Marine Receives Navy Cross - Rather Then MoH
Our Hero’s do not serve our nation for medals.
They do not serve our nation for the prestige.
They do not serve for the pay and the great hours and the good times away from loved ones.
They do not serve and give their lives for freedom because it’s something to do.
They serve to fulfill a “Calling”. No amount of medals can be awarded for that.
Rosa Peralta,
I do understand your loss and I am deeply saddened by it. Please understand that not receiving the MoH is not a slap in the face to his name or sacrifice, but rather receiving the Navy Cross is an honor to his sacrifice, service and “Calling” as well as yours.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Marine sergeant singled out by President Bush for throwing his body on a grenade to save his comrades in Iraq will receive the prestigious Navy Cross rather than the nation’s highest military award, military officials said.
The family of Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who was posthumously nominated for the nation’s highest military honor, told the North County Times of Escondido, Calif., they were disappointed he was not receiving the Medal of Honor.
“I don’t understand why if the president has been talking about him,” his mother, Rosa Peralta, told the newspaper, which was the first to report the bestowing of the Navy Cross.
Rosa Peralta said she was informed during a meeting with Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski that a committee could not agree on awarding the Medal of Honor to her son, who Marine Corps officials say was first wounded by friendly fire. She said the general mentioned the friendly fire aspect as part of her son’s death during the discussion.
Marine Corps spokesman Mike Alvarez confirmed the meeting, saying only that it was a personal briefing between Natonski and Rosa Peralta to inform her that the secretary of the Navy would award the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism.
The Navy Cross is the second highest honor for combat heroism a Marine can receive.
The secretary of the Navy’s public affairs office in Washington, D.C., did not immediately return an after-hours telephone call Wednesday seeking comment.
Headquarters Marine Corps spokesman Maj. David Nevers told The Associated Press that the Navy Cross for Peralta “is not bestowed lightly.”
Nevers said only 23 sailors and Marines out of the thousands who have served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have received the Navy Cross.
“The awarding of a medals of valor is a methodical process and carefully conducted to ensure the sacrifice and service of our Marines and sailors is appropriately honored,” he said.
Peralta was shot several times in the face and body during a house-to-house search in Fallujah on Nov. 15, 2004, during some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
According to a report by a Marine combat photographer who witnessed the act, Peralta lay wounded on the floor of a house and grabbed a grenade that had been lobbed by an insurgent. He absorbed the blast with his body, dying instantly.
In 2005, Natonski, then-commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, ordered an investigation to determine the source of a bullet fragment recovered from Peralta’s body.
“Following multiple and exhaustive reviews, the evidence supports the finding that Peralta was likely hit by ‘friendly fire,’” the Marine Corps said Wednesday in a press release. “This finding had no bearing on the decision to award the Navy Cross medal.”
Bush cited Peralta’s heroism in a Memorial Day speech in 2005, saying the Marine “understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them.”
Peralta, who was assigned to Hawaii’s 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, moved to San Diego from Tijuana as a teenager. He was 25.
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It is widely known that it is extraordinarily hard to get decorations in the Marine Corps and that the standards are very high. Sgt. Peralta will be loved by the Marines he saved for as long as they live, better than any medal and I’ll bet he felt the same way too.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:06 amMedals are not “sympathy cards” they are acknowledgment of heroic acts. The specific award for specific acts is pretty clearly spelled out though open to some interpretation. This is not a popularity contest. This man gave his life in a heroic way, saving others. He is recognized as he should be and this honor should never, ever be undermined by second guessing. Period.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:16 amI know a lot of soldiers and the fact is for most awards and medals are not that important. To them they are “just doing their job”. Not being given the MoH in no way makes this man any less than the great American he is. I’m honored he fought for me. And his name will be remembered in this home and when spoken it will be spoken with the respect and honor he earned and deserves.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:20 amSelf-sacrifice, honor and the undying admiration of his fellow Marines are this young Marine’s legacy…from now on and forever. Nothing more needs to be said.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:33 amchildren of MOH recipients (it is an insult to call them winners) get to attend their choice of military college for free, if I remember correctly.
No greater love hath man than to lay down his life for his fellow man.
All Marines feel it is part of their duty that if the time should come that this may be required, we are willing to do so, especially to save our Marine brothers so they may carry on the fight
Semper Fidelis Sgt Peralta
September 18th, 2008 at 12:18 pmHe should have received the MOH in my opinion, or rather his family should have received it in his behalf. Making the choice to surely die for your comrades is beyond the scope of normal human behavior. This man is a superhero, a bright lamp that should never be covered, so that all of our children may grow to know what a hero truly is. May God Almighty shine on your soul and give you the peace in death you fought so valiantly to give to living. However a medal really doesnt mean anything, it is the legacy and memories you leave behind that people remember, and this brave Marine’s legacy can be seen in the faces of the Men he saved. May God bless you and your family forever and ever Sgt. Peralta. Amen.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:34 pmGeeze, what is the fine line that disqualified this fine young American from receiving the medal of honor? This looks fairly similar to the actions of Michael Monsoor who also threw himself upon a grenade.
What’s the difference between the two to merit the lesser award?
Just curious.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:42 pmI really hoped it wouldn’t go to this but I believe that the difference here it options. In this case, he was imobilized by his wounds and would likely have died from the grenade blast but chose to take the entire blast himself to protect others. In other cases, the individual could have chosen to escape the area and saved themselves but chose to take the blast anyway. It is a fine line but not an insignificant one.
Gotta go to work at the Legion Post. I’ll check back in with you all later.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:51 pmNot withstanding the award of a medal the highest honor for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman is the respect and admiration of those with whom they serve.
We know that some awards are freely given to some and selfishly withheld from others … but what matters most is what the person serving next to you thinks and if they would be willing to lay down their life for yours!
September 18th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
He should have gotten the MOH, but the Navy cross is no small deed. I’ll always remember those like him. RIP and thanks 
September 18th, 2008 at 4:31 pmThe awarding of the Navy Cross is no small thing. The heroic sacrifice deserves to be recognized. There in is the crux of the underlying issue. There are specific requirements to be met for a medal to be awarded, but the ongoing contraversy is the downgrading of awards. When the deeds/actions of individuals today is compaired to those in previous wars the level of award/recognition isn’t comparable. I have seen awards downgraded because of rank alone. Not saying that is the case here but there is a lot of controversy within the ranks about awards.
I absolutely agree that we do not serve for medals, money, or prestige. But as a leader I want my people to be recognized for going above and beyond and one of those ways is awards. Nothing is more frustrating then to have your peoples level of recognition downgraded for “political” reasons or because of rank.
September 18th, 2008 at 4:45 pmRIP Marine Peralta.
September 18th, 2008 at 5:31 pmGod bless your soul.
I had the pleasure of having dinner with Mrs. Peralta and her family on her son’s birthday last year. They are a great family and told me that Rafael had died doing what he loved…being a US Marine.
Semper Fi to the Peralta family, and Semper Fi, Sgt. Peralta, brother devil dog!
September 18th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Terry Tate: Michael Monsoor and Jason Dunham both were awarded the MOH for throwing themselve on a grenade. Good observation. I hereby grant Sgt. Peralta a heartfelt honorary MOH from all of us here at the dollardnation. Anyone want to object? 
September 18th, 2008 at 6:59 pmSgt. Rafael Peralta
You will always be remembered as an American Hero.
Thank you for saving your brothers.
Thoughts, prayers, and respect to the Peralta Family.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:20 pmThank you for your service, passion, and sacrifice.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:28 pmRegan Marine-I agree %100
September 19th, 2008 at 2:24 am