The Medal of Honor was introduced 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 (61) 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] President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to 17 Hispanics on a March 18, 2014 in a ceremony in the White House. The award comes through the National 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.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez, is the only Hispanic graduate of the United States Naval Academy to receive the Medal of Honor.[9] 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.[10]
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.[11]
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.
| Image | Name | Rank | Branch | Unit | Place of action | Date of action | Notes/Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy | Massachusetts, | Assault on Fort Fisher | "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"[12] | |||||
| Army | Company I, 19th Massachusetts Infantry | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Attacked a confederate flag bearer from the 19th Virginia Infantry regiment and captured their flag. | |||||
| Navy | 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[13] |
During the Boxer Rebellion only one Hispanic American received the Medal of Honor and that was France Silva who earned it for "distinguishing himself for meritorious conduct".
| Image | Name | Rank | Branch | Unit | Place of action | Date of action | Notes/Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff sergeant | Army | 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division | St. Die, France | [16] | ||||
| Private | Army | Company C, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division | Schevenhutte, Germany | Dec. 3, 1944 | [17] | |||
| Staff sergeant | Army | Company H, 7th Infantry | Artena, Italy | Risked his life to destroy three hostile machine guns. | ||||
| Private | Army | Company D, 2d Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division | Amfreville, France | June 9, 1944 | He destroyed three hostile machine guns before he was fatally wounded. | |||
| Staff sergeant | Army | Company B, 22d Infantry, 4th Infantry Division | Near Grosshau, Germany | "While an acting squad leader, he single-handedly assaulted two enemy machine gun emplacements"[18] | ||||
| Private first class | Marine Corps | 4th Battalion, 15th Marines 6th Marine Division | Ryūkyū Chain, Okinawa | Sacrificed his life to smother a grenade with his body | ||||
| Army | Company A, 127th Infantry, 32 Infantry Division | Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands | Was killed in action in the Philippines while digging out fellow soldiers who had been buried in a bomb explosion | |||||
| Private first class | Army | Company E, 142d Infantry, 36th Infantry Division | Near Mertzwiller, France | Injured in action while charging an enemy stronghold resulting in the capture of eight enemy soldiers | ||||
| Private first class | Army | 602d Ordnance Armament Maintenance Battalion, 45th Infantry Division | Aprilia, Italy | May 27–28, 1944 | For courageous actions during combat operations in Aprilia, Italy before he was fatally wounded. | |||
| Sergeant | Army | 2d Infantry Division | Near Krinkelt, Belgium | Single-handedly repulsed a German infantry attack, killing at least 100 enemy troops | ||||
| Private | Army | Company K, 32d Infantry, 7th Infantry Division | Attu, Aleutians, Alaska, United States | Killed in action while participating in the defeat of enemy forces in a snow-covered mountain.[19] | ||||
| Staff sergeant | Army | 350th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division | Battaglia, Italy | Oct. 4, 1944 | For courageous actions during combat operations on Mount Battaglia, Italy before he was fatally wounded. | |||
| Private first class | Army | Company A 511th Parachute Infantry, 11th Airborne Division | Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippine Islands | Killed 18 enemy soldiers so his company could advance | ||||
| Private | Army | Company B, 148th Infantry, 37th Division | Paco Railroad Station, Manila, Philippine Islands | 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 defeated | ||||
| Private first class | Army | 165th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division | Okinawa | Risked his life to eliminate an enemy pillbox and kill the 12 enemy soldiers who were occupying it | ||||
| Private first class | Army | Company B, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division | Rosenkrantz, France | [20] | ||||
| Staff sergeant | Army | Company F, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division | Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands |
| Image | Name | Rank | Branch | Unit | Place of action | Date of action | Notes/Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporal | Army | Company B, 1st Battalion, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division. | Kangdong, North Korea | Nov. 25, 1950 | |||
| Corporal | Army | Company A, 1st Battalion, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. | Chorwon, North Korea | Aug. 1, 1952 | |||
| Private first class | Marine Corps | Company I 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines 1st Marine Division | Korea | [21] | |||
| Private first class | Marine Corps | Company E 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines 1st Marine Division | Kajon-ni, Korea | ||||
| Sergeant | Army | Company I, 3d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment (Infantry), 1st Cavalry Division. | Tabu-dong, South Korea | Sept. 3, 1950 | For heroism in inflicting a heavy toll in casualties and retarding the enemy's advance. | ||
| Staff sergeant | Marine Corps | Company F 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines 1st Marine Division | Songuch-on, Korea | ||||
| Corporal | Army | Company G, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team | Near Wontong-ni, Korea | ||||
| First lieutenant | Marine Corps | Company A 1st Battalion, 5th Marines 1st Marine Division | Inchon Landing, Korea | ||||
| Corporal | Army | Company A, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division | Satacri, Korea | ||||
| Master sergeant | Army | 65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division | Kalma-Eri, North Korea | April 28, 1951 | For courageous actions during combat operations in Kalma-Eri, North Korea. | ||
| Private first class | Marine Corps | Company G 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines 1st Marine Division | Second Battle of Seoul | ||||
| Master sergeant | Army | Company F, 2d Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment (Infantry), 1st Cavalry Division. | Waegwan, South Korea | Sept. 4, 1950 | |||
| Private | Army | Company G, 2d Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. | Changyong-ni, South Korea | May 23, 1951 | For courageous actions during combat operations in Changyong-ni, South Korea. | ||
| Private first class | Army | Company F, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division | Near Munye-ri, Korea | ||||
| Private | Army | Company F, 2d Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. | Chorwon, South Korea | Sept. 21, 1952 | |||
| Image | Name | Rank | Branch | Unit | Place of action | Date of action | Notes/Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist four | Army | Company D, 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. | Phuoc Long province, South Vietnam | Aug. 12, 1969 | ||||
| Master sergeant | Army | Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces | Loc Ninh, Vietnam | [22] | ||||
| Staff sergeant | Army | Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry, 3d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division. | Ap Tan Hoa, South Vietnam | April 4, 1969 | ||||
| Lance corporal | Marine Corps | Company E 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines | Da Nang | |||||
| Private first class | Marine Corps | 1st Battalion, 7th Marines | Quang Nam Province | |||||
| Specialist four | Army | Company E, 2d Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). | South Vietnam | April 10, 1969 | Mounting a log, he fired directly into the enemy's foxholes and eliminated four of them and several others as they fled. | |||
| Specialist four | Army | Company C, 1st Battalion (Airmobile), 501st Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division | Tam Ky | [23] [24] | ||||
| Specialist four | Army | Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry (Mechanized) 25th Infantry Division | Hau Nghia Province | |||||
| Sergeant | Army | Lai Khe, South Vietnam | Dec. 8, 1968 | |||||
| Sergeant | Marine Corps | Company A 1st Battalion, 1st Marines | Hue City | |||||
| Lance corporal | Marine Corps | Company K 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines 1st Marine Division | Quang Nam Province | |||||
| Lance corporal | Marine Corps | III Marine Amphibious Force | Quang Ngai Province | |||||
| Private first class | Army | Company A, 2nd Battalion, 502d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade | Dak To | |||||
| Specialist four | Army | Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry,173d Airborne Brigade | Republic of Vietnam | [25] | ||||
| Sergeant first class | Army | Advisory Team 162, United States Military Assistance Command | Northeast of Katum, Republic of Vietnam | |||||
| Sergeant first class | Army | Detachment B-36, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. | Phuoc Long Province, South Vietnam | September 1, 1969 | For actions during combat operations against an armed enemy . | |||
| Captain | Army | Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division | Tay Ninh Province | |||||
| Specialist four | Army | Company B, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (airmobile) | Quang Tri Province | |||||
| Sergeant first class | Army | Company C, 2d Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division | Republic of Vietnam | |||||
| Captain | Marine Corps | Company G 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade | Dai Do | – | ||||
| Captain | Army | Detachment A-23, 5th Special Forces Group | An Xuyen Province | – | ||||
| First sergeant | Army | Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division | Near Phu Hoa Dong |
| Military branch | Posthumously | In person | Number of awards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | 30 | 16 | 46 | |
| Marines | 11 | 2 | 13 | |
| Navy | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 41 | 20 | 61 |