Editorial:
It was with great disappointment that the family of Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta learned Wednesday that their son would not be awarded the Medal of Honor. This disappointment was not only felt by the family but is shared with the Hispanic community in general.
The Medal of Honor is the highest military medal that the US can award. The Honor calls for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual combat with an opposing armed force.” An awardee of this medal represents the best of America, and heroism at its best.
Peralta died in Iraq. During an insurgent sweep, he was wounded in the back of the head by a ricochet bullet. After he was wounded, it was reported that Peralta scooped an insurgent grenade under his body, absorbed the blast and died, saving the lives of his fellow Marines, according to five of the Marines who were with Peralta during the firefight.
The lone argument standing between Peralta and the Medal of Honor was an Army pathologist’s autopsy in 2005 that reported that the head wound would have been “nearly instantly fatal. He could not have executed any meaningful motions.”
This report contradicted the eyewitness reports that stated that they clearly saw Peralta scoop the grenade under his body absorbing the blast and the supporting evidence. Later other doctor reviews of the wound indicated that the bullet would have been traveling at a much slower rate of speed and would not have been as fatal as first indicated allowing Peralta the time to make a conscious decision and action.
Despite the second review of the records, due in great part to the strong support of Rep. Duncan Hunter, the five-member panel did not believe Peralta’s action meet the standard of “no margin of doubt or possibility of error.”
The Medal of Honor is America’s highest honor and must maintain the strictest of standards. While we may not agree with the decision, at this time we must abide by it. Rep. Hunter has vowed to continue to fight to have this decision overturned and see that Peralta receives this honor. We support this effort and it is the best next step.
In the meantime, Rafael’s mother Rosa refuses to accept the Navy Cross, the second highest honor that can be bestowed on a serviceman. The Navy Cross has been given to only 17 other Marines in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Mrs. Peralta feels it is an insult to Rafael’s memory that he is not fully honored for his heroism. It has also been reported that next year a Naval ship will be named in honor of Sgt. Rafael Peralta where his name will live on.
We are disappointed with the manner in which the Peralta family received the news about the denial of the appeal for the Medal of Honor. La Prensa San Diego had been in talks on doing a future story about the Medal of Honor. It was anticipated that Peralta would indeed receive the honor, but as of Tuesday evening the family had not received any news; meanwhile Rep Hunter’s office did receive the news of the denial. The family didn’t find out until Wednesday after it had been printed in the newspaper. It would have been proper for the family to have been informed of the developments prior to the news reports. A phone call from a bilingual officer from the government to the mother would have been more dignified.