Are We Short on Medals?

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As a teenager, Rafael Peralta snuck into the United States from Mexico. I would be willing to bet that a lot of you are upset by the first line in the story, as many people love to say that we should not allow these people to live in our world and share our now-suddenly-shaky wealth.

Yet a few years later, Peralta earned his green card. You know what he did to celebrate? He joined the United States Marine Corps.

Four years later, he was in a firefight in Fallujah in a war that no one really understands. He was clearing a home of insurgents when he was struck by a ricocheted bullet. The bullet struck him in the back of the head and it was certainly a fatal blow, but Peralta didn't die instantly. Instead as 5 other Marines watched him, he pulled an insurgent-tossed grenade into his body, and smothered it to save the lives of those in his party. Of course, Peralta lost his life - he was just 25.

Fast-forward to yesterday when the shirts in Washington awarded Peralta's family with the Navy Cross - which is the 2nd highest medal awarded.

Are you kidding me?

"I don't want that medal," Peralta's mother said. "It doesn't seem fair to me."

A panel of freaking experts said that Peralta's actions weren't worthy of the Medal of Honor because it didn't meet the high standards set for the award.

Did he pull the grenade under him with the wrong hand? Is it possible that he didn't receive the highest honor because he wasn't a natural American? Can we only hand out a certain number of Medals of Honor?

"Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Peralta, we thought we had one more of them there Medals, but the congressman's kid is at home playing with it."

I don't know - the story struck me wrong. Peralta deserves the highest honor. Just ask one of the men who saw him grab hold of the live grenade, Sgt. Robert Reynolds, "I know for a fact that I would have been killed . . . and that my daughter, Sophia, our new baby, Sienna, would not be here or coming into the world. And that my son, Noah, would have grown up without knowing his dad."

Awarding Peralta the 2nd highest honor? If you ask me - you just can't put lipstick on a pig.

Comments

John said…
This was one of your best posts so far. Not only well-written, but a point well-made. JC
20 September, 2008
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