Many thanks to Bigenwald Family Adventures for bringing my attention to another blog with some great and valuable information on Sgt Rafael Peralta.
The blog is Danz Family and he was able to contact and communicate with some friends of Sgt Peralta. He learned a little bit more about him and was able to get some pictures other then the Marine Corps one below. The one all of us Marines are familiar with, taken during boot camp.
Don had this to say
It’s easy to read about the events surrounding Rafael Peralta’s life–and his death–and to look at his stoic image with his Marine cover pulled down to just above his eyes and conclude that there was something special or different about this man and that his final act of heroism was simply an expected act in keeping with his nature. However, I believe this diminishes the significance of his actions. I also believe placing Rafael Peralta on a pedestal apart and above ourselves is a defense mechanism. This way we can say to ourselves, “of course, he did that, he was different than you and me.” This way we can avoid the self-realization that, no matter how much we’d like to think that we would act as Sgt. Peralta did, there is very little likelihood that we would have actually done what he did.
Couldn’t agree more. During my career in law enforcement I have had the privilege of serving with more then a few hero’s. I have attended way too many funerals for fellow cops killed in the line of duty. Some day I will write about them so that their stories too will be remembered. But for now I am blogging about Rafael. The reasons why I am keeping Sgt. Peralta’s story alive are twofold. I respect what he did when faced with the certainty of his death, plus I respect that he was a immigrant who came to this country and loved this country. He got his green card and became a citizen legally all the while serving his new country. For either one of those actions he should be remembered.
Check out Don’s post for pictures which show Rafael with friends. They show him in a more human light.
UPDATE 05-28-10
Cleaning up all these old posts and came across this comment left on Don’s blog:
MY NAME IS SGT NICHOLAS JONES. I WAS THE SQUAD LEADER WITH RAPHAEL THAT DAY. HE CAME TO ME THE NIGHT BEFORE AND ASKED IF HE COULD TAG ALONG AND HELP US OUT. RAPHAEL OUT RANKED ME, BUT WE HAD BEEN GOOD FRIENDS AND SHARED THE SAME RANK FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I DIDNT BAT AN EYE, I TOLD HIM HE WAS ALWAYS WELCOME WITH US. HE AND I SPENT HIS LAST NIGHT TOGETHER EATING MRE’S AND LAUGHING ABOUT ALL THE GREAT MEXICAN FOOD WE WOULD EAT WHEN WE GOT HOME. I EVEN REMEMBER THE MEAL, WE HAD THE ENCHILADA MRE, AND WE LOADED IT DOWN WITH AS MUCH TAPATIO AS WE COULD HANDLE. IT WAS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER NIGHT, BUT IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WOULD BE HIS LAST, WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING. HE WAS HAPPY BEING WITH HIS BROTHERS, AND HE WAS A NATURAL LEADER. HE WASNT HAPPY UNLESS WE WERE TRAINING. THAT NEXT DAY WHEN WE WOKE UP, HE ASKED ME AGAIN IF I WANTED HIM TO TAG ALONG, I TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS ALWAYS WELCOME, AND IT WAS UP TO HIM.
HE DIDNT HAVE TO BE THERE THAT DAY, HE WAS THERE BECAUSE HE WANTED TO BE WITH US. WHEN WE WENT INTO THAT HOUSE, THERE WAS NO HESITATION AT ALL, EVEN WHEN WE SAW THE ENEMY HE WENT RIGHT INTO ACTION. HE WAS A TRUE WARRIOR. EVEN WHEN HE WAS DOWN, HE STILL WASNT OUT, HE STILL HAD SOME FIGHT LEFT IN HIM. ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS I HAVE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE, WAS CARRY THE BODY OF A GOOD FRIEND, A GREAT MARINE, AND A TRUE HERO. BUT THAT IS NO COMPARISON TO WHAT HE HAD TO DO. HE SAVED OUR LIVES THAT DAY, AND HE WILL LIVE ON FOR EVER. EVERY DAY THAT I PUT ON MY UNIFORM AND GO BACK TO WORK, I LOOK AT MY PURPLE HEART, AND KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT CAME FROM, ITS A REMINDER OF WHAT A GOOD FRIEND WILL DO FOR YOU, HE WILL EVEN GIVE HIS OWN LIFE. I HATE THE FACT THAT IM STILL HERE AND HE ISN’T. BUT ALL I CAN DO NOW IS TELL HIS STORY.
JUNIOR, I MISS YOU BRO, ILL SEE YOU AGAIN ONE DAY, AND IT WILL BE LIKE OLD TIMES AGAIN. TAKE CARE UP THERE, AND HAVE A NICE COLD CORONA WAITING FOR ME WHEN I GET THERE.
SEMPER FI
SGT NICHOLAS JONES
USMC
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