Is A Mortally Wounded Man Less of a Hero?
A sad case.
Sgt. Rafael Peralta, mortally wounded by friendly fire, uses he last bit of strength to save his comrades from an insurgent's grenade. Now the Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, is questioning whether Peralta's last act was truly an act of self sacrifice, or the involuntary movement of a dying man.
Sgt. Rafael Peralta, mortally wounded by friendly fire, uses he last bit of strength to save his comrades from an insurgent's grenade. Now the Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, is questioning whether Peralta's last act was truly an act of self sacrifice, or the involuntary movement of a dying man.
An American Hero?
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The mother of a Marine who witnesses say covered a grenade with his body to save comrades in Iraq plans to appeal to Congress to award her son the nation's highest military honor after learning it was denied by Defense Secretary Robert Gates because of questions about his final act.
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The question about whether to award Peralta the Medal of Honor centers on whether the mortally wounded Marine, who was shot in the head and upper body, could have intentionally reached for the grenade and covered it with his body.
The initial report had credited Peralta with a conscious decision to shield his fellow soldiers from the blast. Witnesses claim he pulled the grenade to his body. Forensics support their claims.
The question is, as I see it, whether Peralta was a.) in a state of mind to know what he was doing and b.) capable of conscious, physical action given his grave injuries. I'm no doctor, but I know the dead and dying - especially those with head wounds - can have involuntary spasms in limbs. Such a motion could appear to be the act of pulling an object close to the body, or even flinging it away. But to slide an object underneath your body? In my opinion, that takes a conscious act, not only to maneuver the object, but the raise the body, even slightly, to allow room under the torso and flak jacket.
I think he deserves the Medal of Honor.
Perhaps, those with combat experience could weigh in?
The nomination, which relies on witness statements, forensics, bomb fragment analysis and an autopsy, concluded that although Peralta was shot in the head, he made "a conscious, heroic decision to cover the grenade and minimize the effects he knew it would have on the rest of his Marine team."
The nomination details Peralta's actions in the final minutes of his life, with several witnesses recounting how the Marine lay face down and used his arm to pull the grenade to him. It also says a forensic analysis of Peralta's clothing and flak jacket show the grenade was underneath him when it exploded.
The question is, as I see it, whether Peralta was a.) in a state of mind to know what he was doing and b.) capable of conscious, physical action given his grave injuries. I'm no doctor, but I know the dead and dying - especially those with head wounds - can have involuntary spasms in limbs. Such a motion could appear to be the act of pulling an object close to the body, or even flinging it away. But to slide an object underneath your body? In my opinion, that takes a conscious act, not only to maneuver the object, but the raise the body, even slightly, to allow room under the torso and flak jacket.
I think he deserves the Medal of Honor.
Perhaps, those with combat experience could weigh in?
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