronze Star Medal for saving a sergeant’s life who was wounded in Korea, Rodriguez said.
“My father said they were ambushed, and when the sergeant got wounded and they had to escape from that area, my father picked him up, put him on his back and ran from the chaos that was happening and was able to rescue him. And (the sergeant) was treated by the medics at the airport.”
Arce also received a Congressional Gold Medal in Orlando a few years ago, his daughter said.
“He never talked about the war until recently. He recalls the things that he went through, and he's very proud of his service,” Rodriguez said.
Figueroa Soulet, who has also written books about the Puerto Rican regiment, estimates that there were 16,000 Borinqueneers, which includes replacements who served in Korea during the 1950-1953 war. She is planning a Facebook Live event for 6 p.m. Nov. 13, profiling generations who served in the unit, beginning in 1899, when the U.S. took over Puerto Rico.
