Posted on 12/12/2004 9:21:00 PM PST by cfhBAMA
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 Fallujah, 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.
The explosion in the back room of a house injured one Marine, but four others managed to scramble to safety.
Peralta, 25, an immigrant from Mexico who enlisted the day he got his green-card work permit, was declared dead en route to a field hospital.
“If he hadn’t done what he did, a lot of us wouldn’t be seeing our families again,” said Lance Cpl. Travis J. Kaemmerer, who witnessed 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.”
Similar gratitude was expressed by family members of other Marines in Peralta’s unit who were close to the blast. The unit was Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.
In a modest home in a blue-collar neighborhood here, the Peralta family feels pride but also grief, anger and confusion.
Rafael Peralta was the oldest son: strong, a weightlifter and athlete, head of the family since his father died in a workplace accident three years ago. He loved the Marine Corps.
He joined in 2000 and recently had re-enlisted. 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.
As Peralta waited last month to begin the assault on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, he wrote a letter to his 14-year-old brother, Ricardo.
The letter arrived the day after several Marines and a Navy chaplain came to the Peralta home to notify the family of his death.
“We are going to destroy insurgents,” Peralta wrote. “Watch the news. . . . Be proud of me, bro. I’m going to do something I always wanted to do.
“You should be proud of being an American. Our father came to this country and became a citizen because it was the right place for our family to be. If anything happens to me, just remember I’ve already lived my life to the fullest.”
Peralta had left his mother, Rosa, with similar words. She said he told her, “I want you to be strong and take care of my brother and sisters because I don’t know if I’ll return.” His mother added, “I’m proud of him, but my heart is sad.”
Rafael Peralta had not been assigned to the Nov. 15 attack on Fallujah. Still, he volunteered.
As a scout, assigned to perimeter security, he could have stayed on the periphery. Instead, he took the lead as his platoon stormed a house in search of heavily armed insurgents known to be hiding in the neighborhood.
The house appeared empty. Then Peralta opened a door to a back room, and three insurgents fired their AK-47s. Marines fired back at near point-blank range with M-16 rifles and automatic weapons.
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. Peralta’s body absorbed most of the deadly fragments from the blast.
“Most of the Marines in the house were in the immediate area of the grenade,” Kaemmerer said. “Every one of us is grateful and will never forget the second chance at life Sgt. Peralta gave us.”
After the grenade blast, the house caught fire, and Marines repositioned in the street for a second assault. Within minutes, the three insurgents had been killed by Marines and Peralta’s body was recovered.
In the hours after the battle, Marines spoke quietly of Peralta’s heroism.
“You’re still here, don’t forget that,” Lance Cpl. Richard A. Mason told Kaemmerer. “Tell your kids, your grandkids, what Sgt. Peralta did for you and other Marines today.”
Even in their pain, Peralta’s family members are not surprised that he decided to lead from the front.
“My brother was very courageous,” Ricardo Peralta said. “He wasn’t scared of anyone or anything.”
What did this guy say? I noticed his comment was removed. Is he a troll?
Yes I think it is --- there is no indication at all that this guy lacked any respect for the laws of this country --- to exploit this sad end to a hero's life to justify those who choose to break laws, steal identification documents, smuggle over the border, and whatever else is wrong.
two wrong don't make a right, but it would be nice for you to acknowledge your side's exploitation of a shooting for your political purposes on the other thread.
Worse...he's a RINOOBL, and was saying that those of us who oppose ILLEGAL INFILTRATORS are racists, and probably not respect Sgt Peralta's sacrifice because he's a LEGAL immigrant. They all have this weird condition that doesn't allow RATIONAL thought to penetrate the granite between the ears, and can't distinguish between LEGAL and ILLEGAL immigration!
See, the race-baiting, pro INFILTRATOR crowd just LOVE their cheap labor, and their "undocumented" nannies. So, anyone who would put a stop to it MUST be a racist.
As for a "troll"...I'd say he's either a MECHA-lover, or a citizen of AZTLAN...or just another rich RINOOBL from a non-border state, who just loves paying lower wages to those poor "undocumenteds"...or likes his lettuce on the cheap.
As I said...that person is DEAD to me...so you check him in the forum section from their name screen to see just where they stand!
Apparently, the "moderators" here think 5 was OK, but my reaction on 72 was worthy of pulling...
Guess those of us on the anti-ILLEGAL immigration side know where said "moderators" are...
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