Rafael Peralta, Hero of the Week

As you know, the most difficult battle the Armed Forces have fought to date in Iraq was the battle for Fallujah in the late months of 2004. As they charged toward the city, Marines played, "Hells Bells," a song by AC/DC that many cadet units at North Georgia College have adopted as their PT theme music. The hero whose story I'll tell you today was a Marine's Marine who committed an act of courageous self-sacrifice for which several Marines received the Medal of Honor during World War II.
A native of Mexico, Rafael Peralta enlisted in the Marine Corps on the day after he received his green card and he took the oath of citizenship in his Marine uniform. On the wall in his room, he displayed three documents: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his graduation certificate from Boot Camp. His comrades recall how he used to teach salsa dance steps in the barracks and paid close attention to standards of uniform wear and appearance. He even had his camouflage uniform pressed in preparation for mobilization to Iraq. More importantly, he took care of his men, giving career advice and picking friends up from the local watering hole when necessary. On November 15, 2004, he got another chance to take care of his Marines.
As platoon scout, Sergeant Peralta was usually in charge of securing an area and providing surveillance, but he volunteered frequently to assist squads with the additional hazardous duty of clearing houses in Fallujah. On the 15th, he was among the first inside the house when his five-man fire team found the main room deserted. As Peralta opened a door to another room, three insurgents opened fire and wounded him in the face and chest. He managed to dive to the side so that his buddies could return fire without hitting him. One insurgent rolled a fragmentation grenade into the room where Peralta lay. Without hesitating, he grabbed the grenade and pulled it under his body, shielding the other four Marines from the blast, but sacrificing his life. The Marines killed the insurgents and found a large weapons cache in the house. Sergeant Rafael Peralta, USMC received the Navy Cross posthumously. He was 25.
In a letter to his 14-year-old brother, Peralta wrote, "Be proud of me, bro...and be proud of being an American." You can see pictures of Sergeant Peralta and his family at this link: http://www.danzfamily.com/archives/2005/02/sgt_rafael_pera.php I find it striking sometimes how alike we all look in our uniforms. Next to our families in civilian clothes with casual posture, military men stand out like sore thumbs. The poise, dignity and bearing of military men still impresses me even though I have been one of them for eight years.