Demensio Rivera

Private Demensio Rivera (April 29, 1933 – May 23, 1951) is a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor for courageous actions during combat operations in Changyong-ni, South Korea, on May 23, 1951. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in a March 18, 2014 ceremony in the White House. The award comes through the Defense Authorization Act which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.

Early life
Rivera was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. He was still a child when his parents moved to New York City where he was raised. On September 26, 1950, Rivera joined the United States Army in New York. In 1951, he was deployed to the Republic of Korea as a member of Company G, 2d Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. When his unit was attacked by the enemy, he delivered continuous and devastating fire at them with his automatic rifle until his weapon became inoperative. He employed his pistol and grenades and stopped the enemy within a few feet of his position. Rivera was mortally wounded and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Army's second highest military decoration.

Military decorations
Among Private Rivera's military decorations are the following:

Medal of Honor
On March 18, 2014 his Distinguished Service Medal award will be upgraded by President Barack Obama to the Medal of Honor in ceremonies held in the White House. Rivers will be one of four Puerto Ricans to be honored that day and one of nine Puerto Ricans to have been awarded the Medal of Honor.