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Posted on 12/06/2004 8:32:25 PM PST by Former Military Chick
SAN DIEGO — Sgt. Rafael Peralta is dead, but the story of his sacrifice to save fellow Marines will live long in Marine Corps lore.
In the fierce battle for the Iraqi town of Fallouja, Peralta, with gunshot wounds to his head and body, reached out and grabbed a grenade hurled by an insurgent, cradling it to his body to save others from the blast.
Garry Morrison, the father of Lance Cpl. Adam Morrison, had trouble keeping his voice from breaking when he spoke of Peralta.
"He saved the life of my son and every Marine in that room," Morrison said in a phone call from Seattle. "I just know one thing: God has a special place in heaven for Sgt. Peralta."
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He joined in 2000 and recently had reenlisted. While in the Marines, he became a U.S. citizen. The only decorations on his bedroom walls are a copy of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and a picture of his boot camp graduation.
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Hit several times in the chest and once in the head, Peralta went down and appeared dead. Insurgents tossed a "yellow, foreign-made, oval-shaped" grenade toward the Marines.
To the amazement of the other Marines, Peralta, apparently with his last bit of strength, "reached out and pulled the grenade into his body," said Kaemmerer, a combat correspondent from the 1st Force Service Support Group assigned to the battalion.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
(Note: there are no "official" words to Taps below are the most popular.)
It is a bit of a long read but I had excerpted the parts I thought would be of most interst.
HERO PING
Thanks.
Hero Ping
The world needs more people like Sgt. Rafael Peralta, both in and out of uniform.
God Bless this man's family.
He is truly a hero in every sense of the word.
The LA Times actually ran a story about a war hero? Don't they know that does not fit the template! Somebody sneaking in something positive here, heads are going to roll at that paper!
Words fail me, what an amazing Marine. May God bless his soul and hold his family in this time of sorrow.
Uncommon valor was a common virtue. Rest in peace Marine.
Marine Corps Hymn
From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli,
We fight our country's battles in the air, on land and sea.
First to fight for right and freedom, and to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine.
Our flag's unfurled to every breeze from dawn to setting sun.
We have fought in every clime and place, where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far off northern lands and in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job, The United States Marines.
Here's health to you and to our Corps which we are proud to serve.
In many a strife we've fought for life and never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes,
they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.
Click the Pic
I love freedom. I love our military, but I hate war and the suffering it causes. prayers
I fired until Marines closer to the door began to maneuver into better firing positions, blocking my line of fire. Not being an infantryman, I watched to see what those with more extensive training were doing.
I saw four Marines firing from the adjoining room when a yellow, foreign-made, oval-shaped grenade bounced into the room, rolling to a stop close to Peralta’s nearly lifeless body.
In an act living up to the heroes of the Marine Corps’ past, such as Medal of Honor recipients Pfc. James LaBelle and Lance Cpl. Richard Anderson, Peralta – in his last fleeting moments of consciousness- reached out and pulled the grenade into his body. LaBelle fought on Iwo Jima and Anderson in Vietnam, both died saving their fellow Marines by smothering the blast of enemy grenades.
Peralta did the same for all of us in those rooms.
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. His selflessness left four other Marines with only minor injuries from smaller fragments of the grenade.
During the fight, a fire was sparked in the rear of the house. The flames were becoming visible through the door.
The decision was made by the Marine in charge of the squad to evacuate the injured Marines from the house, regroup and return to finish the fight and retrieve Peralta’s body. We quickly ran for shelter, three or four houses up the street, in a house that had already been cleared and was occupied by the squad’s platoon. As Staff Sgt. Jacob M. Murdock took a count of the Marines coming back, he found it to be one man short, and demanded to know the whereabouts of the missing Marine. "Sergeant Peralta! He’s dead! He’s f------ dead," screamed Lance Cpl. Adam Morrison, a machine gunner with the squad, as he came around a corner. "He’s still in there. We have to go back." The ingrained code Marines have of never leaving a man behind drove the next few moments. Within seconds, we headed back to the house unknown what we may encounter yet ready for another round. I don't remember walking back down the street or through the gate in front of the house, but walking through the door the second time, I prayed that we wouldn't lose another brother. We entered the house and met no resistance. We couldn't clear the rest of the house because the fire had grown immensely and the danger of the enemy’s weapons cache exploding in the house was increasing by the second.
Most of us provided security while Peralta's body was removed from the house.
We carried him back to our rally point and upon returning were told that the other Marines who went to support us encountered and killed the three insurgents from inside the house.
Later that night, while I was thinking about the day’s somber events, Cpl. Richard A. Mason, an infantryman with Headquarters Platoon, who, in the short time I was with the company became a good friend, told me, "You’re still here, don’t forget that. Tell your kids, your grandkids, what Sgt. Peralta did for you and the other Marines today."
As a combat correspondent, this is not only my job, but an honor.
Sgt. Rafael Peralta, 25, was a platoon scout, which meant he could have stayed back in safety while the squads of 1st Platoon went into the danger filled streets, but he was constantly asking to help out by giving them an extra Marine. I learned by speaking with him and other Marines the night before that he frequently put his safety, reputation and career on the line for the needs and morale of the junior Marines around him. A Mexican-American who lived in San Diego, Peralta earned his citizenship after he joined the Marine Corps. In an act living up to the heroes of the Marine Corps’ past, such as Medal of Honor recipients Pfc. James LaBelle and Lance Cpl. Richard Anderson, Peralta – in his last fleeting moments of consciousness- reached out and pulled the grenade into his body. LaBelle fought on Iwo Jima and Anderson in Vietnam, both died saving their fellow Marines by smothering the blast of enemy grenades. His selflessness left four other Marines with only minor injuries from smaller fragments of the grenade. Photo by: Official USMC
What can one write about the story of Sgt. Rafael Peralta?
Words fail and tears flow.
God bless Sgt. Peralta's family. I pray they can take some comfort in knowing that a grateful nation appreciates the full measure of his service.
Job well done. God speed.
Astounding bravery and selflessness lead this fine person to an extraordinary sacrifice. His courage will not be forgotten. I will keep he and his family in my prayers.
Agreed. RIP Rafael
In his final moments it was his brothers lives that flashed before him!
Hope I get to shake his hand one fine day.
God bless his family.
Excellent commet to the thread, thank you.
Prayers for him. We all want our lives to mean something - and his did. Blessed is the man.
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