Medal of Honor Bestowed Upon IE Local

Staff Sgt. Salvador J. Lara, long-time resident of the Inland Empire, has been posthumously awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor from the White House and Flag of Honor from the United States Pentagon. His son, Alfonso Lara, took a five-day all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C., along with his daughter Vivian and her husband Robert to accept the Medal and Flag on Salvador’s behalf. The award was given as part of the re-recognition of the Valor 24 recipients, who were originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest honor. After Congressional review prompted by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2002, the members of Valor 24 had their previous honor upgraded effective March 18, 2014 to the Medal of Honor, in what was one of the largest Medal of Honor ceremonies in history, and that was televised to the public. The next day, on March 19th at the Pentagon, a similar ceremony took place for the Flag of Honor. The NDAA mandated the review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veteran war records from WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War to look for soldiers who may not have been previously awarded the Medal of Honor on a basis of race or ethnicity. The Valor 24 is made up of soldiers who have been honored as a result of this review. “It is a great, once in a lifetime opportunity to see so many people awarded the Medal of Honor at one time. It is a great correction to honor these people and the sacrifices they made for their country,” says Staff Sgt. Chris O’Connor, who escorted Lara’s family throughout the week. The men of the Valor 24 were honored for their gallantry, intrepidity, and heroism that went above and beyond the call of duty. Staff Sgt. Salvador Lara aggressively led his rifle squad through the city of Aprilia, Italy, inflicting a massive number of casualties to the enemy and neutralizing numerous enemy strong points. The first attack had taken place on May 27, 1944. The campaign had continued the next morning, May 28th, during which Lara had sustained a severe leg wound, but did not stop to receive first aid, instead making the decision to continue the push until they had captured their objective. In an article published by the U.S. Army on March 19, 2014, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, at the event in the Pentagon auditorium, said "We are here this morning to celebrate the heroism of 24 selfless individuals -- 24 Soldiers whose acts of gallantry in battle merit our highest recognition." Taken from Staff Sgt. Lara’s Medal of Honor Citation, “Having taken his initial objective, Private First Class Lara noticed that the unit to his right was meeting stiff resistance from a large, well-entrenched enemy force in a deep ditch. Private First Class Lara quickly gathered three men and attacked a wide section of the enemy position, killing four, forcing fifteen others to surrender and causing two enemy mortar crews to abandon their weapons. His selflessness and bravery continued to change the course of the battle, as he took down machine gunners that were causing heavy casualties to his comrades, “After requesting permission to destroy the enemy machine guns armed only with a Browning Automatic Rifle, Private First Class Lara crawled alone toward the nearest machine gun. Despite his painful wound and the extreme danger of the task, he rose and fearlessly charged the nest, killing the crew members.” “I’m incredibly joyful that he received the Medal of Honor. I only wish that he could have been here to accept it. I’m grateful for everything that has happened,” says Salvador’s son, Alfonso Lara. The recipients served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. There are three remaining members of the Valor 24, alive today, from the Vietnam War, including Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia, Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Morris, and Master Sgt. Jose Rodela. There were three other soldiers honored from Southern California: Specialist Leonard L. Alvarado, Sgt. 1st Class Eduardo Corral Gomez, and Private Joe Gandara. For a complete list of Valor 24 recipients, visit http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/valor24/. Staff Sgt. Salvador Lara, born July 11 of 1920, passed away in September 1, 1945 and is now buried in Lorraine American Cemetery in France. In addition to the Medal and Flag of Honor, Lara had also been awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, two Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and Combat Infantryman Badge, along with the Honorable Service Lapel Button for World War II. “Going the White House and meeting the President was amazing. They did a great job with everything,“ says Vivian Hernandez, Salvador’s niece. Each family was invited to take a tour of the museum of whichever of the three wars that their relative had fought in. On April 5, from 1-5 p.m., there will be a celebration for the memory of Salvador Lara and the award at the Jurupa Hills Country Club. “It’s an honor to have gone and received the Medal and Flag of Honor from both the President and Pentagon on behalf of my wife’s uncle, my father-in-law’s brother. The President, the Pentagon, and the Army made sure that everything was first class,” shared Grand Terrace resident, Robert Hernandez.