IRAQ: Hawaii politicians call for Medal of Honor for Sgt. Peralta

The congressional delegation from Hawaii has joined several Southern California representatives and a Latino veterans group in calling for President Bush to overrule his secretary of Defense and award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates turned down the Marine Corps' recommendation for Peralta amid contradictory evidence about whether he was already clinically dead when an insurgent hurled a grenade at Marines during the fight for Fallouja in November 2004.

Marines who were there insist Peralta smothered the grenade, saving their lives. But faced with a medical opinion that a friendly-fire gunshot seconds earlier was probably instantly fatal to Peralta, Gates instead approved the Navy Cross, the second highest award for Marines.

In a letter to President Bush, Hawaii's two senators and two House members ask for a reconsideration "unless a strong case can be made that demonstrates his [Peralta's] actions were definitely unintentional."

Signing the letter were Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, Rep. Neil Abercrombie and Rep. Mazie Hirono. Peralta was based in Hawaii before deploying to Iraq.

The letter notes the case of Army medic James Okubo, whose Silver Star during World War II was upgraded to the Medal of Honor by President Clinton. Inouye also received the Medal of Honor in the same reevaluation by Clinton of bravery by Asian Americans during World War II.

Tony Perry, San Diego

Photo: Sen. Daniel Inouye receiving Medal of Honor from President Clinton, June 21, 2000. Credit: AFP

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