FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Alfred V Rascon ~ 29 July 2024

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Alfred V. Rascon

Info from this website.

           

Major Alfred V. Rascon (born 1945) was a medic in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor—the United States' highest military decoration—for his actions near Long Khanh Province during the Vietnam War. On more than one occasion Rascon exposed himself to enemy fire and grenades by covering the bodies of those whom he was aiding with his own.

Rascon, a Mexican national, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico as the only child of Alfredo and Andrea Rascon. The Rascon family, in search of a better way of life, immigrated to the United States. They settled in Oxnard, California, where Rascon received his primary and secondary education. On August 1963, he graduated from High school and enlisted in the United States Army.

Rascon received his Basic training in Fort Ord, California, and after completing he was assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas for basic and specialist medical training. After he graduated from his medical training, he voluteered for airborne training and attended the Army’s Airborne school in Fort Benning, Georgia.

In February 1964, Rascon was then assigned to Headquarters Company, Medical Platoon, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) stationed in Okinawa.

On May 1965, Rascon and his unit were deployed to the Republic of Vietnam where he served as a medic for a platoon of paratroopers.

The brigade was the first major ground combat unit of the United States Army to serve there. They were the first to go into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps and to introduce the use of small long-range patrols.

On March 16, 1966, Rascon was assigned as a medic to a Reconnaissance Platoon of the 173d Airborne Brigade. The Platoons mission was to reinforce a sister battalion which was under intense enemy attack near Long Khanh Province. The Reconnaissance Platoon came under heavy fire from a numerically superior enemy force. Several point squad soldiers were wounded and SP4 Rascon made his way forward to aid his fallen comrades. On more than one occasion Rascon exposed himself to enemy fire and grenades by covering the bodies of those whom he was aiding and absorbing the blast and fragments of the grenades with his own body. Each time he would drag his comrades to safety and crawled back to aid someone else. Rascon was so badly wounded that day that he was given his last rites.

Rascon was transferred to Johnson Army Hospital in Japan where he spent six months recovering from his wounds. For his actions, he was nominated for the Medal of Honor. However, his nomination for some unknown reason did not go through and instead he was awarded a Silver Star.

In May 1966, he was honorably discharged from active duty and placed in the Army Reserves. Rascon attended college after he was discharged and in 1967 he became a Naturalized United States Citizen.

In 1970 he graduated from the Army's Infantry Officers Candidate School and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. He then returned to Vietnam for a second tour, this time as a military adviser. In 1976, Rascon was once again honorably discharged from active duty.

In 1976, Rascon was offered the position of U.S. Army military liaison officer, in the Republic of Panama and he accepted. Rascon has also worked for the Department of Justice’s, Drug Enforcement Administration, INTERPOL (U.S. National Central Bureau), and the Immigration & Naturalization Service.

During a 1985 reunion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Rascon's comrades discovered that he never received the Medal of Honor. His former platoon members Ray Compton, Neil Haffey and Larry Gibson, whose lives he saved, sought to correct the oversight and renewed their efforts in favor of a Medal of Honor for Rascon. The Pentagon would not reconsider Rascon's case because so much time had elapsed. Therefore, Rascon's comrades sought the help of Congressman Lane Evans from Illinois. In 1997, Evans gave President Bill Clinton a packet containing the information about Rascon. The President then convinced the Pentagon to reopen the case.

On February 8, 2000. President Bill Clinton bestowed upon Alfred V. Rascon the Medal of Honor in a ceremony held in the East Room of the White House.

ALFRED V. RASCONRank and organization:  Specialist Four, U.S. Army, Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry,173d Airborne Brigade (Separate)Place and date:  Republic of Vietnam, March 16, 1966Entered service at: ----Born:   1945, Chihuahua, Mexico
Citation:Specialist Four Alfred Rascon, distinguished himself by a series of extraordinarily courageous acts on March 16, 1966, while assigned as a medic to the Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate). While moving to reinforce its sister battalion under intense enemy attack, the Reconnaissance Platoon came under heavy fire from a numerically superior enemy force. The intense enemy fire from crew-served weapons and grenades severely wounded several point squad soldiers. Specialist Rascon, ignoring directions to stay behind shelter until covering fire could be provided, made his way forward. He repeatedly tried to reach the severely wounded point machine-gunner laying on an open enemy trail, but was driven back each time by the withering fire. Disregarding his personal safety, he jumped to his feet, ignoring flying bullets and exploding grenades to reach his comrade. To protect him from further wounds, he intentionally placed his body between the soldier and enemy machine guns, sustaining numerous shrapnel injuries and a serious wound to the hip. Disregarding his serious wounds he dragged the larger soldier from the fire-raked trail. Hearing the second machine-gunner yell that he was running out of ammunition, Specialist Rascon, under heavy enemy fire crawled back to the wounded machine-gunner stripping him of his bandoleers of ammunition, giving them to the machine-gunner who continued his suppressive fire. Specialist Rascon fearing the abandoned machine gun, its ammunition and spare barrel could fall into enemy hands made his way to retrieve them. On the way, he was wounded in the face and torso by grenade fragments, but disregarded these wounds to recover the abandoned machine gun, ammunition and spare barrel items, enabling another soldier to provide added suppressive fire to the pinned-down squad. In searching for the wounded, he saw the point grenadier being wounded by small arms fire and grenades being thrown at him. Disregarding his own life and his numerous wounds, Specialist Rascon reached and covered him with his body absorbing the blasts from the exploding grenades, and saving the soldier's life, but sustaining additional wounds to his body. While making his way to the wounded point squad leader, grenades were hurled at the sergeant. Again, in complete disregard for his own life, he reached and covered the sergeant with his body, absorbing the full force of the grenade explosions. Once more Specialist Rascon was critically wounded by shrapnel, but disregarded his own wounds to continue to search and aid the wounded. Severely wounded, he remained on the battlefield, inspiring his fellow soldiers to continue the battle. After the enemy broke contact, he disregarded aid for himself, instead treating the wounded and directing their evacuation. Only after being placed on the evacuation helicopter did he allow aid to be given to him. Specialist Rascon's extraordinary valor in the face of deadly enemy fire, his heroism in rescuing the wounded, and his gallantry by repeatedly risking his own life for his fellow soldiers are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

On May 22, 2002, Rascon was confirmed by the United States Senate as the 10th Director of the Selective Service System, he served in this position until 2003.

On September 1, 2002, Rascon returned to the Army as an Army Reserve Major in the Army Medical Service Corps. His position was Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Surgeon General’s Office. Rascon served in Afghanistan and Iraq for the Medical Service Corps.

Major Rascon received the degree of Doctor of Medical Jurisprudence, Honoris Causa on May 17, 2003, from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences' (USUHS) F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine and Graduate School of Nursing.  The Army has honored Rascon by renaming their medical school at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the Alfred V. Rascon School of Combat Medicine.

Rascon has been honored by the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Foundation in Washington, D.C., for his past contributions in the military. The Washington-based CATO Institute also honored him in its annual honors of past and present military contributors of Hispanic Americans.

Rascon resides in Laurel, Maryland and is married and has a daughter and a son.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[onona]

Thanks Kathy

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

I hope you’ve managed to spend a little time on the deck today. It’s a beautiful day up there.

[SkyDancer]

~ Hai All! ~

~

~ Welcome To My World ~

I’m Down There Somewhere

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[PROCON]

Hi Kathy, thanks for tonight's Canteen and for honoring our extraordinary Hero!

Son's over for dinner, have fun.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, onona...

Sorry I’m late... the Thunderbirds are performing at Elmendorf’s Arctic Thunder and some of the jets make a big loop around over the city to get back to the base. Several now have come directly over my deck...fast and LOUD!! Window rattling and eardrum shattering..LOL!! The sound of freedom!!

I could see most all of the flying part of the show, but for the trees in my own yard. *sigh*

[Kathy in Alaska]

Was watching The Thunderbirds come over my deck!

~ Hall of Heroes: Alfred V Rascon ~

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[radu]

WOOHOO! Glad you were able to be outside this time when they flew over. Quite the thrill, huh?

[MoochPooch]

Evening, Kathy!

Thanks for another bio.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu...wet or dry?

71 and headed up to 72 or 73 in the next few hours. Then some time for me just sitting on the deck.

The Thunderbirds came over a couple times today! 2 low passes and a couple further out and not so loud. Eardrum shattering, but the sound of freedom!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Busy work day...but deck time is coming.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Janey...((HUGS))...any parachute driving today?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...hope it was a BLUE day.

[The Mayor]

July 22

Instruments for Good

Bible in a Year :

• Psalms 31-32
• Acts 23:16-35

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

James 4:17

The criminal had been apprehended, and the detective asked the perpetrator why he had brazenly attacked someone with so many witnesses present. The response was startling: “I knew they wouldn’t do anything; people never do.” That comment pictures what is called “guilty knowledge”—choosing to ignore a crime even though you know it is being committed.

The apostle James addressed a similar kind of guilty knowledge, saying, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” (James 4:17).

Through His great salvation of us, God has designed us to be agents of good in the world. Ephesians 2:10 affirms, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” These good works aren’t the cause of our salvation; rather, they’re the result of our hearts being changed by God’s Holy Spirit taking up residence in our lives. The Spirit even gives us spiritual gifts to equip us to accomplish those things for which God has recreated us (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

As God’s workmanship, let’s yield to His purposes and the empowering of His Spirit so that we can be His instruments for good in a world that desperately needs Him.

Reflect & Pray

Review 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and read about the spiritual gifts. What gifts has the Spirit given you? How can you exercise them?

Loving God, thank You for the salvation You’ve provided as a free gift of grace. Please give me the courage and wisdom to know how best to serve You and others.

Discover your God-given calling here.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro...enjoy son time and dinner.

[luvie]

Major Alfred V. Rascon (b.1945)
United States Army medic
Medal of Honor recipient
for actions near Long Khanh Province
during Vietnam War.
Covered other's bodies with his own more than once.

[luvie]

The Thunderbirds! Wow! They are soooo thrilling to watch!

[Kathy in Alaska]

It was fabulous...ear shattering.

I would be able to see the whole air show except for the trees in my own yard.