Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta Deserves The Medal Of Honor For What He Did In Fallujah Or He Deserves Nothing
"Be proud of me, bro," Rafael Peralta writes his 14-year-old brother shortly before going there. " … and be proud of being an American."
There with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines is 25-year-old Sgt. Rafael Peralta, an immigrant from Mexico who enlisted in the Marine Corps the day he received his green card, and he's about to save four Marines from going to their grave.
Leading an assault team during house-to-house fighting, Peralta is the first through the door. The sergeant instantly takes fire, is hit in the chest and head at close range, and falls to the floor as insurgents toss a grenade and flee.
But before he takes his last breath and without hesitation, the dying Marine-as he was taught at boot camp and knew many before him had done-reaches out, grabs the grenade that would surely kill every man in the room, brings it tight into his body, and absorbs the impact.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of need," reads a tribute at the Fallen Heroes Memorial many years later. "Rafael is a TRUE HERO. Rest in Peace Rafael."
" … del Sargento Rafael Peralta mis mas grandes condolencias y una enorme gratitud y respeto por el gran ser humano que fue su hijo Dios los bendiga y les de muchas fuerzas y resignacion," reads another.
Peralta dies on that day. Four other Marines do not.
For that action-shielding brothers-in-arms from an enemy grenade-Marines, soldiers, and sailors of the past have received the nation's highest honor: The Medal of Honor.
Peralta receives only the nation's second-highest award-the Navy Cross. Why?
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There was only one more level-the president-but with Gates' signature, it was pretty much a slam dunk.
He said yes.
"I was satisfied that Sergeant Peralta met all the criteria and deserved the Medal of Honor," Gates wrote in his endorsement.
And then, almost as quickly as the paper had been signed-the order was rescinded.
Four years after the event, eyewitness testimony from Marines on the ground was trumped by a panel of medical professionals and subject matter experts far removed from that day, who concluded "unanimously that, with his wounds, Peralta could not have consciously pulled the grenade under him."
Who is telling the truth?
Is it Cpl. Travis Kaemmerer, the now-deceased combat correspondent who was there that day and later told of his incredible exploits?
"I watched in fear and horror as the other four Marines scrambled to the corners of the room and the majority of the blast was absorbed by Peralta's now lifeless body," Kaemmerer said. "His selflessness left four other Marines with only minor injuries from smaller fragments of the grenade."
Is it the independent review panel?
"The medical and forensic evidence indicated that the grenade did not detonate beneath the body of Sgt. Peralta," the panel wrote.
Or is it Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who has been pushing for an upgrade to Peralta's award?
"Since Peralta was right handed, therefore carrying the rifle on his right side, the damage to the weapon is consistent with the assertion that the grenade detonated underneath Peralta's left side torso, with the weapon near, but not directly covering the grenade," Hunter wrote in a recent letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, accompanied by a photo of his shrapnel-laced M-16. "An additional photo shows the damaged bullets retrieved from Peralta's weapon."
Today, no one is really sure.
Posthumously, Rafael Peralta is an honorary San Diego police officer. His name is now synonymous with a U.S. Navy destroyer. Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit walk into "Peralta Hall" as they enter their command post.
And he has received the Navy Cross.
But therein lies the paradox.
As the nation's second-highest award, much like the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross isn't just given out to anyone. Before the award is issued, great pains and a lengthy investigation take place to ensure its integrity.
From Peralta's citation (emphasis added):
Two defense secretaries-Gates and Panetta-have denied an upgrade of his award to the Medal of Honor. Will a third, under increasing pressure, do the same?
"If you do the right thing on Peralta, it will show the military that, hey, we can do the Medal of Honor process properly," Rep. Hunter told The Washington Times.
Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta was shot but was still able to pull that grenade into his body and became an incredible hero to four Marines in 2004. Or he was shot and accidentally fell on a grenade, and four Marines just miraculously survived.
Here's the elephant in the room: He's either a hero worthy of the nation's highest honor, or unfortunately, he's just one of 95 killed in the battle.
"Sergeant Peralta reached out and pulled the grenade to his body," reads part of the Navy Cross award citation for Peralta.
That statement does not leave room for any doubt.