Sacrifice: Troop cradled grenade to save others

[Torog]

SACRIFICE Troop cradled grenade to save others
Union Leader ^ | 12/07/04 | TONY PERRY and RICHARD MORRIS, LA Times


SAN DIEGO â?? Sgt. Rafael Peralta is dead, but the story of his sacrifice to save fellow Marines will live long in Marine Corps lore.

In the fierce battle for the Iraqi town of Fallujah, Peralta, with gunshot wounds to his head and body, reached out and grabbed a grenade hurled by an insurgent, cradling it to his body to save others from the blast.

The explosion in the back room of a house injured one Marine, but four others managed to scramble to safety.

Peralta, 25, an immigrant from Mexico who enlisted the day he got his green-card work permit, was declared dead en route to a field hospital.

[snip]

â??He saved the life of my son and every Marine in that room,â?� Morrison said in a phone call from Seattle. â??I just know one thing: God has a special place in heaven for Sgt. Peralta.â?�

Similar gratitude was expressed by family members of other Marines in Peraltaâ??s unit who were close to the blast. The unit was Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

[snip]

Rafael Peralta had not been assigned to the Nov. 15 attack on Fallujah. Still, he volunteered.

[snip]

In the hours after the battle, Marines spoke quietly of Peraltaâ??s heroism.

â??Youâ??re still here, donâ??t forget that,â?� Lance Cpl. Richard A. Mason told Kaemmerer. â??Tell your kids, your grandkids, what Sgt. Peralta did for you and other Marines today.â?�


(Excerpt) Read more at theunionleader.com ...

Torog Reviewed by Torog on 12-07-2004. Sacrifice: Troop cradled grenade to save others SACRIFICE Troop cradled grenade to save others Union Leader ^ | 12/07/04 | TONY PERRY and RICHARD MORRIS, LA Times SAN DIEGO â?? Sgt. Rafael Peralta is dead, but the story of his sacrifice to save fellow Marines will live long in Marine Corps lore. In the fierce battle for the Iraqi town of Fallujah, Peralta, with gunshot wounds to his head and body, reached out and grabbed a grenade hurled by an insurgent, cradling it to his body to save others from the blast. The explosion Rating: 5

[Torog]

Howdy Y'all,

â??He saved the life of my son and every Marine in that room,â?� Morrison said in a phone call from Seattle. â??I just know one thing: God has a special place in heaven for Sgt. Peralta.â?�

Amen to that..Vaya con Dios..Sgt. Peralta..Let us also pray and remember,for the fallen heroes of the Pearl Harbor attack..Dec. 7, 1941.

Truly..God Bless those who choose to protect our Freedom.

[thecrackbaby]

Truly..God Bless those who choose to protect our Freedom.



Invading iraq doesnt protect your freedom

[mr chinnery]

Very good point crack baby. That points out the naivety of crusaders like Torog quite well.

[sawleaf]

Yeah invading Iraq doesn't protect our freedom really, but that Sgt is still a hero. That is an ultimate sacrifice for your friends!

[Sedater18]

You finally made a post that didn't cause me to start vomiting after the first few sentences. Go marine.

[robert42]

God Bless The Dead

[sawleaf]

Do you think George Bush would jump on a grenade to save his friends? Probably not. It would be cool if he did though.

[NowhereMan]

man thats kinda sad

I SALUTE THEM ALL WHO SERVE and IN VIAN HOPES NO MORE ARE KILLED



CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY

SACRIFICE Troop cradled grenade to save others
Union Leader ^ | 12/07/04 | TONY PERRY and RICHARD MORRIS, LA Times


SAN DIEGO â?? Sgt. Rafael Peralta is dead, but the story of his sacrifice to save fellow Marines will live long in Marine Corps lore.

In the fierce battle for the Iraqi town of Fallujah, Peralta, with gunshot wounds to his head and body, reached out and grabbed a grenade hurled by an insurgent, cradling it to his body to save others from the blast.

The explosion in the back room of a house injured one Marine, but four others managed to scramble to safety.

Peralta, 25, an immigrant from Mexico who enlisted the day he got his green-card work permit, was declared dead en route to a field hospital.

[snip]

â??He saved the life of my son and every Marine in that room,â?� Morrison said in a phone call from Seattle. â??I just know one thing: God has a special place in heaven for Sgt. Peralta.â?�

Similar gratitude was expressed by family members of other Marines in Peraltaâ??s unit who were close to the blast. The unit was Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

[snip]

Rafael Peralta had not been assigned to the Nov. 15 attack on Fallujah. Still, he volunteered.

[snip]

In the hours after the battle, Marines spoke quietly of Peraltaâ??s heroism.

â??Youâ??re still here, donâ??t forget that,â?� Lance Cpl. Richard A. Mason told Kaemmerer. â??Tell your kids, your grandkids, what Sgt. Peralta did for you and other Marines today.â?�


(Excerpt) Read more at theunionleader.com ...

[SomeGuy]

Some people will never understand about self sacrafice for a greater cause.
Great post Torog.