| Demensio Rivera | |
| Birth Date: | April 28, 1932 |
| Birth Place: | Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico |
| Death Place: | New York City, NY |
| Placeofburial: | San Miguel Arcangel Cemetery, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico |
| Placeofburial Label: | Place of burial |
| Allegiance: | United States of America |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1950–1951 |
| Rank: | Private First Class |
| Unit: | 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division |
| Battles: | Korean War |
| Awards: | Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
Private Demensio Rivera (April 28, 1932 – March 19, 1967) was a United States Army veteran of the Korean War who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross; the award was upgraded in 2014, decades after his death, to the Medal of Honor.[1]
Demensio Rivera y Avilés was the youngest of five children born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico[1] to Demensio Rivera Y Negrón and Dolores Avilés De Rivera. 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.[1] In 1951, he was deployed to the Republic of Korea as a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. When his unit was attacked by the enemy during the UN May–June 1951 counteroffensive, 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 seriously wounded and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second highest military decoration. His DSC was upgraded to the Medal of Honor and was posthumously awarded to him in 2014.
Rivera was residing in New York City where he died on March 19, 1967. His body was transferred to Puerto Rico. He was buried with full military honors in section C row K -184 at the Cementerio San Miguel Arcangel located in Carretera PR-308, Parcelas Puerto Real, Cabo Rojo.[2]
The bestowal of the Medal of Honor recognized Rivera for his actions at Changyong-ni, Korea, May 22–23, 1951.[1] When the outpost area occupied by his platoon was assaulted during the night, Rivera, an automatic rifleman, held his forward position tenaciously, although exposed to very heavy fire.[1] When his rifle became inoperative, Rivera employed his pistol and grenades, and eventually fought the enemy hand-to-hand and forced them back.[1]
Rivera was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in a March 18, 2014 White House ceremony. Rivera was one of four Puerto Ricans to be honored that day and one of nine Puerto Ricans to have received the Medal of Honor.[3]
The award came through the Defense Authorization Act which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.[4] [5]
Among Private Rivera's military decorations are the following:
| 1 | Combat Infantryman Badge | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Medal of Honor | Purple Heart | |||||
| 3 | Army Good Conduct Medal | National Defense Service Medal | Korean Service Medal with one bronze service star | ||||
| 4 | Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | United Nations Korea Medal | Korean War Service Medal | ||||
| 5 | Marksmanship Badge with rifle bar | ||||||