Badel Hernández Guzmán

Private Badel Hernández Guzmán born in Humacao, Puerto Rico was a soldier in the U.S. Army awarded the Distinguished Service Cross while serving with the 65th Infantry Regiment in the Korean War.

Korean War
On September 29, 1951, enemy fire from a forward post impeded the advance of Troops in Chorwon. Taking charge of this critical situation, Hermandez took a flame thrower, a weapon he has never used before, and singlehandedly advanced uphill against enemy fire, annihilating 14 enemy soldiers who were defending the post.

The heroic action of Hermandez made it posible for his battalion, repel the enemy from take the position.

Distinguished Service Cross citation
BADEL HERNANDEZ GUZMAN ''  Citation:  Private BADEL HERNANDEZ GUZMAN, US50104254, Infantry, United States Army. Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN, a member of an infantry company, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy in the vicinity of Chorwon, Korea. On 1 October 1951, Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN'S company was assigned the mission of attacking a numerically superior hostile force occupying well fortified hill positions. In the opening phase of the attack, the assaulting elements were pinned down by a devastating volume of hostile automatic weapons fire. Realizing that his comrades faced annihilation in their present untenable positions, Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN picked up a flame thrower and began to move forward. Upon locating the hostile emplacement which posed the greatest threat to his comrades, he unhesitatingly ran toward it. Crossing a wide expanse of open terrain, and completely exposed to the concentrated fire of the enemy, he made his way to within twenty yards of the machine gun position. The enemy, in desperation, converged the entire volume of their firepower on Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN, hurling numerous grenades in an attempt to halt the singlehanded assault. Undeterred by the intense hostile fire, Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN charged the remaining twenty yards and destroyed the enemy strongpoint with the flame thrower. Through his courageous and selfless actions, the friendly force was able to renew its assault and overrun its objective. The extraordinary heroism and steadfast devotion to duty displayed by Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN reflect the greatest credit on himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service. Entered the Federal Service from Puerto Rico. Private Hernández Guzmán was also awarded the Silver Star for his actions.

Military awards and decorations

 * Combat Infantry Badge.svg Combat Infantryman Badge
 * Distinguished Service Cross ribbon.svg Distinguished Service Cross
 * Silver Star ribbon.svg Silver Star
 * American Defense Service ribbon.svg American Defense Service Medal
 * KSMRib.svg Korean Service Medal
 * Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation
 * Presidential Unit Citation (Korea).svg Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation