Marine’s Family Accepts Posthumous Navy Cross

The family of Sgt. Rafael Peralta accepted the Navy Cross from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus during a June 8 ceremony at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Peralta earned the service’s second-highest award for valor in combat for his actions during the battle for Fallujah in Iraq on Nov. 15, 2004. Official records show that Peralta jumped on a live grenade, absorbing its full blast and saving the lives of his comrades with Regimental Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division. The blast killed him. The award had been delayed while his family pressed Marine Corps authorities to award him the Medal of Honor instead. As time passed, they decided to relent and accept the Navy Cross. “In the end, Navy Cross, Medal of Honor, it doesn’t matter,” said Ricardo Peralta, the Marine’s brother, during the award ceremony. “It’s all good.”