ON THIS PAGE. . Resources and contacts to use in support of Rafael Peralta to receive the
Medal of Honor.
PLEASE take action . . . Send a fax, make a call.
God bless our efforts. Mimi Lozano . . Somos Primos
1. Americans Demanding Posthumous Honor for Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta,
Witness to Heritage
2.
A Marine Reaction by Tony Santiago
3. Defend the Honor is urging action by Gus Chavez
4. LULAC Resolution
5. Model letter that can go to President Bush and Robert M. Gates, written
by Mercy Bautista Olvera.
6. Copy of letter that was sent by Congressional Committee to President Bush
7. Contact information for the members of the Committee to send
encouragement, fax and telephone.
9. URLs with information on the history and mission in selection Medal of
Honor honorees, sent by Rafael Ojeda.
9. Listing of Armed Forces offices and individuals that could also be
contacted.
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We
the undersigned are outraged that Rafael Peralta’s sacrifice of
his life to save his fellow soldiers has been demeaned basically
by the feelings of one
man, an Army lab pathologist, Col. Eric Berg, making a decision
above his expertise, countering the recommendation of the
commander in the field and the 5 witnesses. It
is incomprehensible how a lab pathologist Col. Berg’s assessment
would be considered more valid then that of the independent
decisions by four physicians whose specialty is neurological.
Apparently Berg had a supportive committee, but the names
of the members are not being made public, which makes the
investigating committee formed
by Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates questionable.3 NAVY
CROSS WAS AWARDED STATE
OF MIND FIRST
HAND TESTIMONIES The
decision is "almost like somebody called me a liar,"
said Marine Sgt. Nicholas
Jones, 25, who was with Sgt. Peralta that day.
6 Marine combat correspondent Lance Cpl. T.J. Kaemmerer, who witnessed the events on that day reported: . . .”barely alive, Sgt. 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.” 7 "I
know for a fact that I would have been killed” said Robert
Reynolds, 31, a corrections officer and former Marine who was
with Sgt. Peralta that day.8
1.
There were 5 eye-witnesses who attest to the fact that Sgt.
Peralta reached out and grabbed the grenade Since Col. Eric Berg arguments and qualifications are suspect and he has made a decision not based on the witnesses and facts, logic suggests that other factors are in place. The question is what are the other factors. Sgt. Peralta's sacrifice action can be compared to that of past Marine Medal of Honor winners Pfc. James LaBelle, Lance Cpl. Richard Anderson, and Corporal L. Dunham. Could it be that the
difference is that Sgt. Rafael Peralta was of Mexican descent?
Peralta joined
the Marines when he received a green card.
If the acts of these heroes were similar to those of Sgt.
Peralta, but those three soldiers received Medal of Honors and
Sgt. Peralta did not, why? Why were the testimonies
of the soldiers with Peralta dismissed categorically? We
ask that Sgt. Peralta’s case records be open to the public and
that his case be reviewed again,
based on facts, not suppositions. Footnote
Sources:
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From
Tony (The Marine) Santiago . . . Now
for those of you who do not know about Sgt. Peralta’s heroic
actions, this is what he did: 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 reports indicate that
despite his wounds, he 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. Peralta
absorbed the blast of a grenade which would otherwise have killed
all of his men, enough to warrant the Medal of Honor, yet his family
was denied such an honor and instead was awarded the Navy Cross
Medal. The '''Navy
Cross''' is the second highest medal that can be awarded by the
Department of the Navy] and the second highest award given for
valor. It is normally
only awarded to members of the United States Navy, Marine Corps and
Coast Guard. Now, let me tell you only those who are truly brave
have been awarded the Navy Cross, it isn’t something that you find
in a Cracker Jacks box. However, with all due respect to those who
have been awarded the Navy Cross, it is the second highest award for
bravery and not the first. Sgt. Peralta deserves the first, the
Medal of Honor. Why
wasn’t Sgt. Peralta awarded the Medal of Honor you ask? I’ll
tell why, dirty politics. All of the military investigations carried
out indicated that Sgt. Peralta was worthy of the Medal of Honor,
Marine Lt. General Natonski said, "I believe beyond a shadow of
a doubt" that the gravely wounded Peralta covered the grenade,
and the approval of said award was on the desk of President G.W.
Bush waiting for his signature. So, what happened? Somehow the
nomination was turned over to
the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who rejected the Marine
Corps' recommendation, concluding that his appointed panel
unanimously confirmed that his actions did not meet the standard of
"without any possibility of error or doubt".
The central argument posed relates to whether the already
mortally-wounded Peralta could have intentionally reached for a
grenade, shielding his fellow Marines from the blast. According to
the Bush Administration, Sgt. Peralta was hit by a ricochet bullet
that likely came from the gun of another Marine while they were
clearing insurgents. What they want us to believe is that Sgt.
Peralta could not have scooped the grenade and instead that he must
have fall on top of the grenade as a result of the wounds which he
received from “friendly fire” (I hate that term because there is
nothing “friendly “ about friendly fire) - bull shit. It is
clear that while wounded, Sgt.
Peralta, scooped the insurgent grenade under his body,
absorbed the blast and died, according to five of the Marines who
were with Peralta during the firefight. Why
is the Bush Administration hesitant in awarding our brave men and
women the awards which they truly deserve? According to the Bush
Administration declared the invasion of Iraq and the war was
effectively over on April 15, 2003. Our troops are no longer
involved in a “war” subject to the rules of combat, instead our
presence there is of a police operative and therefore
technically our troops are not involved in combat and are not
to be awarded our highest military combat decorations. If the Bush
Administration awards our troops the military decorations for
bravely which they really deserve (such as in the case of Sgt.
Peralta), they would be admitting that we are indeed in a “war”.
Now you go figure it out. Just
when I thought that President Bush was going to do something right
by awarding Sgt. Peralta the medal which he deserved, instead he
goes and has his scapegoat the U.S. Secretary of Defense Gates, deny
the award. Let’s not take this with our hands crossed and let us
unite as one in protest. Enough is enough!
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LULAC RESOLUTION
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR AWARD FOR MARINE SGT. RAFAEL PERALTA WHEREAS, Rafael Peralta, a Mexican-American who lived in San Diego, California, wanted to join the Marine Crops after graduating from high school in San Diego in 1997; and WHEREAS, Peralta was a Mexican citizen who had to wait until 2000 to receive his legal residency and become a U.S. citizen; and WHEREAS, Peralta joined the Marine Crops and was assigned to the Kaneohe's 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines Regiment in November 2003, which arrived to Iraq in October 2004; and WHEREAS, the Kaneohe Marines' mission was to clear the city of insurgents building by building, Peralta was hit several times in the upper torso and face at point-blank range by a fully automatic 7.62 mm weapon employed by three terrorists. Mortally wounded, he jumped into the already cleared adjoining room, giving the rest of the Marines a clear line of fire; and WHEREAS, fellow Marines battled the insurgents that shot Peralta, when a live grenade bounced into the room near the severely wounded Marine; and WHEREAS, Peralta reached out and pulled the grenade into his body protecting the lives of several fellow Kaneohe Marines; and WHEREAS, Peralta was a platoon scout in the Kaneohe unit, which meant he could have stayed back in safety while the squads of the 1st Platoon went into danger-filled streets. But Peralta was constantly asking to help; and WHEREAS, Peralta was killed on November 15, 2004, during the second battle of Fallujah. He was one of the 42 Marines and 2 Navy corpsmen assigned to the 1st Battalion who were killed in the unit's first deployment to Iraq; and WHEREAS, Cpl. Richard A. Mason said to other Marines in recognition of Sgt. Peralta's actions, "You're still here, don't forget that. Tell your kids, your grand kids, what Sgt. Peralta did for you and the other Marines today;" and WHEREAS, a spokesman for the Marine Base in Hawaii confirmed that the name of Peralta, 25, had been submitted for the Medal of Honor for saving the lives of four members of his platoon; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the United States Congress awards the Congressional Medal of Honor to Sgt. Rafael Peralta USMC for his heroic deeds beyond the call of duty with intrepidity. Approved this 14th day of July 2007. Rosa Rosales LULAC National President LULAC National Office, 2000 L Street, NW, Suite 610 Washington DC 20036, (202) 833-6130, (202) 833-6135 FAX
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| Telephone calls and faxes of support to the following would be
very helpful: |
| Joe
Baca DC 202-225-6161 Fax: 202-225-8671 CA 909-885-BACA (2222) Fax: 909-888-5959 Brian P. Bilbray DC 202-225-0508 Fax: 202-225-2558 CA 858-350-1150 Fax: 858-350-0750 Barbara Boxer DC 202-224-3553 Fax: 202-224-0454 CA 415-403-0100 Fax: 916-448-2563 Susan Davis DC 202-225-2040 Fax: 202-225-2948 CA 619-280-5353 Fax: 619-280-5311 Dianne Feinstein DC 202-224-3841 Fax: 202-228-3954 CA 415-393-0707 Fax: 415-393-0710 Bob Filner DC 202-225-8045 Fax: 202-225-9073 CA 619-422-5963 Fax: 619-422-7290 Duncan Hunter DC 202-225-5672 Fax: 202-225-0235 CA 619-448-5201 Fax: 619-449-2251 Darrell Issa DC 202-225-3906 fax: 202-225-3303 CA 760-599-5000 fax: 760-599-1178 |
| LETTER
TO ROBERT M. GATES [Your Name] [Your Address] [Your City] [Your State] [Your Zip Code] [Today's Date] Honorable Robert M. Gates- Secretary of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington D. C. 20301-1000 Honorable Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Latinos and Americans in general are dismayed and shocked in hearing the news that Hero Sgt. Rafael Peralta will not be receiving the Medal of Honor. Although Rafael Peralta was born in Mexico, his family moved to San Diego, California, where Peralta attended and graduated from high school in 1997. A Mexican immigrant, Peralta enlisted in the Marine Corps the day he received his green card. Peralta was proud to live in United States and serve in his adopted country. On his bedroom, walls hung three items - a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and his boot camp graduation certificate. In the Anbar province of Iraq on November 15, 2004, Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta died in combat. A combat Correspondent attached to Peralta's company, recounted Peralta's extreme valor. Peralta with his squad had cleaned three houses without incident. When they approached the fourth house, Peralta with rifle in hand, threw open the door, inside three insurgents with AK-47's fired throughout the house, hitting Peralta several times. Sgt. Peralta was severely wounded; however, he managed to wrench himself out to give his fellow Marines a clear line for fire. Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta reached out and pulled a grenade into his body to protect his squad, sacrificing his life so his comrades would not encounter death. The father of Marine Garry Morrison, who was in Peralta's unit also said, "Rafael Peralta saved the life of my son and every Marine in that unit." Corporal Richard A. Mason told Lance Corporal T.J. Kaemmerer, "You are still here, don't forget to tell your kids and grandkids what Sergeant Peralta did for you and the other Marines here." Peralta's comrades were witnesses to his heroism. Is unbelievable and unconscionable that the Peralta's family not be awarded the Medal of Honor. Please reconsider and posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta. Sincerely, [Your Name] |
| LETTER
TO PRESIDENT BUSH:
[Your Name] [Your Address] [Your City] [Your State] [Your Zip Code] [Today's Date] President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C. 20500. President George W. Bush, Latinos and Americans in general are dismayed and shocked in hearing the news that Hero Sgt. Rafael Peralta will not be receiving the Medal of Honor. Although Rafael Peralta was born in Mexico his family moved to San Diego, California, where Rafael attended and graduated from high school in 1997. A Mexican immigrant, Peralta enlisted in the Marine Corps the day he received his green card. Peralta was proud to live in United States and serve in his adopted country. On his bedroom, walls hung three items - a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and his boot camp graduation certificate. In the Anbar province of Iraq on November 15, 2004, Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta died in combat. A combat Correspondent attached to Peralta's company, recounted Peralta's extreme valor. Peralta with his squad had cleaned three houses without incident. When they approached the fourth house, Peralta with rifle in hand, threw open the door, inside three insurgents with AK-47's fired throughout the house, hitting Peralta several times. Sgt. Peralta was severely wounded; however, he managed to wrench himself out to give his fellow Marines a clear line for fire. Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta reached out and pulled a grenade into his body to protect his squad, sacrificing his life so his comrades would not encounter death. The father of Marine Garry Morrison, who was in Peralta's unit also said, "Rafael Peralta saved the life of my son and every Marine in that unit." Corporal Richard A. Mason told Lance Corporal T.J. Kaemmerer, "You are still here, don't forget to tell your kids and grandkids what Sergeant Peralta did for you and the other Marines here." Peralta's comrades were witnesses to his heroism. Is unbelievable and unconscionable that the Peralta's family not be awarded the Medal of Honor. Please reconsider and posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta. Sincerely, [Your name and signature] [Your Name] |
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Information on the Medal of Honor, history and process
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Dr. Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense
Pentagon
Washington D. C.
20301-1000
Gordon
R. England |
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 9999 Joint Staff Pentagon Washington, DC 20318-9999 Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 9999 Joint Staff Pentagon Washington, DC 20318-9999 Secretary of the Army 101 Army Pentagon Washington, DC 20310-0101 Secretary
of the Navy Secretary
of the Air Force
Army
Chief of Staff Chief
of Naval Operations
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