VFF: Rafael Peralta Will Be Honored With Medal of Honor

Vets For Freedom:
Today is a great day. We are that much closer to having an American patriot honored for his heroic actions in Fallujah, November 2004. Rafael Peralta will be the next American to receive the Medal of Honor. There could be no one more deserving of this award.

Marine Sergeant Rafael Peralta came to America as an immigrant. He bled and sacrificed for the opportunity to call America his nation. In an environment where our country is engaged in political rancor over illegal and legal immigration, here is a man who loved America so much he volunteered to serve her at a time of war. The only shame in this whole story is that a hero is no longer with us and that is compounded with the fact that his award took over three years to be processed for reasons unknown.

Peralta is everything that is great about our generation. He proves that not all American Patriots are born native of our great land. One of the main reasons I came to meet Wade Zirkle and VetsForFreedom.org in 2005 was because of Rafael Peralta. I served down the street from where he died and I was stunned that so few Americans knew of this man’s sacrifice. Peralta's selfless service and dedication to his brothers in arms embody everything we all strive to be.

As my boys grow old they will have heroes that they look up to and strive to be like one day. Those heroes will not be Tiger Woods or Lebron James, because they are not worthy of the title. My sons will hear names like Michael Murphy, Jason Dunham, Paul Ray Smith and Rafael Peralta. These men laid down their lives knowingly for the benefit of their peers. There could be no greater gift they could have given.

Stay tuned for Ross McGinnis, Brian Chontosh and Chris Adelsperger. Some of these men have seen impressive awards for what they have done. They are deserving of the Medal of Honor and we will continue to apply pressure to shame those who stand in the way.

Obviously no one in Congress representing these fine Americans is willing to stand up for those who have gone above and beyond. We at VetsForFreedom.org believe that there is still a place for warriors and the celebration of their ethos in our society.

We will forever be proud to belong to a fraternity with so many great Americans. And because of this we will not rest until they receive what is due their actions.