List of Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients

The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an enemy of the United States. Due to the nature of this medal, it is commonly presented posthumously.^[1]

Sixty-one men of Hispanic heritage have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Of the sixty-one Medals of Honor presented to Hispanics, two were presented to members of the United States Navy, thirteen to members of the United States Marine Corps and forty-six to members of the United States Army. Forty-two Medals of Honor were presented posthumously.^[2]

The first recipient was Corporal Joseph H. De Castro of the Union Army for his actions at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War and the most recent recipient is Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry for his actions in Afghanistan. Corporal De Castro was a member of the Massachusetts Infantry, a militia that was not part of the "regular" army; however, Private David Bennes Barkley was a member of the regular army during World War I and has been recognized as the Army's first Hispanic Medal of Honor recipient.^[3] In 1864, Seaman John Ortega became the first Hispanic member of the U.S. Navy to receive the Medal of Honor and in 1900, Private France Silva became the first person of Hispanic descent in the U.S. Marine Corps to receive the medal.^[4]

Fifteen recipients were born outside the United States mainland, one each in Chile and Spain, five in Mexico and eight in Puerto Rico. Seaman Philip Bazaar from Chile received the medal in January 1865 and Seaman John Ortega from Spain in December 1865. The first native Mexican recipient was Staff Sergeant Marcario Garcia and the first Puerto Rican was PFC Fernando Luis Garcia.^[5] 1st Lt. Rudolph B. Davila, of Hispanic-Filipino descent, was the only person of Filipino ancestry to receive the medal for his actions in the war in Europe during World War II.^[6] Private Joe P. Martinez was the first Hispanic-American recipient to be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for combat heroism on American soil during the same conflict.^[7] 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez, is the only Hispanic graduate of the United States Naval Academy recipient of the Medal of Honor.^[8] Captain Humbert Roque Versace was the first recipient of the Medal of Honor to be given to an Army POW for his actions during captivity in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.^[9]

TerminologyEdit

Hispanic is an ethnic term employed to categorize any citizen or resident of the United States, of any racial background, of any country, and of any religion, who has at least one ancestor from the people of Spain or is of non-Hispanic origin, but has an ancestor from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central or South America, or other Hispanic origin. The three largest Hispanic groups in the United States are the Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans.^[10]

American Civil WarEdit

Three Hispanic Americans earned the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, two were sailors of the Union Navy and one was a soldier of the 19th Massachusetts Infantry.

      This with the * indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously

Image	Name	Rank	Branch	Place of action	Date of action	Notes	Refs
—	Bazaar, PhilipPhilip Bazaar	E-01 !Ordinary Seaman	Navy	Assault on Fort Fisher	000000001865-01-15-0000January 15, 1865	"As one of a boat crew detailed to one of the generals on shore, O.S. Bazaar bravely entered the fort in the assault and accompanied his party in carrying dispatches at the height of the battle. He was 1 of 6 men who entered the fort in the assault from the fleet"	[11]
—	De Castro, Joseph H.Joseph H. De Castro	E-04 !Corporal	Army	Gettysburg, Pennsylvania	000000001863-07-03-0000July 3, 1863	Attacked a confederate flag bearer from the 19th Virginia Infantry regiment and captured their flag.	[11]
	Ortega, JohnJohn Ortega	E-01 !Seaman	Navy	USS Saratoga	000000001864-12-01-0000December 1864	Was a member of a landing party who made several raids in August and September 1864 which resulted in the capture of many confederate prisoners and the taking or destruction of substantial quantities of ordnance, ammunition, and supplies. A number of buildings, bridges, and salt works were also destroyed during the expedition	[12]

Boxer rebellionEdit

The Boxer Movement, or Boxer Rebellion, was a Chinese uprising from November 1899 to September 7, 1901, against foreign influence in areas such as trade, politics, religion and technology that occurred in China during the final years of the Manchu rule (Qing Dynasty).^[13]

The members of the Chinese Righteous Harmony Society|Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists were simply called boxers by the Westerners due to the martial arts and calisthenics they practiced. It began as an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, peasant-based movement that attacked foreigners who were building railroads and violating Feng shui. Christians who they felt were responsible for foreign domination of China were also targeted. In June 1900, the Boxers invaded Beijing and killed 230 non-Chinese. Before it ended, tens of thousands of Chinese Christians, Catholic and Protestants were killed, mostly in the Shandong and Shanxi provinces.^[13]

The government of Empress Dowager Cixi gave her support to the boxers causing foreign diplomats, civilians, soldiers and even some Chinese Christians to retreat to the legation quarter. They held out against the boxers for 55 days until a multinational coalition rushed 20,000 troops to their rescue. The Chinese government was forced to indemnify the victims and make many additional concessions. Subsequent reforms implemented after the crisis of 1900 laid the foundation for the end of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the modern Chinese Republic.^[13]

During the Boxer rebellion, 59 American servicemen received the Medal of Honor for their actions.^[14] Only one of these, France Silva, who received the Medal of Honor for "distinguishing himself for meritorious conduct" while serving aboard the USS Newark, was a Hispanic American.^[15]

World War IEdit

World War I was a global military conflict that embroiled most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Entente and the Central Powers.^[16] The immediate cause of the war was the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb citizen of Austria–Hungary and member of the Black Hand. The retaliation by Austria–Hungary against Serbia activated a series of alliances that set off a chain reaction of war declarations. Within a month, much of Europe was in a state of open warfare, resulting in the mobilization of more than 65 million European soldiers,^[17] and more than 40 million casualties—including approximately 20 million deaths by the end of the war.^[18]

When World War I broke out, the United States maintained a policy of isolationism, avoiding conflict while trying to negotiate peace between the warring nations. However, when a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in 1915, with 128 Americans aboard, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson demanded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied and Wilson unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement. He repeatedly warned that the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in violation of international law.^[19]

By the end of the war one hundred twenty one men would receive the Medal for their actions in World War I, 35 of them posthumously.^[20][21] Of the 121 recipients only one, David B. Barkley was a Hispanic American. He received the medal for volunteering to swim across a river to gather information on an enemy force. When he was swimming back across the river he got cramps and drowned.^[22]

      This with the * indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously

Image	Name	Rank	Branch	Place of action	Date of action	Notes[22]
	Barkley, David B.David B. Barkley*	E-1 !Private	Army	Near Pouilly, France	000000001918-11-09-0000November 9, 1918	Volunteered to swim a river to gather information on an enemy force. When he was swimming back across the river he got cramps and drowned.

World War IIEdit

      This with the * indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously

Image	Name	Branch	Rank	Place of action	Date of action	Notes	Refs
90px	Adams, LucianLucian Adams	Staff Sergeant	Army	St. Die, France	000000001944-10-01-0000October 1944	"[P]ersonally killed 9 Germans, eliminated 3 enemy machineguns, vanquished a specialized force which was armed with automatic weapons and grenade launchers, cleared the woods of hostile elements, and reopened the severed supply lines to the assault companies of his battalion."	[23]
	Cano, PedroPedro Cano	Private	Army	Schevenhutte, Germany	Dec. 3, 1944	During an attack on German forces he risked his life by crawling through a minefield with a rocket launcher and repeatedly attacking a German tank unit	[24]
90px	Davila, Rudolph B.Rudolph B. Davila	Staff Sergeant	Army	Artena, Italy	000000001944-05-28-0000May 28, 1944	Risked his life to defeat an attacking force of enemy soldiers.	[23]
—	Gandara, JoeJoe Gandara	Private	Army	Amfreville, France	June 9, 1944	He destroyed three hostile machine guns before he was fatally wounded.	[24]
	Garcia, MarcarioMarcario Garcia	Staff Sergeant	Army	Near Grosshau, Germany	000000001944-11-27-0000November 27, 1944	"While an acting squad leader, he single-handedly assaulted two enemy machine gun emplacements"	[25]
	Gonsalves, HaroldHarold Gonsalves*	Private First Class	Marine Corps	Ryūkyū Chain, Okinawa	000000001945-04-15-0000April 15, 1945	Sacrificed his life to smother a grenade with his body	[25]
	Gonzales, David M.David M. Gonzales*	Private First Class	Army	Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands	000000001945-04-25-0000April 25, 1945	Was killed in action in the Philippines while digging out fellow soldiers who had been buried in a bomb explosion	[25]
90px	Herrera, Silvestre S.Silvestre S. Herrera	Private First Class	Army	Near Mertzwiller, France	000000001945-03-15-0000March 15, 1945	Injured in action while charging an enemy stronghold resulting in the capture of eight enemy soldiers	[25]
—	Lara, Salvador J.Salvador J. Lara	Private First Class	Army	Aprilia, Italy	May 27–28, 1944	For courageous actions during combat operations in Aprilia, Italy before he was fatally wounded.	[24]
	Lopez, Jose M.Jose M. Lopez	Sergeant	Army	Near Krinkelt, Belgium	000000001944-12-17-0000December 17, 1944	Risked his life to continue firing on an attacking enemy force which prevented them from flanking his unit and allowed his unit to repel the attack.	[25]
90px	Martinez, Joe P.Joe P. Martinez*	Private	Army	Attu, Aleutians	000000001943-05-26-0000May 26, 1943	Killed in action while participating in the defeat of enemy forces in a snow covered mountain.	[26]
	Jr., Manuel PerezManuel Perez Jr.*	Private First Class	Army	Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippine Islands	000000001945-02-13-0000February 13, 1945	Killed 18 enemy soldiers and that they were in so his company could advance	[26]
	Mendoza, Manuel V. Manuel V. Mendoza	Staff Sergeant	Army	Battaglia, Italy	Oct. 4, 1944	For courageous actions during combat operations on Mount Battaglia, Italy before he was fatally wounded.	[24]
	Rodriguez, Cleto L.Cleto L. Rodriguez	Private	Army	Paco Railroad Station, Manila, Philippine Islands	000000001945-02-09-0000February 9, 1945	With another soldier, who was killed in the action, killed more than 82 Japanese, completely disorganized their defense, and allowed for the enemy to be defeatede	[26]
	Ruiz, Alejandro R.Alejandro R. Ruiz	Private First Class	Army	Okinawa	000000001945-04-28-0000April 28, 1945	Risked his life to eliminate an enemy pillbox and kill the 12 enemy soldiers who were occupying it	[26]
90px	Valdez, Jose F.Jose F. Valdez*	Private First Class	Army	Rosenkrantz, France	000000001945-01-25-0000January 25, 1945	Sacrificed his own life to repulse an attack from a much larger enemy attack allowing his unit to counterattack and drive off the enemy	[27]
	Villegas, Ysmael R.Ysmael R. Villegas*	Staff Sergeant	Army	Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands	000000001945-03-20-0000March 20, 1945	Sacrificed his own life by charging multiple enemy fighting positions and killing the enemy until he was killed	[27]

Korean WarEdit

The Korean War was an escalation of border clashes between two rival Korean regimes (each of which was supported by external powers) with each Korean regime trying to topple the other through political and guerilla tactics. In a very narrow sense, some may refer to it as a civil war, though many other factors were at play.^[28] After failing to strengthen their cause in the free elections held in South Korea during May 1950^[29] and the refusal of South Korea to hold new elections per North Korean demands, the communist North Korean Army moved south on June 25, 1950 to attempt to reunite the Korean peninsula, which had been formally divided since 1948. The conflict was then expanded by the United States and the Soviet Union's involvement as part of the larger Cold War. The main hostilities were during the period from June 25, 1950 until the armistice was signed on July 27, 1953.

During the Korean War 146 United States military personnel received the Medal of Honor for valor in combat. Ninety-eight Medals of Honor were presented posthumously. Of these recipients, 14 were hispanic Americans, nine of which received the medal posthumously.       This with the * indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously

Image	Name	Rank	Branch	Place of action	Date of action	Notes[30]
	Baldonado, Joe R.Joe R. Baldonado†	Army	E-04Corporal	Kangdong, Korea	000000001950-11-25-0000November 25, 1950	Sacrificed his life by remaining in an exposed machine gun position during an enemy attack; killed numerous enemy troops.[31]
	Espinoza, Victor H.Victor H. Espinoza	Army	E-04Corporal	Chorwon, Korea	000000001952-08-01-0000August 1, 1952	Single-handedly silenced a machine gun crew, discovered and destroyed covert enemy tunnel, wiped out two bunkers.[32]
	García, Fernando LuisFernando Luis García*	Private First Class	Marine Corps	Korea	000000001952-09-05-0000September 5, 1952	While defending a combat outpost located more than one mile forward of the main line of fighting, he chose to sacrifice himself by smothering an enemy grenade with his body that landed nearby in order to save another Marine.
	Gomez, EdwardEdward Gomez*	Private First Class	Marine Corps	Kajon-ni, Korea	000000001951-09-14-0000September 14, 1951	Sacrificed himself to save other Marines by smothering an enemy grenade absorbing the explosion in his own body.
	Guillen, AmbrosioAmbrosio Guillen*	Staff Sergeant	Marine Corps	Songuch-on, Korea	000000001953-07-25-0000July 25, 1953	He maneuvered his platoon over unfamiliar terrain in the face of hostile fire and placed his men in fighting positions. With his unit pinned down when the outpost was attacked under cover of darkness by an estimated force of two enemy battalions supported by mortar and artillery fire, he deliberately exposed himself to the heavy barrage and attacks to direct his men in defending their positions and personally supervise the treatment and evacuation of the wounded. Inspired by his leadership, the platoon quickly rallied and engaged the enemy force in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Although critically wounded he refused medical aid and continued to direct his men throughout the remainder of the engagement until the enemy was defeated and thrown into disorderly retreat. Succumbing to his wounds within a few hours
	Hernandez, Rodolfo P.Rodolfo P. Hernandez	Corporal	Army	Near Wontong-ni, Korea	000000001951-05-31-0000May 31, 1951	While in a defensive position on Hill 420 his platoon came under attack by a numerically superior and hostile force. They utilized heavy artillery, mortar, and machinegun fire which inflicted numerous casualties on the platoon. When comrades were forced to withdraw due to lack of ammunition and although wounded in an exchange of grenades, Hernandez continued to fire into the onrushing enemy until a ruptured cartridge rendered his rifle inoperative. He then rushed the enemy armed only with rifle and bayonet and engaging them killing 6 before falling unconscious from grenade, bayonet, and bullet wounds. His actions momentarily halted the enemy advance and enabled his unit to counterattack and retake the lost ground.
	Lopez, BaldomeroBaldomero Lopez*	First Lieutenant	Marine Corps	Inchon Landing, Korea	000000001950-09-15-0000September 15, 1950	Sacrificed his life by smothering a grenade with his body preventing any of the other friendly forces from being killed in the blast.
90px	Martinez, BenitoBenito Martinez*	Corporal	Army	Satacri, Korea	000000001952-09-06-0000September 6, 1952	When his position was surrounded by the enemy, he refused rescue due to the risk involved and remained in his position throughout the night fighting off enemy forces until he was killed by the enemy. His continued resistance enabled friendly elements to reorganize, attack, and regain the key terrain.
	Negrón, JuanJuan Negrón	Army	E-08Master Sergeant	Kalma-Eri, Korea	000000001951-04-28-0000April 28, 1951	Held the most vulnerable position on his company’s position throughout the night, accurately hurling hand grenades at short range when hostile troops approached.[33]
	Obregon, Eugene ArnoldEugene Arnold Obregon*	Private First Class	Marine Corps	Second Battle of Seoul	000000001950-09-26-0000September 26, 1950	After a fellow Marine fell wounded he fired his pistol with one hand as he ran, grasping his comrade by the arm with his other hand and, despite the great peril to himself, dragged him to the side of the road. He was bandaging the man's wounds while hostile troops of approximately platoon strength fired at them and began advancing toward his position. Using the wounded Marine's carbine, he risked his life by placing his own body as a shield in front of the wounded Marine and lay there firing accurately and effectively into the hostile group until he himself was fatally wounded by enemy machine-gun fire. His actions enabled his fellow Marines to rescue the wounded man and aided in repelling the attack
	Pena, Mike C.Mike C. Pena†	Army	E-08Master Sergeant	Waegwan, Korea	000000001950-09-04-0000September 4, 1950	Covered his unit's retreat and single-handedly held off large enemy force overnight, until being killed the following morning.[34]
	Rivera, DemensioDemensio Rivera	Army	E-02Private First Class	Changyongni, Korea	000000001951-05-22-0000May 22, 1951 to 000000001951-05-23-0000May 23, 1951	An automatic rifleman, Rivera tenaciously held a forward position exposed to heavy fire; when his rifle became inoperative, Rivera used his pistol and grenades, and eventually fought hand-to-hand and forced back the enemy.[35]
	Rodriguez, Joseph C.Joseph C. Rodriguez	Private First Class	Army	Near Munye-ri, Korea	000000001951-05-21-0000May 21, 1951	While participating in an attack against a hostile force occupying well-fortified positions on rugged commanding terrain, he risked his life by dashing 60 yards up hill through intense enemy fire. After lobbing grenades into the first foxhole killing its occupants he silenced an automatic weapon with 2 grenades and continued his assault to the top of the peak, wiping out 2 more foxholes. Next, he then tossed grenades into the remaining emplacement, destroying the gun and annihilating its crew. His actions resulted in 15 enemy dead and the defense of the opposition was broken, the enemy routed, and the strategic strongpoint was secured.
	Vera, MiguelMiguel Vera†	Army	E-01Private	Chorwon, Korea	000000001952-09-21-0000September 21, 1952	Selflessly chose to remain in position during an enemy attack and cover friendly troops' withdrawal from part of "Old Baldy" hill.[36]

Vietnam WarEdit

The Vietnam War took place from 1955 to 1975. The war was fought between the Communist-supported Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the United States-supported Republic of Vietnam, beginning with the presence of a small number of US military advisors in 1955 and escalating into direct US involvement in a ground war in 1965. It concluded with the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, defeating the United States foreign policy in Vietnam.^[37]

During the Vietnam War, 248 Medals of Honor were received, 156 (62.9%) of them posthumously. Soldiers of the Army received the most with 161, followed by 57 to the Marines, 16 to the Navy and the remaining 14 to the Air Force.^[38] Of these, 24 recipients were hispanic and of those, 17 were presented posthumously.

      This with the * indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously

Image	Name	Rank	Branch	Place of action	Date of action	Notes	Refs
	Alvarado, Leonard L.Leonard L. Alvarado*	E-4 !Specialist Four	Army	Phước Long Province	000000001969-08-12-0000August 12, 1969	For disrupting an enemy raid and saving the lives of several comrades	[39]
90px	Baca, John P.John P. Baca	E-4 !Specialist Four	Army	Phuoc Long Province	000000001970-02-10-0000February 10, 1970	Risked his own life by smothering a grenade with his body to save several fellow soldiers	[40]
	Benavidez, Roy P.Roy P. Benavidez	Master Sergeant	Army	Loc Ninh, Vietnam	000000001968-05-02-0000May 2, 1968	Risked his own life to rescue a group of fellow soldiers who had been killed or injured by enemy forces. While evacuating wounded and although he was seriously wounded himself he continued to direct fire at enemy forces as the dead and injured were evacuated as well as ensuring all classified documents at the scene were either retrieved or destroyed to prevent them from being found by the enemy.	[40]
	Conde-Falcon, Felix M.Felix M. Conde-Falcon*	E-6 !Staff Sergeant	Army	Ap Tan Hoa	000000001969-04-04-0000April 4, 1969	Killed while assaulting heavily fortified enemy bunkers	[41]
	Copas, Ardie R.Ardie R. Copas*	E-4 !Specialist Four	Army	Ph Romeas Hek, Cambodia	000000001970-05-12-0000May 12, 1970	Killed while holding off an enemy ambush while wounded, so his comrades could be evacuated	[42]
	De La Garza, Emilio A.Emilio A. De La Garza*	Lance Corporal	Marine Corps	Da Nang	000000001970-04-11-0000April 11, 1970	Sacrificed his life to save the lives of two fellow Marines when an enemy soldier they were attempting to capture pulled the pin on a grenade.	[40]
	Dias, Ralph E.Ralph E. Dias*	Private First Class	Marine Corps	Quang Nam Province	000000001969-11-12-0000November 12, 1969	Sacrificed his life by repeatedly attacking a heavily armed enemy position. Was mortally wounded as he destroyed the enemy position.	[40]
	Duran, Jesus S.Jesus S. Duran*	E-5 !Sergeant	Army	Ph Romeas Hek, Cambodia	000000001969-04-10-0000April 10, 1969	Saved wounded Americans on a search and clear operation	[43]
	Erevia, Santiago J.Santiago J. Erevia	E-4 !Specialist Four	Army	near Tam Kỳ	000000001969-05-01-0000May 1969	For his courageous actions while serving as radio telephone operator in Company C, 1st Battalion (Airmobile), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) during search and clear mission.	[44]
90px	Fernandez, DanielDaniel Fernandez*	E-4 !Specialist Four	Army	Hau Nghia Province	000000001966-02-18-0000February 18, 1966		[40]
	Garcia, CandelarioCandelario Garcia*	Sergeant	Army	Lai Khe	000000001968-12-08-0000December 8, 1968	Destroyed two enemy machine gun nests while saving wounded comrades	[45]
90px	Gonzalez, Alfredo CantuAlfredo Cantu Gonzalez*	Sergeant	Marine Corps	Hue City	000000001968-02-04-0000February 4, 1968		[40]
	Jimenez, Jose FranciscoJose Francisco Jimenez*	Lance Corporal	Marine Corps	Quang Nam Province	000000001969-08-28-0000August 28, 1969		[40]
	Keith, MiguelMiguel Keith*	Lance Corporal	Marine Corps	Quang Ngai Province	000000001970-05-08-0000May 8, 1970		[40]
90px	Lozada, CarlosCarlos Lozada*	Private First Class	Army	Dak To	000000001967-11-20-0000November 20, 1967		[40]
	Rascon, Alfred V.Alfred V. Rascon	Specialist Four	Army	Republic of Vietnam	000000001966-03-16-0000March 16, 1966		[46]
	Rocco, Louis R.Louis R. Rocco	Sergeant First Class	Army	Northeast of Katum, Republic of Vietnam	000000001970-05-24-0000May 24, 1970		[46]
	Rodela, JoseJose Rodela	Master Sergeant	Army	Phuoc Long Province	000000001969-09-01-0000September 1, 1969	Repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to attend to the fallen and eliminate an enemy rocket position.	[47]
90px	Rubio, EuripidesEuripides Rubio*	Captain	Army	Tay Ninh Province	000000001966-11-08-0000November 8, 1966		[46]
	Santiago-Colon, HectorHector Santiago-Colon*	E-4 !Specialist Four	Army	Quang Tri Province	000000001968-06-28-0000June 28, 1968	Sacrificed his own life by smothering a grenade with his body	[46]
	Smith, Elmelindo RodriguesElmelindo Rodrigues Smith*	Sergeant First Class	Army	Republic of Vietnam	000000001967-02-16-0000February 16, 1967	Sacrificed his life to keep firing on an enemy force so his unit, that had been pinned down, could	[46]
	Vargas, Jay R.Jay R. Vargas	Captain	Marine Corps	Dai Do	000000001968-04-30-0000April 30, 1968–000000001968-05-02-0000May 2, 1968	Although seriously wounded himself he led his Marines in combat against a larger enemy force for three days.	[46]
	Versace, Humbert RoqueHumbert Roque Versace*	Captain	Army	An Xuyen Province	000000001963-10-29-0000October 29, 1963–000000001965-09-26-0000September 26, 1965	Maintained a high level of discipline and leadership while a Viet Cong POW before being executed.	[46]
—	Yabes, MaximoMaximo Yabes*	First Sergeant	Army	Near Phu Hoa Dong	000000001967-02-26-0000February 26, 1967	After smothering an enemy grenade with his own body he continued to repel an enemy attack until he was killed	[46]

War in AfghanistanEdit

Only one Hispanic American has received the Medal of Honor for their actions in the War in Afghanistan. Leroy Petry was serving in the vicinity of Paktya Province, Afghanistan May 26, 2008 with the 75th Ranger Regiment when the events for his medal occurred. He and other rangers were clearing a house of a high valued target when they were attacked by small arms fire and wounded. While getting themselves to cover and radioing for assistance an enemy fighter threw a grenade and it landed nearby. Petry immediately grabbed the grenade and attempted to throw it but it exploded amputating his hand and injuring him with shrapnel.^{[48][49][50][51]}

Image	Name	Rank	Branch	Place of action	Date of action	Notes
	Petry, LeroyLeroy Petry	E-7 !Sergeant First Class	Army	Afghanistan	000000002008-05-26-0000May 26, 2008	An enemy threw a grenade at their position which landed 10 meters from them; it detonated, knocked them to the ground, wounded Higgins, and Robinson was further wounded. Shortly thereafter the three were joined by SSG James Roberts and SPC Christopher Gathercole. Another grenade was thrown by an enemy which landed a few feet from Higgins and Robinson. Petry, knowing the risk to his life, moved toward the grenade, picked it up, and attempted to throw it in the direction of the enemy.[48][49]

By military branchEdit

Note: The information in "Awards by branch of service Table" is based on the sourced information on the "List of Recipients Table".

See alsoEdit

• Puerto Rican recipients of the Medal of Honor
• Hispanic Americans in World War II
• Hispanics in the United States Marine Corps
• Hispanics in the United States Navy
• Hispanics in the United States Coast Guard
• Hispanics in the American Civil War

ReferencesEdit

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

External linksEdit

• Hispanic Medal of Honor Society Listing of Hispanics who received the Medal of Honor and those who are listed as nominees.
• "Who's Who list of Marines". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Whos_Who.htm. Retrieved July 24, 2008. 
• "Medal of Honor recipients". Listing of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who received the Medal of Honor during World War II. United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. http://www.history.army.mil/moh.html. Retrieved June 29, 2009. 
• "Hispanic American Medal of Honor recipients USA". Contributions of American Hispanics/Latinos Heritage and Ancestry to the United States of America. Hispanic America USA. http://www.neta.com/~1stbooks/medal2.htm. Retrieved July 12, 2006. 
• Eugene A. Obregon Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial Foundation, dedicated to financing and constructing a monument to honor the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients of Latino descent.

• Landa, Victor (May 29, 2006). "List of Latino patriots grows longer". San Antonio Express-News. http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/stories/MYSA052906.2O.landa.2365584.html. Retrieved July 12, 2006. 

• "Medal of Honor recipients". Celebrating Hispanic Heritage. GoArmy.com, U.S. Army. http://www.goarmy.com/hhm/moh_wwii.jsp. Retrieved December 24, 2006. ^{[dead link]}

• "Hispanics and the Medal of Honor". History Channel Classroom Study Guide. The History Channel. http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.2007.html. Retrieved July 16, 2006. . (Original air date: September 20, 2005)

• Ricardo Romo (August 22, 1997). "Above and Beyond". UT Discovery Magazine. http://www.utexas.edu/opa/pubs/discovery/disc1997v14n2/disc-above.html. Retrieved November 21, 2006.