"I'm going to see what can be done, because I'm not satisfied with what they want to do now," she said in Spanish.

Better get La Migra on this.

The report found sufficient evidence existed to believe that Peralta was probably shot by a fellow Marine and that a gunshot wound to the head and injuries to the head from a grenade caused his death.

Something very fishy going on here.

Odd story, this. It appears to come down to ascertaining Sgt. Peralta's state of mind at the time of the incident.

The question about whether to award Peralta the Medal of Honor centers on whether the mortally wounded Marine, who was shot in the head and upper body, could have intentionally reached for the grenade and covered it with his body. There's probably only one person who could give a truly accurate answer to that question, and he's dead. Seems odd. Haven't others received the Medal of Honor for precisely this sort of behavior?

Odder still:

In a rare move, the Marine Corps Thursday released a redacted copy of the Medal of Honor nomination by Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski and a investigative report detailing the "friendly fire" shooting of the sergeant.

The report found sufficient evidence existed to believe that Peralta was probably shot by a fellow Marine and that a gunshot wound to the head and injuries to the head from a grenade caused his death.

Requiescat in pace, Rafael.

I think he may have known he was hurt badly and with his last ounce of strength he did the most courageous think any man can do and sacrificed himself. The man deserves the medal of honor. Republicans are greedy pos for not doing this.

President Bush singled out the Marine's actions in a 2005 Memorial Day speech, saying Peralta "understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them."

Shows what a POS GW is to use this dead man in his speech and then deny him the Medal of Honor that this Marine and HIS mother so deserve.

To trash his heroic deed and memory in this way is truly pathetic and even criminal.

Jan 20th cannot come too soon. I am ashamed that Bush is still my President.

Regardless, this man AND his mother have MY respect.

They have both given something priceless to this Nation and they deserve the highest of honors that can be bestowed upon them.

I salute them both for their bravery and courage!

Thanks to Kerrin for help in getting this story out there.

And Semper Fi to the Peralta Family

Donnerboy,
you obviously know nothing about the Medal of Honor. Bush didn't deny it. SECDEF did. As to the awarding of the MOH there can be ABSOLUTELY no doubt that it was earned. It sounds like in this case there are some questions. He was a hero and I have worked with many brave Marines who woud have done the same thing. The Navy Cross is an amazing award and receiveng it is an incredible honor. I hope his mother doesn't decline it. God bless his soul and may he rest in peace.

Shows what a POS GW is to use this dead man in his speech and then deny him the Medal of Honor that this Marine and HIS mother so deserve.

#7 | Posted by donnerboy

I guess you have proof that Bush is the one that put a stop to the award.

Are you jumping or do you have facts.

I guess you have proof that Bush is the one that put a stop to the award.

Are you jumping or do you have facts.

#9 | Posted by Sniper at 2008-09-19 07:07 PM.

No I do not have "proof". And Bush and CO would not respect a subpoena even if i did.

here is what I do have (and PLEASE correct me if I am wrong...LOL!)

Bush used Peralta in a speech

So, Bush was aware that Peralta deserved the Medal of Honor.

Bush would be the one who would present the Medal of Honor.

Gates works directly for Bush.

Gate makes a decision and denied the Medal of Honor.

Logically then, Bush HAD to be aware that the Medal of Honor was denied. As CiC Bush can tell his employee (Gates) to make sure this man got the Medal of Honor if he was qualified for it (which EVERYONE but Gates and Bush, apparently< agreed he is).

If Bush was somehow not aware that this happening then that makes it even worse.

Therefore, BUSH is a Piece of Shit.

In addition, Snippy and Left-Tards are both a POS for even attempting to defend this POS President.

Clear enough?

Semper Fi!

As to the awarding of the MOH there can be ABSOLUTELY no doubt that it was earned.

Funny. This administration has no problem dolling out hundreds of billion of dollars to corporations and the uber-rich who haven't given a shred of evidence that they've earned it.

But the dead soldier can't ABSOLUTELY prove that he intentionally saved is fellow soldiers, so no medal for him.

Hmmm...

Why all of a sudden is it that the SECDEF doesn't want someone receiving a medal he didn't earn one hundred per cent to the letter of the law. I'm sure Senator McCain would agree. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, a decoration given for extraordinary feats of pilot expertise, for continuing on to complete his bombing mission even after his A4 Skyhawk was severely damaged. Trouble is that McCain reports in his book that when his wing was shot off the plane immediately went into a dive.
In other words the bombs were dropped before the A4 was damaged. Clearly the SECDEF resolved this apparent anomaly in the pilot's favor.

This is an absolute disgrace, the young man deserves a medal of honor and GWB should issue orders right now to ensure that it happens. End of story. Ditto to the thanks for Kerrin bringing this story to light. I believe that e-mails and phone calls to ones elected representatives would be in order. Gates needs to reverse himself.

A Navy Cross is not a medal of Honor,
but it's not chopped liver either.

Chesty Puller had 5 Navy Crosses.
(rumor has it he had 5 testicles too!)

As I sit and write this shit,
I wish I was back at MCRD in the pit.
Bends and thrusts forever. OORAH!

God bless Sgt. Peralta.

Let the military thoroughly conduct an investigation. It's a military honor period. You libs act as if the Navy Cross is some small honor. Pathetic.

Gates is a piece of dogshit for doing this.
This man Sacrificed his own life-no matter that it was already forfeit by his other wounds.
His other wounds didn't kill him-they never got the chance-he deserved the Medal of Honor.

By the way leftie-shrubbie may not have made the decision-but-as Commander-In-Chief, he IS ultimately responsible for the actions of those who work directly for him-as Gates does. Gates-as a bushite-reflects the "values" and "proclivities" of his boss.
As we have seen-since ONLY those who have Billions of dollars, AND gives MILLIONS to rethug causes-gets ANYTHING from this Administration.

I don't care how grievous this man's wounds were-the wounds he suffered-even from "friendly" fire-did NOT kill him-the Grenade did.

That is all anyone needs to know.

By your reasoning leftie-if your employer decides next week NOT to give you a paycheck-or a seriously reduced paycheck-it's alright as long as he can come up with an excuse?

Good-you should let him know.......

Chesty Puller had 5 Navy Crosses.
(rumor has it he had 5 testicles too!)

I take it he didn't do a whole lot of running then?
There is that old joke.....
Baseball has it all wrong...No man can walk with 4 balls.

I have an Armed Forces Expeditionary medal (three beers, er, cheers for me, yup, yessir). You got one in the 80's if you were one of the lucky sonofabitches going around the world fucking around with other countries in the name of democracy. It's downstairs with all the other stuff that reminds me of life events I'd like to forget about. Even if I want to remember those times, all I need to do is roll up my sleeve and look at the artwork. either that or drink alot and pass out in my puke groaning like the self-loather I have now become.

its a shame for this guy. i woulda liked him by my side in my tougher times that's for sure.

The man Made the ultimate sacrifice-committed the ultimate act of Honor.
To deny him the Medal that Honors that act-is to deny his act of Honor-and is in itself-an act of Dishonor-from an Administration that started a war dishonorably, for the most dishonorable of reasons.
Small wonder-the whole gang is made up of people who ran and hid in the National Guard and behind Draft deferments when THEY were called-and dishonored themselves.
KGBee-I agree wholeheartedly with you on this.

If I were ever ordered to storm the Gates of Hell- I would want several Brigades of men & women of his caliber with me......

Its because he was a MEXICAN, maybe an Illegal at that!!!!!

Okay, I'll try this again. The MOH is what it is because of the stringent, rigid criteria to qualify. I'm not saying that Sgt Peralta doesn't deserve it. He very well may. the problem is the conflcting reports relating to what actually happened. If there are ANY questions about the act that is being awarded, then the soldier does not qualify for the MOH. It's not about defending Bush or Gates. It's about maintaining the sanctity of the MOH. Sgt Peralta is a hero, however not ever hero earns a medal of Honor. Anyone who makes this political is an ASSHOLE!!!!

"Anyone who makes this political is an ASSHOLE!!!!"

Says the person who's tag is "Lefties Are 'tards", LOL!

It is political, because the war itself has been politicized from the get-go. You may not like it that way, but that's the way it is.

I've seen it both from the inside and the outside. From the average outsider's view, based on the descriptions, the guy deserves the medal, although if the panel that decided on the award has a MOH recipient on it, and the vote was indeed unanimous, which I believe it does and was, I would take an insider's view on it, go with the MOH recipient's judgement and would force myself to go along with the panel's decision not to award, despite my deep desire to give it to Peralta.

Still, belated medals happen all the time, and are usually given because political issues at the time kept them from being given in the first place. I have never really bought the whole "unerringly determined to have sacrificed himself for the good of the others" bit. Sometimes under fire you remember things that have never occured, and forget things that did.

Leading a stack of guys into a cul-de-sac while enocuntering hostile fire, taking lead in the face, and then covering a live grenade has always been a sure-fire way to receive the MOH. Peralta did all of this apparently. I don't have the nitty gritty on the friendly fire angle, but I do know that MOH voting has always been like a court and if there's reasonable suspicion that a selfless act didn't occur, they can't give it, even if Jesus himself accidentally fell of the cross and onto the pineapple.

Bob Kerrey is the only Democrat I've ever hugged and shed tears for. He got the MOH in Vietnam. At the time I was a rabid GOPer but I sure don't make it political. When I found out years later what happened in Than Phong, it made me question and think seriously about the line between a selfless act and a maniacal bent in combat driven by excessive hubris.

Rafael Peralta is a fellow Marine so I guess I'm a bit partial. I wouldn't be a good judge so I'm not the one to do the deciding. I hope the Deciderer (TM) feels the same way. he knows SHIT about sacrifice, the fucker.

Here's the problem, leftie...
The ONLY questions are about whether he died of gunshot wounds, or the blast from the Grenade.
There is only ONE answer to that.
Unless he was dead BEFORE he covered the Grenade with his body-I don't care how many bullet holes he had in him-or where they were.

It was the Grenade that killed him.

To anyone with a functioning brain..THAT is a meaningful act of Honor-and to deny that-for ANY reason-is to dishonor him.

sounds like eye witnesses saw him get shot and still have the strength to pull a grenade under him. I think that he deserves the MOH. If you can't get it for that I can't imagine what they expect?

I don't know what happened because I wasn't there but his fellow marines were and they will know what really happened. The forensics must have shown that there were suspicious circumstances such as friendly fire or worse otherwise why on earth would Gates be doing this?

I think this shows that Gates is a man of principle. The "easy" thing to do would have been to do nothing and let it slide. But that's what happened in the Pat Tillman tragedy and look at the negative repercussions on morale and public opinion that followed after the senior military and probably Rumsfeld decided to cover up the truth about that.

Gates is not Rumsfeld, a fact that nearly everybody has been grateful for these last two years.

CMH not MOH

Sniper

I guess you have proof that Bush is the one that put a stop to the award.

Are you jumping or do you have facts.

#9 | Posted by Sniper at 2008-09-19 07:07 PM.

You didn't address that post to me but wanted to answer your comment. I found this story very interesting and have done a lot of reading about it -- including on some military blogs to see what those guys thought.

I'm the last one to defend Bush on anything these days, but in this matter Bush has no say about the decision. The Secretary of Defense and the Pentagon actually have the final say so. I'm going to come back later when I have some extra time to write but the decision to not award this Marine the medal seems to be based on a few factors -- primarily the extent of the Marine's injuries, his state of mind at the time and, in a more quietly kept reason, the fact the Marine was hit multiple times with friendly fire.

From all I've read so far I think the wrong decision was made in his case. It also comes down to getting inside of this Marine's mind in the final seconds of his life and no one can do that now.

If this Marine's decision to take the grenade for his fellow Marines can't be decided positively one way or the other as to if it fits into the very strict criteria for awarding this particular medal -- then give him the benefit of the doubt and bestow the Medal of Honor on him.