Sgt. Rafael Peralta’s case for the Medal of Honor has shifted again, according to a congressman who has pressed the Pentagon to review new evidence that he says shows the Marine chose to smother a grenade to save his buddies in Iraq. Peralta, 25, died Nov. 15, 2004, in Fallujah. He was awarded the Navy Cross in 2008 for disregarding his own personal safety while already mortally wounded, pulling the grenade to his body, “absorbing the brunt of the blast and shielding fellow Marines only feet away,” according to his award citation. Despite the extraordinary heroism, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates…
Browsing: Duncan Hunter
Two years ago, the full-court press was on. President Obama faced a large contingent of military brass pushing for more troops in Afghanistan, especially Army Gen. David Petraeus, then commander of U.S. Central Command. It goes without saying that the general got nearly everything he wanted. Obama approved an increase of 30,000 troops, including more than 8,000 Marines, and they began deploying in December 2009. The assault on Marjah began just two months later, and the Marine Corps established a full forward-deployed Marine expeditionary force in June 2010. At the time, it was hard to find strong military advocates who…
