Sargeant Rafael Peralta: Medal of Honor?

[thedrifter]

Sargeant Rafael Peralta: Medal of Honor?
By Cathryn Friar

The Scriptures says there is no greater love then one who lays down their life for another. Rafael Peralta did that for his fellow Marines in Fallujah in 2004. He was recently awarded the Navy Cross posthumously but many believe he should have been awarded the Medal of Honor. A California congressional delegation has asked President Bush for intervention in the matter.

He was a sergeant in Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment for “Operation Dawn”, the November offensive that re-took the Iraqi city of Fallujah, which had become a safe haven for terrorists. What Rafael did on November 15, 2004 was an act of selfless sacrifice and faithfulness to his fellow Marines and his country.

This is what heroism looks like:

Sargeant Peralta was age 25 years old. He and his family moved to San Diego from Tiajuana when he was a teenager. He joined the Marines the day after he got his green card and earned his citizenship while in uniform. He was fiercely loyal to the Corps and took pride in its traditions. While in Kuwait, waiting to go into Iraq, he had his camouflage uniform sent out to be pressed.

He constantly looked for opportunities to help his Marine brothers, which is why he ended up where he was on November 15th. A week into the battle for Fallujah, the Marines were still doing the deadly work of clearing the city of terrorist vermin, house by house. As a platoon scout, Peralta didn’t have to go out with the assault team that day. He volunteered to go.

The Marines entered a house and kicked in the doors of two rooms that proved empty. But there was another closed door to an adjoining room. It was unlocked, and Peralta, in the lead, opened it. He was immediately hit with AK-47 fire in his face and upper torso by three insurgents. He fell out of the way into one of the cleared rooms to give his fellow Marines a clear shot at the enemy. During the firefight, a yellow fragmentation grenade flew out of the room, landing near Peralta and several fellow Marines. The uninjured Marines tried to scatter out of the way, two of them trying to escape the room, but were blocked by a locked door. At that point, barely alive, Peralta grabbed the grenade and cradled it to his body.

His body took most of the blast. One Marine was seriously injured, but the rest sustained only minor shrapnel wounds. Corporal Brannon Dyer told a reporter from the Army Times, “He saved half my fire team.”

After an investigation, a decision by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to reject a Marine Corps recommendation that Rafael receive the Medal of Honor has angered Marines who say he sacrificed his life to save theirs.


A Gates-appointed panel unanimously concluded that the report on Peralta’s action that included the testimony of marines who were eyewitnesses to Peralta’s heroism, did not meet the standard of “no margin of doubt or possibility of error,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

The argument seems to be about whether a mortally wounded Marine could have intentionally reached for the grenade after suffering a serious head wound. (emphasis mine)

I suppose the Pentagon believes that Rafael, as he was falling to the ground - dead - had an involuntary movement that saw that grenade, extended out his arm, and scooped it up under his body to protect his brothers. Amazing!

The decision is “almost like somebody called me a liar,” said Marine Sargeant Nicholas Jones who was with Rafael that day and saw what happened. Jones said Peralta’s actions have become part of Marine Corps lore, as drill sergeants and officer-candidate instructors repeat it to new Marines to this day.

“His name is definitely synonymous with valor,” said Jones, who himself was wounded by the grenade blast.

The congressional delegation, spearheaded by Rep. Duncan Hunter, sent a letter asking President Bush for a review and reconsideration of the case of Sargeant Rafael Peralta receiving the Medal of Honor.

Incredible heroism in battle happens. We hear stories about it alot. The courageous human spirit and sacrificing oneself so others may live are core values in war demonstrated by Sargeant Peralta. It is clear that he wasn’t dead - yet. This young man, who enlisted in the Marines when he received his green card, who volunteered for the front line duty in Fallujah, who loved being with his marine brothers, had one last act of heroism in him.

President Bush, we have watched you with them over the years. You love our military and know their sacrifice. Though the Navy Cross is our second highest award for combat bravery, give this marine the Medal of Honor. How can we not?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KN_1...ts.com/?p=2091

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Some upset Marine sergeant won't receive Medal of Honor

By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — A rare decision by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to reject a Marine Corps recommendation that one of its heroes receive the Medal of Honor has angered Marines who say Sgt. Rafael Peralta sacrificed his life to save theirs.

Peralta's family was notified of the decision Wednesday by Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski, a top Marine Corps commander. Col. David Lapan, a Marine spokesman, said he was unaware of any recent award nomination that was denied in this way.

A Gates-appointed panel unanimously concluded that the report on Peralta's action did not meet the standard of "no margin of doubt or possibility of error," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. The argument about whether to award Peralta the nation's highest military honor centers on whether a mortally wounded Marine could have intentionally reached for the grenade after suffering a serious head wound.

For his actions during a Nov. 15, 2004, firefight in Fallujah, Iraq, Peralta will receive the Navy Cross, the service's second-highest award for valor. The citation said Peralta, 25, covered a live grenade thrown by insurgents.

"I don't want that medal," Peralta's mother, Rosa, said Wednesday. "I won't accept it. It doesn't seem fair to me."

The decision is "almost like somebody called me a liar," said Marine Sgt. Nicholas Jones, 25, who was with Peralta that day. Jones, a recruiter, said Peralta's actions have become part of Marine Corps lore, as drill sergeants and officer-candidate instructors repeat it to new Marines. "His name is definitely synonymous with valor," said Jones, who was wounded by the grenade blast.

"I know for a fact that I would have been killed … and that my daughter, Sophia, our new baby, Sienna, would not be here or coming into the world. And that my son, Noah, would have grown up without knowing his dad," said Robert Reynolds, 31, a corrections officer and former Marine who was with Peralta that day.

In a Marine Corps investigation of the attack, Natonski said, "I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt" that the gravely wounded Peralta covered the grenade.

Natonski, commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., appeared disappointed by the news he brought the family, said David Donald, Rosa Peralta's son-in-law. "He felt like Rafael deserved the Medal of Honor," Donald said.

Peralta's heroism has become Marine Corps legend, Lapan says. He said those closest to Peralta are likely to be upset by the decision, while others will see the Navy Cross award — given to only 17 other Marines in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts — as quite an honor.

Peralta had been shot in the head before he covered the grenade, a Marine investigation said. The report concluded he was hit by a ricochet that likely came from the gun of another Marine while they were clearing insurgents from a local home.

After he was wounded, the report said, Peralta scooped an insurgent grenade under his body, absorbed the blast and died, according to five of the Marines who were with Peralta during the firefight.

Gates appointed a five-member panel led by retired Lt. Gen. John Vines, the former commander of multi-national forces in Iraq, to reinvestigate reports of the battle. The panel also included a Medal of Honor recipient, a retired military neurosurgeon and two civilian forensic pathologists, Whitman said. He declined to provide their names.

After the panel made its recommendation, Gates made his decision last week, Whitman said. He declined to provide any explanation other than the facts did not meet the standard for a Medal of Honor.

Five men have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq, one for service in Afghanistan. All were posthumous.

Peralta first came to the United States from Mexico without legal documentation as a teen and joined the Marines the day he got his green card on April 17, 2000. He later became a naturalized citizen.

The Marine Corps assembled extensive material supporting its Medal of Honor request, including witness statements, ballistic and forensic evidence and several medical opinions.

According to that investigation, Marines scrambling for cover after an insurgent threw a grenade toward them plainly saw Peralta reach with his arm to "scoop" the grenade under his body.

Scorch marks were later found on his flak jacket, along with embedded pieces of shrapnel and a part of the grenade fuse, the reports show. "There's no way that grenade got under the center of mass of his body without him putting it there," said Reserve Marine Lt. Col. Scott Marconda, who investigated the incident in 2004 as a major and judge advocate. "I'm not a cheerleader. It is what it is. And my point is: I believe that he did that."

The Marine investigation highlighted a key area of controversy: whether the gunshot wound to the back of Peralta's head from a ricochet left him unable to function.

Col. Eric Berg, an Army pathologist who autopsied Peralta's remains, said in the 2005 report that the head wound would have been "nearly instantly fatal. He could not have executed any meaningful motions."

Berg said Monday that he stands by his conclusions. Four other experts — Peralta's battalion surgeon, and two neurosurgeons and a neurologist who examined the autopsy reports — said Peralta could have knowingly reached for the grenade. They say the ricochet was traveling at a "low velocity" and would not have immediately killed him.

Regardless, Jones said, Peralta is still a hero. Not receiving the Medal of Honor "won't change what he did out there."

Contributing: Alan Gomez

Ellie

[thedrifter]

All Hands:



From the Hawk & Dove we now go to the case of Sgt Rafael Peralta and the Medal of Honor.



First, CWO-4 Frank Kovacs sends a web site to sign a petition. There is interesting reading at this site.



Marine Sergeant Rafael Peralta after being critically wounded by gunfire, pulled a enemy hand grenade to himself and died. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has denied approval of the "Medal of Honor" for him. Yes, he recommended the "Navy Cross", but not enough... Please view and sign the petition. My comments are number 734.

Semper Fidelis,

Frank Kovacs

Retired Marine



PLEASE Click on link below



http://www.petitiononline.com/rp2008/petition.html





Next comes a way to accomplish the intent of the petition without signing it. This comes from Cpl Chris Spencer.



Some of you have expressed reservations about signing the petition for Sgt Peralta due to the question of whether petitions such as this are valid are not. I understand your reservations and respect them.



So if you do not think the petition is valid and do not wish to sign it or pass it on to others, here is an option.



This is a link for finding and contacting your representatives and senators in the United States Congress. You'll see a box on the left where you just type in your zip code and it will show you the reps for your district. Click on their name and it will show you how to contact them.



So if you don't want to sign the petition, please write a short note to your reps asking for their help in having the Medal of Honor awarded to Sgt Peralta.



http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/



Thank you for your help.



Take care and God bless,

Chris





Below are comments by LtCol Jay Drescher, who recommends the book written by Bing West “The Strongest Tribe”. The book states the combat situation that killed Sgt Peralta and is the reason for consideration of the Medal of Honor. It might be easier to read these e-mails from bottom to top.



Semper Fi,



Seamus



cplgarrahy@earthlink.net

www.gunghosauce.com



Ellie

[thedrifter]

September 24, 2008


Roadside vigil for fallen Marine

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

KANE'OHE BAY — Fellow Marines who served with Sgt. Rafael Peralta in Iraq aren't giving up on their four-year quest to see that he is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery.

Former Marine Sgt. Catcher Cuts The Rope, who knew Peralta and was several blocks away in the city of Fallujah when Peralta was killed, yesterday protested the decision to not award the medal with a vigil at the scenic overlook next to the H-3 Freeway leading to the Kane'ohe Bay Marine Corps base.

Cuts The Rope held a 5-foot-long sign saying "Honor Peralta," and a large American flag on a pole. On the back of the sign, written in similar big block letters, was, "Sgt. Peralta didn't rate?"

Defense Secretary Robert Gates outraged the Peralta family and Marines when the announcement was made last Wednesday that Peralta would receive the Navy Cross, not the Medal of Honor, after he pulled a grenade to his body on Nov. 15, 2004, shielding other Marines from the blast.

It had been widely acknowledged that Peralta, a Mexican immigrant who earned his citizenship while in uniform, deserved the nation's highest military honor. But Gates rejected a Marine Corps recommendation that Peralta receive the Medal of Honor.

appeal to president

A Purple Heart yesterday hung from a red, white and black beaded choker worn by Cuts The Rope, a Native American from Hays, Mont., who was seriously wounded in Fallujah a week after Peralta died.

"I think the decision on the downgrading of my friend's Medal of Honor down to the Navy Cross is wrong," Cuts The Rope said. "I believe in my brothers, and I believe in the Marine Corps."

Cuts The Rope, who also was based out of Hawai'i, said the decision to downgrade the recognition "really angers me. No matter what happened to Sgt. Peralta, the ultimate thing that he did was the last thing he did. Most everyone doesn't dispute that.

"I don't see what the problem is. Why him?" Cuts The Rope said of the medal downgrade.

The protest is the latest example of actions big and small attempting to reverse the Pentagon decision that touched a raw nerve in the Marine Corps community.

A bipartisan group from California's congressional delegation on Friday sent President Bush a letter asking him to review the matter.

Peralta, 25, was with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines out of Kane'ohe Bay. Fellow Hawai'i Marines said Peralta, who had been shot in the face and torso, pulled to his body an Iraqi grenade that bounced into a room with seven Marines.

a 'marine's marine'

Fellow Marine Robert Reynolds, who was next to Peralta, figured the short and stocky Marine nicknamed "Rafa" saved at least five lives by his actions.

A Pentagon-appointed panel concluded that Peralta's actions did not meet the standard of "no margin of doubt or possibility of error," because he likely was hit by a friendly fire shot. The panel had questioned whether Peralta was fully in control of his faculties after being shot.

Cuts The Rope, 35, who was medically retired from the Corps, said he was informed through Marine buddies of the Pentagon decision, and felt he had to do something.

He had known Peralta before the deployment, and was in the same company but a different platoon.

Peralta, a "Marine's Marine," deserved the Medal of Honor, Cuts The Rope said.

"They've been whispering that in the wind ever since President Bush mentioned him in a speech," he said. The president singled out Peralta on Memorial Day in 2005.

The medal downgrade reopened old wounds from the Battle of Fallujah, one of the biggest firefights in Iraq, and flew in the face of eyewitness testimony by Hawai'i Marines.

ongoing protest

On Nov. 22, 2004, a week after Peralta was killed, Cuts The Rope and other Marines were clearing a house in Fallujah.

Cpl. Michael R. Cohen, 23, who also based in Hawai'i, had been killed earlier in the day by small arms fire.

As Cuts The Rope and other Marines moved through the house by flashlight, an enemy fighter came running into the room with several hand grenades in a vest and one in his hand that he detonated as he screamed "Allahu Akbar!" (God is great), Cuts The Rope said.

Cuts The Rope said he shot the man at least three times, "but it didn't even stop him," and the man blew himself up six feet away.

"Man, I got shredded on both arms and both legs," said the Marine, who was first wheelchair-bound and then walked with a crutch. He also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

He was medically retired from the Corps on June 30, 2006.

Cuts The Rope planned to spend most of the day yesterday protesting, and said he'll be out again today.

The Kailua man said if the decision to not award Peralta the Medal of Honor isn't reversed, he'll leave his own Purple Heart at the Marine Corps memorial on base in a show of anger over the downgrade, and a show of respect for his Marine brother.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

More than One Marine Betrayed?
Posted By Blackfive

“There is conflicting evidence whether he performed the acts deliberately,” said Navy Capt. Beci Brenton, a spokeswoman for Navy Secretary Donald Winter.

That's the crux in the denial of Marine Sergeant Rafael Peralta's awarding of the Medal of Honor. Most of you know who Sergeant Peralta who has been featured on this blog many times. Here is what I wrote on Memorial Day, 2006:

...Sergeant Peralta was from Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment - his job was that of leading the scout section. In November of 2004, Peralta was 25 years old and not an American citizen. He joined the Marines on the very day that he received his green card. He later earned his citizenship as a Marine.

On November 15, 2004, the Marines were busy clearing houses in the Battle for Fallujah. Peralta, as scout team leader, was responsible for locating the enemy and directly ground forces to destroy them. He was not supposed join in the assaults inside the homes.

However, Rafael Peralta was not the kind of guy to stand around watching things happen. He wanted to make things happen. He routinely requested to join the assault teams entering the insurgent filled houses.

During the fateful assault on the 15th, after clearing three houses, Peralta lead the charge into the fourth house, finding two rooms empty on the ground floor. Upon opening a third door, Peralta was hit multiple times with AK-47 fire - severely wounded, he dropped to the floor and moved away in order to give the Marines behind him an opportunity to fire on the insurgents.

As the battle continued, the insurgents lobbed a grenade at the Marines. Two Marines were trapped in the room with Peralta. When they saw the grenade, they tried to get out of the blast area but were trapped.

Peralta, bleeding out on the floor, reached for the grenade and pulled it to his midsection, cradling the grenade before it cooked off.

The grenaded exploded, killing Peralta and critically wounding another Marine, the others all survived because Peralta absorbed the majority of the lethal blast...

At the time, I was greatly disappointed in the lack of news and web items following Peralta's story:

...Google news on Peralta and you'll find only a few items. You'll find more from around the time of the Battle of Fallujah but not much esle. Rafael Peralta doesn't even have a Wikipedia entry.

But my kids will know Rafael Peralta - I'll make sure of it...

Just about 2.5 years ago, there was nothing on Sergeant Peralta. Now, that's all changed (tons of news and a Wiki entry because a Blackfive reader took action).

The bad news is that most of the news is about how Defense Secretary Gates downgraded the recommendation by the CENTCOM and USMC Commanders to award Rafael Peralta the Medal of Honor.

I have been following this for a long time (4+ years). Originally, there were rumors that, because Peralta came to the US illegally, he would not receive the MoH (I don't believe those as Peralta received a green card and entered the Marines before becoming a US citizen). There were also rumors, now true, that he was hit by friendly fire (a ricochet). There were also rumors that he was killed by friendly fire, and his Marines used a grenade to cover it up (IMHO that doesn't pass the common sense test as one Marine was critically injured by the blast).

Rafael Peralta was the kind of American who hung a copy of the Constitution on the wall of his home. He was the kind of Sergeant who would do anything for his Marines.

Go back to the top and re-read the comment from the Navy spokesperson.

The Marines witnessed the act - all stating that Rafael Peralta scooped up or pulled the grenade under him.

The grenade blast happened under Peralta.

Forensic pathologists concluded that Peralta was killed by the wounds from rifle fire and from the grenade fragments.

In the context of awarding the medal, does the fact that he was already mortally wounded matter? Does the fact that, if he was still barely alive, he probably knew he was going to die anyway matter? Does the friendly fire ricochet matter?

I have to believe that either the "experts" made a HUGE mistake in the denial in the face of the eye witness reports or there has to be more coming about this - especially on the friendly fire part. Secretary Gates is not an unintelligent man, not in the least. By not disclosing the findings, the suggestion is that Peralta was already dead when the grenade blast occurred and that has further implications. The autopsy and investigation should be released immediately.

If not, then the President should immediately over-ride the decision. [since the Navy Cross was awarded, the President did not get a say in the award]. You can sign the petition here to encourage the process.

Otherwise, if this is based on the lack of forensic evidence and the deliberate ignoring of eye witnesses, then this is not just a betrayal of Sergeant Rafael Peralta, but of the men who's lives he saved by giving his own.

Regardless, Sergeant Rafael Peralta will be remembered, not for his chest full of medals, but for his love of America and his Marines.

[Over at the Rott, there's some good discussion on this as well.]



Memorial Day - Sergeant Rafael Peralta
Posted By Blackfive

The words to "Taps" are:
Day Is Done,
Gone the Sun,
From the Earth,
From the Hill,
From the Sky,
All Is Well,
Safely Rest,
God Is Nigh

When Taps is played at dusk, it has a completely different meaning than when Taps is played during the day. No soldier really wants to hear it played during daylight. For when the bugle plays Taps in the daylight...that means a soldier has fallen...There is a belief among some that Taps is the clarion call to open the gates of heaven for the fallen warrior and letting them know to "Safely Rest"...

Marine Sergeant Rafael Peralta earned his rest the hard way. His name should be discussed more often than the celebrities of the day...

Sergeant Peralta was from Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment - his job was that of leading the scout section. In November of 2004, Peralta was 25 years old and not an American citizen. He joined the Marines on the very day that he received his green card. He later earned his citizenship as a Marine.

On November 15, 2004, the Marines were busy clearing houses in the Battle for Fallujah. Peralta, as scout team leader, was responsible for locating the enemy and directly ground forces to destroy them. He was not supposed join in the assaults inside the homes.

However, Rafael Peralta was not the kind of guy to stand around watching things happen. He wanted to make things happen. He routinely requested to join the assault teams entering the insurgent filled houses.

During the fateful assault on the 15th, after clearing three houses, Peralta lead the charge into the fourth house, finding two rooms empty on the ground floor. Upon opening a third door, Peralta was hit multiple times with AK-47 fire - severely wounded, he dropped to the floor and moved away in order to give the Marines behind him an opportunity to fire on the insurgents.

As the battle continued, the insurgents lobbed a grenade at the Marines. Two Marines were trapped in the room with Peralta. When they saw the grenade, they tried to get out of the blast area but were trapped.

Peralta, bleeding out on the floor, reached for the grenade and pulled it to his midsection, cradling the grenade before it cooked off.

The grenaded exploded, killing Peralta and critically wounding another Marine, the others all survived because Peralta absorbed the majority of the lethal blast.

Google news on Peralta and you'll find only a few items. You'll find more from around the time of the Battle of Fallujah but not much esle. Rafael Peralta doesn't even have a Wikipedia entry.

But my kids will know Rafael Peralta - I'll make sure of it.

Ben Stein has a great column today:They Did God's Work
By Ben Stein
Published 5/26/2006 11:59:59 PM

Remarks delivered on Saturday evening in Arlington, Virginia, at the Memorial Day weekend seminar and grief camp of TAPS -- the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.




<...>
Wall Street does not have it. Hollywood does not have it. They're just in it for the fame and the money.

Your loved ones were in it for unselfishness, for kindness, for love of one's fellow man. There is no higher meaning on this earth.

The media try to rob your husbands' and wives' and kids' lives of meaning saying this war is not about anything.

They're wrong and they say what they say because they don't see the truth. They print a story on the front page about Marines killing civilians in a town in Iraq and if they did, it was wrong. But the big media never report a MARINE throwing himself on a bomb to protect an Iraqi child, or a Marine giving his life to rid a town of murderers or a Marine or an Army man or woman or a Navy Seal or a Coast Guardsman offering up his life so that Iraqi human beings can have the same freedoms and rights we take for granted here in America.

The media are like grave robbers, robbing you of the certain knowledge that your spouses gave their lives for something deeply worthwhile: human dignity.

Your loved ones' lives and deaths had as much meaning at the lives and deaths of every American who died for freedom from Valley Forge to the Battle of the Bulge to Cho-Sin Reservoir to the Cu Chi tunnels to the Balkans to Kabul, Afghanistan, to Falluja, Iraq.

And if the media doesn't know it, every other American does. This is a very difficult fight, but the ordinary American knows what your loved ones have done and respects them...

Damn right, Ben.

Godspeed Rafael Peralta and safely rest.

May God Bless the families that lost loved ones on this Memorial Day. They need our prayers and thoughts right now.

[thanks to Smash for the photo and the opportunity to tell Sergeant Peralta's story again]

Ellie