man thats kinda sad

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



CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY

Quote Originally Posted by Torog

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


SAN DIEGO ?? 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]

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

Similar gratitude was expressed by family members of other Marines in Peralta??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 Peralta??s heroism.

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


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