USMC Sergeant Issued Navy Cross but not Medal of Honor

[5.56X45mm]

USMC Sergeant Issued Navy Cross but not Medal of Honor

Awarded United States Navy Cross (Posthumously)

Rafael Peralta
Sergeant, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, United States Marine Corps
7 April 1979 – 15 November 2004
​

Personal History
Peralta was born on April 7, 1979 in Mexico City. Son of Rafael and Rosa Peralta, the oldest of four siblings Icelda, Karen and Ricardo. He immigrated to the United States and joined the United States Marine Corps as soon as he had a green card. He later became an American citizen while serving in the Marine Corps.

According to accounts, Peralta served the United States with enthusiasm and patriotism: "In his parent's home, on his bedroom walls hung only three items - a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his boot camp graduation certificate. Before he set out for Fallujah, he wrote to his 14-year old brother, 'be proud of me, bro...and be proud of being an American.'"

On April 24, 2006, William Lansdowne, chief of police for the San Diego Police Department posthumously awarded Sgt. Peralta the honorary title of San Diego police officer for his heroic actions in Iraq. The badge was presented to Rafael's mother, Rosa Peralta. Sgt. Peralta always wanted to be a San Diego police officer.

Killed in Action
On November 15, 2004, 25 year old Sgt. Peralta, deployed to Iraq as a scout team leader assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, along with his team was ordered to clear houses in the Operation Phantom Fury. Peralta was not assigned to enter the buildings, but chose to do so anyway.

Sergeant Peralta led his team through a series of house clearings before charging into the fourth house. He found two rooms empty on the ground floor. Peralta opened a third door and was hit multiple times with AK-47 fire, leaving him severely wounded. He dropped to the floor and moved aside in order to allow the Marines behind him to return fire.

The insurgents responded by throwing a grenade at the Marines. The two Marines with Sgt. Peralta tried to get out of the room but could not. Sgt. Peralta was still conscious on the floor and despite his wounds was able to reach for the grenade and pull it under his body absorbing the majority of the lethal blast and shrapnel which killed him instantly, but saved the lives of his fellow Marines.

In December 2004, U.S. Congressman Bob Filner of California introduced legislation to award Sgt. Peralta the Medal of Honor. As of January 22, 2008, a Medal of Honor award for Sgt. Peralta was awaiting presidential approval.


On September 21, 2007, the 31st MEU Command Post, building 2533 Camp Hansen, Okinawa, was christened Peralta Hall in his honor.

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Brother to Brother....

 

[5.56X45mm]

Decorations

Navy Cross

Purple Heart

Combat Action Ribbon

National Defense Service Medal

Iraq Campaign Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

 

[03USMC]

God bless Brother, Semper Fi.

 

[5.56X45mm]

As a former US Army Soldier I have nothing but respect for SGT Peralta and I will fight for him and his family to get the MOH.

SGT. Peralta was and is a true American Hero. He came to this nation and fought for it before he was a Citizen. He was proud of being an American and proud of being a Marine. God Bless him and may to good Lord watch over his family.

 

[03USMC]

I'm also having difficulty understanding why the award was down graded to a Cross. Historically the actions taken by Sgt. Peralta have resulted in the award of the Medal of Honor. So I'd like to know what Pouge SOB's sitting on the board decided that Peralta only deserved a Navy Cross.


Never mind I found out. the SecDef did it. Gates is freakin worm. I'm on board with this I'm calling people and organizations. That turd Gates had no right to down grade that award.

 

[03USMC]

Oh I forgot to add.


General Casey who headed the panel. Yeah yer turd too .......sir.

 

[The Other Guy]

May he rest in peace.

He deserves the medal. Gates is the latest excretion of the Bush Administration that should be burned at the stake.

 

[03USMC]

Just another reason to distrust General Officers and politicians.

Bet a paycheck if it was one of Casey's classmates from Hudson High that got a splinter in his finger gettin away from a grenade that guy woulda been gonged no problema.

 

[Team Infidel]

Yeah, he got screwed.... i totally disagree with this decision. far too few MoH's given out.

 

[03USMC]

MA1 Monsoor a SEAL was awarded the MOH for a similar act. Yet in the this case Casey, Vines, and an Army pathologist are saying that there is no way Peralta cound have done this because he was already dead.

Come on WTF. You have the eyewitness testimony of five Marines that were there. You have the concurence of the investigating awards officer.
Three other pathologists do not agree that Peralta was incapable of performing the act. Despite his head wound being mortal three count em three different pathologist say that the wound was from a richochet and low velocity so it is possible even probable that Sgt. Peralta was capable of performing the act.

So then they use the "well the head wound may have been caused by friendly fire action." WTF K. Does that really matter when all is said and done? He saved the men in his team by covering a grenade with his body. Any second phase boot knows thats an express train to Marine Barracks Pearly Gates.

The panel needs to revisit the citations of past awards of the MOH in relation to covering a grenade. I have met Sgt Major Allen Kellogg, he did the same thing in Vietnam and against the odds lived and retired from the Corps. Traditionally the act performed by Sgt. Peralta is worthy of the award of the MOH, so maybe that should tell the esteemed gentlemen (terms used very loosely) something. Their job is only to ensure that the criteria is met, not to pick and choose who to believe or what evidence to ignore or come up with maybe's or could be's not to award the medal because they have an aversion in awarding to Peralta for whatever reason (although I can tell you that there is a certain segement of the community that believes whole heartedly in a reason and pretty soon they are gonna make it vocal......Mexican American Defense League..nuff said). Me I believe that in the eyes of this panel a Marine Grunt Sgt. Naturalized citizen didn't fit their profile...but thats just me.

Then we got HQMC PIO's babbling about how the "Navy Cross is not awarded lightly." No sh*t Major! But this Marine should have been awarded the MOH and you and everybody else at HQMC up to and Including General Conway and Sgt Major Kent ought to be raising all manner of hell with DOD, DON and Congress. Instead of meekly bending over and taking it.


But then they have better ways to occupy their time, tattoo regs', figuring out how to measure body fat, and set uniform appearance regs despite the fitness of Marines so that they all look like wind up Parade Deck 8th and I yoyo's. Far be it from them to fight for a Marine who embodied the Spirit and Traditions of the Corps and gave his life for his fellow Marines. Just nodd your head like good little boys and go along with what your told.

It's too damn bad General Big Al Gray and Sgt Major Sommers aren't still holding the reins. You would have heard the screams and smelled the sulpher in Okinawa when they got this news. Course they had balls.

 

[istealfreefood]

I agree with 03 that the brass in the Corps needs to make an uproar over this. They need to stand up for their men, not just Sgt Peralta, but also for the Marines that saw what happened and told the story about how he saved them. Loyalty flows down as well as up, and when five Marines on the scene, plus the investigating officer all say that he did this knowing what he was doing, they need to be trusted.

General Casey messed up as the commander in Iraq. Now he's messing up as Chief of Staff. And Gates is just another politician. i cant stand this crap.

 

[5.56X45mm]

PFC. McGinnis got a MOH for the same action.

Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December 2006.

That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast. Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.

Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army

 

[03USMC]

DOD is picking and choosing who they are awarding the MOH to, and IMO not following criteria. They are not taking the statements of the men who were there and the investigations already done and verifying them. They came up with excuses not to give Peralta the MOH.

Despite what other pathologists and neuro surgeons have said they went with their own pathologist. Makes wonder if the decision was contrived and if there may not be a grain of truth to what MADL is saying.

 

[AikiRooster]

This is disturbing, I've been payin attn to it. I'm hearing it was downgraded because he was supposedly shot by a fellow American and they can't tell whether ot not he was falling from being shot in the head and chest or if he was consciously making an effort to jump on the grenade.

 

[03USMC]

Which IMO is the excuse their using not to award Peralta the MOH. There were 5 Marines there that said he scooped the grenade into his body, apparently their word isn't good enough.

And if their case is he was dead and his body fell on the grenade then why award the Navy Cross? Doesn't make sense. It's not understandable that they say (despite testimony) well we can't award the MOH because we "think" he was dead and his body through no action on his part fell on a grenade, but hey heres a Navy Cross.

Same thing with Sgt Major Kasal and Capt. Chontosh. Recommended for the Medal of Honor for acts that would have rated the award at any other time.......in any other war, downgraded to Crosses.

As far as being hit by friendly fire. That wound is not what the recommendation is about, it's about him covering a grenade after he was hit, and saving the lives of his fellow Marines. It's more of their sad assed excuses.

There is something foul in this review process.

 

[AikiRooster]

Well, obviously Gunny, if someones trying to juice this hardchagrer, IMHO, they ought to be executed. Freakin scumbags.

Agreed 100%. if the argument is he was dying and fell on the grenade from the friendly fire, how does that rate a NC? Something is fishy.

 

[03USMC]

He's been juiced.

 

[AikiRooster]

What the hell? This sucks. Is this enlisted vs officer or, is it the juicing of marines, officers included?

 

[istealfreefood]

I dont think its officer vs enlisted at all. IMO they are just screwing over the Corps here. I dont know for sure, but I am willing to bet that his commanding officers definitely are behind him receiving the MOH and think he is getting screwed too.

 

[AikiRooster]

Bush Asked to Review Denied Medal of Honor


SAN DIEGO — A California congressional delegation asked President Bush on Friday to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to a Marine who was chosen to receive only the second-highest medal the Navy can bestow for valor.
The delegation, spearheaded by Rep. Duncan Hunter, sent a letter asking for a review of the case of Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who witnesses say covered a grenade with his body to save comrades on Nov. 15, 2004, during fighting in Fallujah, Iraq. Already wounded by gunfire, he died immediately.
A copy of the letter given to The Associated Press was signed by a bipartisan group of five other representatives and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. It urges Bush to award the nation's highest honor, the same medal he gave to Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who was killed in 2004 after covering a grenade with his helmet.
"Intentionally absorbing a grenade blast to protect one's comrades in arms has been traditionally recognized by awarding the Medal of Honor. The sacrifice of Sergeant Peralta manifests the same devotion to one's comrade's and country as that displayed by Jason Dunham," the letter said.
The White House had no immediate comment Friday.

Mother of Marine Who Fell on Enemy Grenade to Make Son's Case for Medal of Honor

The bipartisan delegation formed after Peralta's mother said publicly this week that she was told her son would be awarded the Navy Cross, rather than the Medal of Honor, because the nomination was tainted by reports he was accidentally shot by a fellow Marine shortly before an insurgent lobbed the grenade.
"It's difficult as a mother to lose your son, but it's good that people are remembering him. He was a person who gave everything and took nothing," Rosa Peralta said after the AP informed her of the congressional effort.
"I'm very pleased to hear this news; we wanted justice," she said.
Bush singled out the Marine's actions in a 2005 Memorial Day speech, saying Peralta "understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them."
The question of whether to award Peralta the Medal of Honor centers on whether the mortally wounded Marine, who had been shot in the head and upper body during a house-to-house search, could have intentionally reached for the grenade and covered it with his body.
The initial recommendation that he receive the Medal of Honor went through reviews by the Marine Corps, U.S. Central Command, the Department of the Navy and, ultimately, Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
After all the evidence was scrutinized, officials determined the nomination did not meet the standard necessary to support the Medal of Honor, said Capt. Beci Brenton, spokeswoman for Navy Secretary Donald Winter.
Defense Department officials have said that because there was some contradictory evidence, Gates took the extra step of asking for a review by a panel consisting of a former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, a Medal of Honor recipient, a civilian neurosurgeon who is retired from the military and two forensic pathologists who also are military retirees.
The panel recommended against the Medal of Honor, and Gates made the decision this month, officials said.
Peralta, 25, was assigned to Hawaii's 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. He had moved to San Diego from Tijuana as a teenager.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,425644,00.html