Английская Википедия:Alfred V. Rascon

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Family name hatnote Шаблон:Infobox officeholder Alfred Velazquez Rascon[1] (born September 10, 1945) is a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel. In 2000, he was awarded the Medal of Honor—the United States' highest military decoration—for his actions as a medic near Long Khánh Province during the Vietnam War.

On more than one occasion Rascon exposed himself to enemy fire and grenades by covering the bodies of those whom he was aiding with his own. In addition to Vietnam, Rascon also served as a medical officer in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Early life

Rascon was born in Chihuahua, Mexico on September 10, 1945, as the only child of Alfredo and Andrea Rascon. The Rascon family, in search of a better life, emigrated to the United States. They settled in Oxnard, California, where Rascon received his primary and secondary education. In August 1963, he graduated from Oxnard High School and enlisted in the United States Army.

Rascon received his Basic training in Fort Ord, California, and after completing he was assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas for basic and specialist medical training. After he graduated from his medical training, he volunteered for airborne training and attended the Army's Airborne school in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Vietnam War

Файл:Alfred V. Rascon.jpg
Alfred Rascon as a major

In February 1964, Rascon was then assigned to Medical Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) stationed in Okinawa.

In May 1965, Rascon and his unit were deployed to the Republic of Vietnam where he served as a medic for a platoon of paratroopers. The brigade was the first major ground combat unit of the United States Army to serve there. They were the first to go into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps and to introduce the use of small long-range patrols.[2]

On March 16, 1966, Rascon was assigned as a medic to a Reconnaissance Platoon of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The Reconnaissance Platoon's mission was to reinforce a sister battalion which was under intense enemy attack near Long Khánh Province, when it found itself under heavy fire from a numerically superior enemy force. Several point squad soldiers were wounded and Specialist Four Rascon made his way forward to aid his fallen comrades. In more than one occasion Rascon exposed himself to enemy fire and grenades by covering the bodies of those whom he was aiding and absorbing the blast and fragments of the grenades with his own body. Each time he would drag his comrades to safety and crawled back to aid someone else. Rascon was so badly wounded that day that he was given his last rites.

Rascon was transferred to Johnson Army Hospital in Japan where he spent six months recovering from his wounds. For his actions, he was nominated for the Medal of Honor. However, his nomination for some unknown reason did not go through and instead he was awarded a Silver Star. In May 1966, he was honorably discharged from active duty and placed in the Army Reserves. Rascon attended college after he was discharged and in 1967 he became a Naturalized United States Citizen.

In 1970 Rascon graduated from the Army's Infantry Officers Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry. He then returned to Vietnam for a second tour, this time as a military adviser. In 1976, Rascon was once again honorably discharged from active duty with the rank of captain, but continued serving in the United States Army Reserve until 1984.

Post-Vietnam

Файл:Alfred Rascon Medal of Honor presentation.jpg
President Clinton presents the Medal of Honor to Rascon in a 2000 ceremony

In 1976, Rascon was offered the position of United States Army military liaison officer, in the Republic of Panama and he accepted. Rascon has also worked for the Department of Justice's, Drug Enforcement Administration, INTERPOL (U.S. National Central Bureau), and the Immigration & Naturalization Service.[3]

During a 1985 reunion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Rascon's comrades discovered that he never received the Medal of Honor. His former platoon members Ray Compton, Neil Haffey and Larry Gibson, whose lives he saved, sought to correct the oversight and renewed their efforts in favor of a Medal of Honor for Rascon. The Pentagon would not reconsider Rascon's case because so much time had elapsed. Therefore, Rascon's comrades sought the help of Congressman Lane Evans from Illinois. In 1997, Evans gave President Bill Clinton a packet containing the information about Rascon. The President then convinced the Pentagon to reopen the case.[4] On February 8, 2000, President Bill Clinton bestowed upon Rascon the Medal of Honor in a ceremony held in the East Room of the White House.

Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor citation:

Файл:Moh army mil.jpg
Medal of Honor

Шаблон:Quotebox

Later years

On May 22, 2002, Rascon was confirmed by the United States Senate as the 10th director of the Selective Service System; he served in this position until 2003.[5]

On September 1, 2002, Rascon returned to the army as an Army Reserve major in the Army Medical Service Corps. His position was individual mobilization augmentee to the Surgeon General's Office. Rascon served in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Medical Service Corps. He retired from the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel.[6]

Honors

Rascon received the degree of Doctor of Medical Jurisprudence, Honoris Causa on May 17, 2003, from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences' (USUHS) F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine and Graduate School of Nursing.[7] The army has honored Rascon by renaming their training school for medics at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the Alfred V. Rascon School of Combat Medicine.

Rascon has been honored by the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Foundation in Washington, D.C., for his past contributions in the military. The Washington-based CATO Institute also honored him in its annual honors of past and present military contributors of Hispanic Americans. He resides in Laurel, Maryland and is married and has a daughter and a son.

Awards and recognitions

U.S. Army Col. Edward Rothstein, left, shakes hands with Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. Alfred Rascon at the Fort Meade Community Soldier/Family Resiliency Fair in Maryland Sept. 20, 2011.
Rascon in 2011

Among Alfred V. Rascon's decorations and medals are the following:[8]

Файл:Combat Infantry Badge.svg Combat Infantryman Badge
Файл:CombatMed2ndAwdBadge.jpg Combat Medical Badge (Second Award)
Файл:Master Parachutist badge (United States).svg Master Parachutist Badge
Файл:Pathfinder.gif Pathfinder Badge
Файл:US Army Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge-Generic.png Expert Rifle Badge
Файл:United States Army Staff Identification Badge.png Army Staff Identification Badge
Файл:173AirborneBCTCSIB.jpg 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Combat Service Identification Badge
Файл:ViPaBa.jpg Republic of Vietnam Parachute Wings
Файл:Emblem of the Spanish Air Force Parachute.svg Spanish Parachute Wings
Файл:503 Inf Rgt DUI.gif 503rd Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
Файл:ArmyOSB.svg 5 Overseas Service Bars
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Medal of Honor
Шаблон:Ribbon devicesФайл:"V" device, brass.svgФайл:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svgФайл:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and two bronze oak leaf clusters
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Air Medal
Шаблон:Ribbon devicesФайл:"V" device, brass.svgФайл:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svgФайл:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg Army Commendation Medal with "V" Device and two oak leaf clusters
Файл:United States Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg Army Presidential Unit Citation
Файл:Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Army Meritorious Unit Commendation
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Selective Service System Distinguished Service Medal
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Selective Service System Exceptional Service Medal
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Army Good Conduct Medal
Шаблон:Ribbon devicesФайл:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svgФайл:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Шаблон:Ribbon devicesФайл:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svgФайл:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svgФайл:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg Vietnam Service Medal with three service stars
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Iraq Campaign Medal
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Файл:Armed Forces Reserve Medal ribbon.svgФайл:Bronze M Device.svg Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" device
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Army Service Ribbon
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Army Overseas Service Ribbon
Шаблон:Ribbon devices Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and Gold Star
Файл:Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, 1st class
Файл:Vietnam Staff Service Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Vietnam Staff Service Medal, 1st class
Файл:Vietnam Civil Actions Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Vietnam Civil Actions Medal, 1st class
Файл:Gallantry Cross Unit Citation.png Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Файл:Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg Vietnam Campaign Medal

See also

Шаблон:Portal

References

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

Шаблон:Commons category

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