Posted on 11/22/2004 8:05:18 PM PST by saquin
FALLUJAH, Iraq — Sgt. Rafael Peralta built a reputation as a man who always put his Marines' interests ahead of his own.
He showed that again, when he made the ultimate sacrifice of his life Tuesday, by shielding his fellow Marines from a grenade blast.
"It's stuff you hear about in boot camp, about World War II and Tarawa Marines who won the Medal of Honor," said Lance Cpl. Rob Rogers, 22, of Tallahassee, Fla., one of Peralta's platoon mates in 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
Peralta, 25, as platoon scout, wasn't even assigned to the assault team that entered the insurgent safe house in northern Fallujah, Marines said. Despite an assignment that would have allowed him to avoid such dangerous duty, he regularly asked squad leaders if he could join their assault teams, they said.
One of the first Marines to enter the house, Peralta was wounded in the face by rifle fire from a room near the entry door, said Lance Cpl. Adam Morrison, 20, of Tacoma, who was in the house when Peralta was first wounded.
Moments later, an insurgent rolled a fragmentation grenade into the area where a wounded Peralta and the other Marines were seeking cover.
As Morrison and another Marine scrambled to escape the blast, pounding against a locked door, Peralta grabbed the grenade and cradled it into his body, Morrison said. While one Marine was badly wounded by shrapnel from the blast, the Marines said they believe more lives would have been lost if not for Peralta's selfless act.
"He saved half my fire team," said Cpl. Brannon Dyer, 27, of Blairsville, Ga.
The Marines said such a sacrifice would be perfectly in character for Peralta, a Mexico native who lived in San Diego and gained U.S. citizenship after joining the Marines.
"He'd stand up for his Marines to an insane point," Rogers said.
Rogers and others remembered Peralta as a squared-away Marine, so meticulous about uniform standards that he sent his camouflage uniform to be pressed while training in Kuwait before entering Iraq.
But mostly they remembered acts of selflessness: offering career advice, giving a buddy a ride home from the bar, teaching salsa dance steps in the barracks.
While Alpha Company was still gathering information, and a formal finding on Peralta's death is likely months away, not a single Marine in Alpha Company doubted the account of Peralta's act of sacrifice.
"I believe it," said Alpha's commander, Capt. Lee Johnson. "He was that kind of Marine."
My God.
God bless Sgt. Rafael Peralta and God bless our Marines.
Somebody better submit him for MoH...
Medal of Honor recommendation is warranted.
God Bless, Marine!
This man deserves our highest honors. And a place in Arlington.
I don't even know what to say. I'll bet if you went to heaven right now and asked him, he'd say he was just doing his job.
God bless him. His country and fellow soldiers were certainly blessed to have him.
Remind me why we aren't smiting these terrorist thugs when they're A GRENADE'S THROW AWAY?! Why did this boy have to die -- so that America wouldn't look too aggressive?
Let's ramp up the firepower. Now.
Prayers for the family.
No truer hero.
Rest in Peace
Hey Tonk, thought you'd appreciate the sacrifice of this fine young man.
Prayers for his family in this time of trouble, and may they know the admiration and awe we feel towards the selfless act of this Marine. There is no greater love.
The liberals cannot fathom and do not appreciate such an act of valor. It flies in the face of their narcissistic, let the good times roll philosophy.
God bless that Marine.
>>The liberals cannot fathom and do not appreciate such an act of valor.<<
This is so the truth!
God Bless this Marine and please give peace to his family.
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