Peralta was born on April 7, 1979, in Mexico City. The son of Rafael and Rosa Peralta and the oldest of four (his siblings are Icela, Karen, and Ricardo), he immigrated to the United States.[2] Peralta's father died in a workplace accident, leaving him head of the household.[3] After his 1997 graduation from Morse High School in San Diego he attended San Diego City College and served in the California Conservation Corps as a crewleader from 1998 to 1999.[2] He joined the United States Marine Corps when he received his green card in 2000,[2] and became a United States citizen while serving in the Marine Corps.[4]
Peralta reportedly served the United States with enthusiasm and patriotism: "In his parents' home, on his bedroom walls hung only three items – a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his boot camp graduation certificate. Before he set out for Fallujah he wrote to his 14-year-old brother, 'Be proud of me, bro ...and be proud of being an American.'"[5]
Death
On November 15, 2004, the 25-year-old Peralta deployed to Iraq as a sergeant and scout team leader assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment to clear houses in the Second Battle of Fallujah. Although Peralta was not assigned to enter the buildings, he did so.[6]
Peralta led his team through three house-clearings before charging into the fourth house. After finding two rooms empty on the ground floor he opened a third door and was hit multiple times with AK-47 fire, leaving him severely wounded. Peralta fell to the floor, moving aside to enable the Marines behind him to return fire.[5]
The insurgents threw a hand grenade at the Marines, and the two Marines with Peralta tried to get out of the room but could not. Still conscious on the floor, despite his wounds Peralta reportedly pulled the grenade under his body, absorbing most of the blast and shrapnel. He died instantly, but saved the lives of his fellow Marines.[5][7] Peralta is buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.[8]
On September 17, 2008, Natonski notified Peralta's family that he would receive the Navy Cross instead of the Medal of Honor. Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates rejected the Marine Corps recommendation, saying that his panel unanimously confirmed that Peralta's actions did not meet the Medal of Honor standard "without any possibility of error or doubt". Gates' central argument related to whether the already-mortally-wounded Peralta could have intentionally reached for the grenade, shielding his fellow Marines from the blast. During a Marine Corps investigation of the attack Natonski had said, "I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt" that the gravely-wounded Peralta covered the grenade.[11] Doubt arose when some believed that Peralta was clinically dead when the grenade was thrown.[12][13]
After it was announced that Peralta would receive the Navy Cross instead, a number of people requested reconsideration,[14][15] with the congressionaldelegations from California and Hawaii and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus requesting a presidential review of Gates' decision.[16][17] Lawmakers continued their efforts;[18] of seven nominations for the Medal of Honor reaching the Secretary of Defense, Peralta's was the only one not approved.[19]
In March 2012 the Marine Corps Times reported that navy officials were reviewing new evidence related to Peralta's case, including two videos (one by Marine combat photographer Steve Sebby)[20][21] and a pathology report.[22] The evidence was provided by California Representative Duncan D. Hunter,[23] who served with 1st Battalion, 11th Marines during Operation Vigilant Resolve (the first battle for Fallujah).[24] In December 2012 the Department of Defense announced that the Navy Cross would not be upgraded, with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta saying that he did not want to overturn his predecessor's decision.[25] Hunter said he would appeal,[26] introducing a resolution co-sponsored by fellow California Representative Xavier Becerra which recommended that Peralta receive the Medal of Honor.[27] When Chuck Hagel replaced Panetta as Secretary of Defense, Hunter hoped he would be more receptive to the new evidence.[28] However, in February 2014 Hagel announced that Peralta's Medal of Honor nomination would not be reconsidered.[29] In June 2015 Peralta's mother, Rosa Maria, received the Navy Cross at a Camp Pendleton ceremony.[30]
In February 2017, Hunter renewed his efforts to have Peralta' Navy Cross upgraded, by petitioning Secretary of Defense James Mattis.[31]
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the NAVY CROSS posthumously to
SERGEANT RAFAEL PERALTA UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
For extraordinary heroism while serving as Platoon Guide with 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 3d Marines, Regimental Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division, in action against Anti-Coalition Forces in support of Operation AL FAJR, in Fallujah, Iraq on 15 November 2004. Clearing scores of houses in the previous three days, Sergeant Peralta' asked to join an under strength squad and volunteered to stand post the night of 14 November, allowing fellow Marines more time to rest. The following morning, during search and attack operations, while clearing the seventh house of the day, the point man opened a door to a back room and immediately came under intense, close-range automatic weapons fire from multiple insurgents. The squad returned fire, wounding one insurgent. While attempting to maneuver out of the line of fire, Sergeant Peralta was shot and fell mortally wounded. After the initial exchange of gunfire, the insurgents broke contact, throwing a fragmentation grenade as they fled the building. The grenade came to rest near Sergeant Peralta's head. Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, Sergeant Peralta reached out and pulled the grenade to his body, absorbing the brunt of the blast and shielding fellow Marines only feet away. Sergeant Peralta succumbed to his wounds. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty, Sergeant Peralta reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."[33]
Legacy
On April 24, 2006, San Diego Police Department Chief of Police William Lansdowne posthumously awarded Sgt. Peralta the honorary title of San Diego police officer for his heroism in Iraq. Peralta had long wanted to be a San Diego police officer, and the badge was presented to his mother.[34]
With Peralta's death benefit, his mother purchased a home in Chula Vista.[38] Inspired by his older brother's actions, Rafael's brother Ricardo also enlisted in the Marine Corps and graduated from the School of Infantry in 2010.[3][39] He was honorably discharged in January 2014, after serving in Afghanistan.[10]
In November 2017, a brick with his name was placed in front of the Veteran Resource Center at Southwestern College, where he had previously gone to attend its police academy.[44]
^Gonzalez, Emilio (22 August 2006). "Citizenship through military service". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on 2015-05-22. Retrieved 17 December 2012. Peralta enlisted the same day he received his green card and earned his citizenship while on active duty.
^Kathrine Zoepf (27 May 2010). "What Happened to Valor?". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2012-11-29. Retrieved 15 March 2012. Peralta is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
^Jennifer Hlad (21 May 2015). "No medal upgrade for Marine who will receive Navy Cross in June". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 2015-05-22. Retrieved 21 May 2015. Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski, who at the time was commander of 1st Marine Division, recommended Peralta for the Medal of Honor. Chelsea J. Carter (19 September 2008). "Mother to ask Congress to award son Medal of Honor". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved 21 May 2015. In a rare move, the Marine Corps Thursday released a redacted copy of the Medal of Honor nomination by Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski and an investigative report detailing the "friendly fire" shooting of the sergeant.
^Freking, Kevin (August 2, 2009). "Lawmaker questions low Medal of Honor count". Associated Press. Retrieved August 4, 2009. It's unclear exactly how many soldiers have been nominated for the award from the two wars. But, seven have made it all the way to the secretary of defense, and six were approved. The exception is Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego, Calif. Hunter said the Peralta case shows that a higher standard is being used for the medal than in previous wars.[dead link]
