Puerto Rican recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross
[1] The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army, awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.
On March 18, 2014, President Barack Obama upgraded the Distinguished Service Crosses awarded to Juan E. Negrón, Demensio Rivera, Miguel Vera and Félix M Conde Falcón to the Medal of Honor in a ceremony held in the White House.
[7] Private First Class Joseph Martinez born in San Germán, Puerto Rico destroyed a German Infantry unit and tank in Tunis by providing heavy artillery fire, saving his platoon from being attacked in the process.
Sergeant Cartagena, directed to move his squad forward in order to approach the enemy positions from another ridgeline, led his men toward the objective, but, almost immediately, the group was forced to seek cover from an intense and accurate volume of small-arms and automatic-weapons fire.
The extraordinary heroism and completely selfless devotion, to duty displayed by Sergeant Cartagena throughout this action enabled the company to secure its objective successfully with a minimum of casualties, reflect great credit on himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
698 (September 16, 1951) Home Town: Puerto Rico[10] Postscript: Cartagena's family, upon learning of Modesto's actions, have taken it upon themselves to make a request to Congress, that he be awarded the Medal of Honor.
On 1 October 1951, Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN'S company was assigned the mission of attacking a numerically superior hostile force occupying well fortified hill positions.
Realizing that his comrades faced annihilation in their present untenable positions, Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN picked up a flame thrower and began to move forward.
Crossing a wide expanse of open terrain, and completely exposed to the concentrated fire of the enemy, he made his way to within twenty yards of the machine gun position.
The extraordinary heroism and steadfast devotion to duty displayed by Private HERNANDEZ GUZMAN reflect the greatest credit on himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
When notified that elements of the company were withdrawing, Sergeant Negron refused to leave his exposed position, but delivered withering fire at hostile troops who had broken through a road block.
The extraordinary heroism exhibited by Sergeant Negron on this occasion reflects great credit on himself and is in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service.. Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No.
The outstanding devotion to duty and extraordinary heroism displayed by Corporal NIEVES LAGUER in this action reflect great credit on himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
When the outpost area occupied by his platoon was assaulted during the night, Private Rivera, an automatic rifleman, held his forward position tenaciously, although exposed to very heavy fire.
Upon locating enemy emplacements, the assaulting elements of the patrol moved forward to make contact and Corporal Rocha was ordered to station his weapon on a ridge to their rear.
Reaching the ridge, Corporal Rocha realized that the range was too long for the recoilless rifle to be used with maximum effect and so, with a total disregard for his personal safety, he moved forward to the position held by the friendly riflemen.
In desperation, the numerically superior enemy launched a series of fanatical attacks which made it necessary for the friendly force to fall back a short distance with each assault.
On that date, Private Vera's unit was committed to assault and secure the right sector of "Old Baldy" and, although wounded in an earlier engagement, he voluntarily rejoined elements of the platoon regrouping at the base of the hill to resume the attack.
Forging up the bare, rocky slope in skirmisher formation, the troops came within twenty yards of hostile positions when they were subjected to heavy artillery and mortar barrages and intense cross-fire from automatic weapons and grenades, which forced them to move back.
Conde Falcón was killed in action while serving as a platoon leader during a sweep operation in the vicinity of Ap Tan Hoa, Vietnam, after destroying multiple enemy bunkers and demonstrating extraordinary leadership under fire.
Entering a heavily wooded section on the route of advance, the company encountered an extensive enemy bunker complex, later identified as a battalion command post.
Staff Sergeant Figueroa-Melendez distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 5 March 1969 while on a mission to recover several wounded soldiers from an enemy-infiltrated area west of Kontum.
When a North Vietnamese regiment armed with machine guns and satchel charges rushed the perimeter, Specialist Oquendo detonated claymore mines and placed rifle fire into their advancing ranks.
The point element of his company suddenly received intense small arms, automatic weapons and rock-propelled grenade fire, causing several casualties.
Private First Class Rodriguez distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 15 January 1971 while serving as a member of a reconnaissance platoon during operations in Long Khanh Province.
When an enemy sniper began concentrating accurate fire upon the allied defenses, Private Rodriguez exposed himself to the foe and silenced the belligerent with a well-aimed burst from his M-16 rifle.
Distinguished Service Cross Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Corporal [then Private First Class] Aristides Sosa (ASN: US-52758743), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 65th Engineer Battalion, 25th Infantry Division.
On this date, Corporal Sosa was part of a four-man engineer team accompanying an infantry unit on a reconnaissance-in-force operation in the vicinity of Lai Theiu when the friendly force came under attack from Claymore mines, automatic weapons and small arms fire.
80 (December 16, 1968) Home Town: New York City[28] Postscript: Sosa's name is among those inscribed on Panel 42E, LINE 43 of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC..
The names of the Distinguished Service Cross recipients who perished in combat are inscribed in Puerto Rico's "El Monumento de la Recordación" (Monument of Remembrance).
