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Lawmakers ask Bush to review Peralta award

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Members of California’s congressional delegation on Friday implored President Bush to review the Pentagon’s decision not to posthumously award the coveted Medal of Honor to a Marine who absorbed the blast of an enemy grenade to protect other Marines in Iraq.

Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego died from his wounds as he and his infantry rifle platoon battled insurgents inside a Fallujah house Nov. 15, 2004.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., circulated the letter that garnered the support of seven other congressional members: Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif.

“We’ve got great bipartisan representation in this letter,” said Hunter’s spokesman, Joe Kasper. “I really think it’s going to make a strong statement to the White House to at least give the medal some consideration.”

Discussion: If Peralta’s actions don’t rate a Medal of Honor, what does?

The congressional members reacted with “extreme disappointment” to the decision, made by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, to reject Peralta’s nomination for the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for combat valor. Navy Secretary Donald Winter endorsed the nomination, which had garnered strong support from the Marine Corps and U.S. Central Command, and forwarded it to the Defense Department last year. On Wednesday, Winter announced he will award the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award and the top combat award a service secretary can bestow, posthumously to Peralta, 25.

Pentagon officials did not provide specific reasons for the rejection, which came after recommendations from unnamed medical experts. But Peralta’s family and others familiar with the investigations say a contentious issue was whether Peralta, who had just suffered a gunshot wound to the head, was conscious enough to intentionally grab the grenade to save the others.

In the letter, Hunter and the other lawmakers wrote that the Pentagon’s own review “could not confirm whether Sergeant Peralta’s actions were deliberate, despite the fact that several eyewitness accounts verify that he knowingly picked up the grenade and absorbed the full explosion with his body.”

They also noted that another combat veteran, Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, performed similar acts as Peralta did before he died. They asked Bush that “unless a strong distinction is drawn” between the two, Peralta should receive the Medal of Honor posthumously.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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