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May 20, 2011(Washington D.C.) Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine), a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, announced that he will introduce legislation in the coming days directing the Secretary of the Navy to name the next available ship after Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael Peralta.
“Marine Corps Sgt. Rafael Peralta, a Hispanic-American who grew up in Southeast San Diego, was nominated for the Medal of Honor for smothering a grenade with his body, saving the lives of the other Marines in the room with him,” Hunter said. The incident occurred after Peralta led a team of Marines into a house during combat in Fallujah, Iraq.
Peralta was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross instead, the second highest award for valor in the Marine Corps. A team of specialists, which included pathologists and other experts, conducted an investigation at the direction of the Secretary of Defense and determined that Peralta did not consciously pull the grenade into his body. This conclusion contradicts the eye-witness accounts of the Marines fighting alongside Peralta, as well as the recommendation put forward by Marine Corps leadership.
“Sergeant Peralta gave his life for this country,” said Congressman Hunter, who called Peralta a "hometown hero." He added, “He should have received the Medal of Honor, but was wrongly denied the nation’s highest award for military valor. It’s a shame that the Secretary of Defense refuses to reexamine the case, so it’s only right that the Navy name its next ship after Sergeant Peralta. It’s an honor that Sergeant Peralta deserves.”
Speaking on behalf of Sergeant Peralta’s family, Icela Donald, sister of Sergeant Peralta, said “We are truly thankful and honored. This is a way to keep my brother’s legacy alive. After everything we’ve been through, this means so much to the entire family.”
Hunter previously raised objections to the Navy naming a cargo ship after labor leader Cesar Chavez, a Naval veteran, urging that Peralta was more deserving of the honor. His legislation will direct the Secretary of the Navy to consider naming the next available ship for Peralta instead.
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