Topic: Congressional Medal of Honor recipient dies

[rustybayonet]

HERNANDEZ, RODOLFO P.

Rank: Corporal U.S. Army Company GDivision: 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team Born: 14 April 1931, Colton, Calif.Departed: Yes (12/21/2013)Entered Service At: Fowler, Calif.G.O. Number: 40Date of Issue: 04/11/1952Accredited To: Fowler, CAPlace / Date: Near Wontong-ni, Korea, 31 May 1951





RIP Cpl.

[oldcoastie6468]

Cpl. Hernandez, a member of Company G, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His platoon, in defensive positions on Hill 420, came under ruthless attack by a numerically superior and fanatical hostile force, accompanied by heavy artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire which inflicted numerous casualties on the platoon. His comrades were forced to withdraw due to lack of ammunition but Cpl. Hernandez, although wounded in an exchange of grenades, continued to deliver deadly fire into the ranks of the onrushing assailants until a ruptured cartridge rendered his rifle inoperative. Immediately leaving his position, Cpl. Hernandez rushed the enemy armed only with rifle and bayonet. Fearlessly engaging the foe, he killed 6 of the enemy before falling unconscious from grenade, bayonet, and bullet wounds but his heroic action momentarily halted the enemy advance and enabled his unit to counterattack and retake the lost ground. The indomitable fighting spirit, outstanding courage, and tenacious devotion to duty clearly demonstrated by Cpl. Hernandez reflect the highest credit upon himself, the infantry, and the U.S. Army.[/b]

Such heroes are still with us, but not recognized nor allowed to fight our enemies due to the idiotic rules of engagement.

http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3127/hernandez-rodolfo-p.php

And this is very interesting, written before his death:

LIVING WITH HONOR

Once declared dead in Korea, Hernandez full of fire at 82

ERIK SLAVIN/STARS AND STRIPES
By Erik Slavin
Stars and Stripes

Published: June 13, 2013

Rodolfo "Rudy" Hernandez, Korean War-era Medal of Honor recipient, as shown soon after receiving the award. Despite sustaining numerous wounds, Hernandez' rifle and bayonet attack gave his unit the time it needed to establish a defense against a much larger enemy unit.

In the winter of 1951, there was no greater luxury in Korea than heat.

Bombs had consumed most of the trees, and there was little else left to burn during the first year of the Korean War. Tens of thousands of Koreans would perish from exposure and starvation.

America’s fighting men had it a little better. They had rations and clothing. They still suffered through Siberia-like temperatures and rampant frostbite, all while fighting an influx of hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers who had forced them into a retreat.

The 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team had jumped into North Korean territory in October, and bore the brunt of the cold and the retreat for many months.

By the end of May, its soldiers had reason for optimism. The temperatures rose and the Chinese Spring Offensive had stalled along the 38th parallel, the present-day border separating north from south.

On May 31, Cpl. Rodolfo “Rudy” Hernandez and Company G were dug in at Hill 420, about 15 miles south of the current border near the present-day village of Wontong-ri.

It was about 2 a.m. when Hernandez, 20, and his foxhole mate first heard the North Korean bugles. A larger force converged on the company’s position, pounding the hill with heavy artillery and following up with a small-arms assault.

Hernandez began firing and was quickly wounded by the incoming fire and grenades. When a cartridge in his rifle ruptured, all he had left were a few grenades and a bayonet. That was all Hernandez needed to buy his comrades some time.

Hernandez fixed his bayonet and charged, killing six enemy fighters before losing consciousness from grenade, bayonet and bullet wounds, according to his Medal of Honor citation. It stunned the enemy just long enough to allow the soldiers behind him to reload, regroup and counterattack.

Company G held its ground through the early morning. At daybreak, a medic named Keith Oates found Hernandez lying on the ground, riddled with wounds and near death, according to news reports. Oates bandaged him and sent Hernandez downhill to an aid unit.

When Hernandez arrived, he was declared dead. The medics were ready to zip him in a body bag when one of them saw his finger move.

A month later, a semiconscious Hernandez woke up in a South Korean hospital.

“I couldn’t talk for several months,” Hernandez told Stars and Stripes at a Medal of Honor convention last year in Hawaii. “I couldn’t walk from the shrapnel wounds.”

Hernandez was moved to Letterman Hospital in San Francisco. Doctors implanted a plastic plate where an artillery shell had blown off parts of his skull and brain, according to Hernandez’s official biography.

After several months, Hernandez would learn to walk again. He was able to stand when President Harry Truman awarded him the Medal of Honor on April 12, 1952, though he could not remember doing the things that Truman read in the citation.

Hernandez continued with several more years of rehabilitation. Once sufficiently recovered, he took a job at the Veterans Administration, counseling other wounded veterans.

Now 82, Hernandez has difficulty getting around and his speech is labored.

Nevertheless, the limitations of age have not robbed him of his passion. Asked if he had anything to say about today’s servicemembers in combat zones, his eyes widened. Hernandez inhaled deeply, and his voice found a deep reserve of timber and volume.

“Keep on fighting!” he said.

http://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/heroes/heroes-2013/once-declared-dead-in-korea-hernandez-full-of-fire-at-82-1.224939

[fordguy_85]

God Bless America, and may Cpl. Hernandez rest in peace 

[AlanS]

 

[rustybayonet]

Saw this posted in Medal of Honor, another has died:

McGINTY, JOHN J., IIIRank: Staff Sergeant: U.S. Marine Corps: Company K, 3d BattalionDivision: 4th Marines, 3d Marine DivisionBorn: 21 January 1940, Boston, Mass.Departed: Yes (01/17/2014)Entered Service At: Laurel Bay, S.C.G.O. Number: Date of Issue: 03/12/1968Accredited To: Laurel Bay, SCPlace / Date: Republic of Vietnam, 18 July 1966 

  Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 2d Lt. McGinty's platoon, which was providing rear security to protect the withdrawal of the battalion from a position which had been under attack for 3 days, came under heavy small arms, automatic weapons and mortar fire from an estimated enemy regiment. With each successive human wave which assaulted his 32-man platoon during the 4-hour battle, 2d Lt. McGinty rallied his men to beat off the enemy. In 1 bitter assault, 2 of the squads became separated from the remainder of the platoon. With complete disregard for his safety, 2d Lt. McGinty charged through intense automatic weapons and mortar fire to their position. Finding 20 men wounded and the medical corpsman killed, he quickly reloaded ammunition magazines and weapons for the wounded men and directed their fire upon the enemy. Although he was painfully wounded as he moved to care for the disabled men, he continued to shout encouragement to his troops and to direct their fire so effectively that the attacking hordes were beaten off. When the enemy tried to out-flank his position, he killed 5 of them at point-blank range with his pistol. When they again seemed on the verge of overrunning the small force, he skillfully adjusted artillery and air strikes within 50 yards of his position. This destructive firepower routed the enemy, who left an estimated 500 bodies on the battlefield. 2d Lt. McGinty's personal heroism, indomitable leadership, selfless devotion to duty, and bold fighting spirit inspired his men to resist the repeated attacks by a fanatical enemy, reflected great credit upon himself, and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.

 


RIP 2nd LT.

[Libertas]

How many survived that such men lived? 

Day is done.  R.I.P.

[fordguy_85]

Rest In Peace, Staff Sergeant McGinty 

[rustybayonet]

It is with deep sadness I report the death of another Medal of Honor recipient.  Walter Ehlers passed away today Feb. 20, 2014.  I had posted his citation and information earlier on Page 3 - Recipient # 18 -  Living recipients.

RIP Staff Sergeant Ehlers

[Libertas]

R.I.P. Walt.