| Jesus Santiago Duran | |
| Birth Date: | July 26, 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Juárez, Mexico |
| Death Place: | Riverside, California, U.S. |
| Placeofburial: | Olivewood Memorial Park, Riverside, California |
| Allegiance: | United States |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1968–1970 |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Unit: | Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Division (Airmobile) |
| Battles: | Vietnam War |
| Awards: | Medal of Honor Bronze Star Medal Air Medal |
Jesus Santiago Duran (July 26, 1948 – February 17, 1977) was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Duran was born, July 26, 1948, in Juarez, Mexico. He was the sixth of twelve siblings.[1]
Duran joined the U.S. Army on May 13, 1968, and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) to support Search and Destroy missions.[1] During his service in the Vietnam war, his actions resulted in him being awarded, posthumously in 2014, the Medal of Honor.[1]
After leaving the military, Duran pursued a career as a corrections officer at a juvenile detention center in San Bernardino, California, dedicating personal time to mentoring youths and leading them on educational trips.[1] He married twice and had two children.[1] Duran died on February 17, 1977, and is buried at Olivewood Memorial Park in Riverside, California.[2]
Duran's daughter, Tina Duran-Ruvalcaba, received the Medal of Honor on his behalf from President Barack Obama in a March 18, 2014 White House ceremony.[3] The following day, she received the Medal of Honor flag from Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, in a ceremony where Duran was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes.[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]
Jesus Duran is the protagonist of two award-winning documentaries directed by filmmaker Andrés Gallegos: From Mexico to Vietnam: A Chicano Story (2022) and the short documentary Immigrant Service: Focus on Jesus Duran (2021), both titles were produced by El Dorado Films in association with the Veteran Documentary Corps.
From Mexico to Vietnam: A Chicano Story
After losing her father at an early age, Tina Duran explores the rich history of her father, the story of her ancestors who migrated from Mexico to the United States, and the implications the Vietnam War had on the Chicano & Latino community.[5]
SGT Duran's awards included the following:[6]
| Badge | Combat Infantryman Badge | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st row | Medal of Honor | ||||||||||||
| 2nd row | Bronze Star | Air Medal | Army Good Conduct Medal | ||||||||||
| 3rd row | National Defense Service Medal | Vietnam Service Medal | Vietnam Campaign Medal | ||||||||||
| Badges | Sharpshooter Badge | Marksman Badge | |||||||||||
| Unit award | Vietnamese Gallantry Cross | ||||||||||||