Iraq veteran battles for fallen Marine to be honored

A young man living in Mexico, desperate to escape the violence, headed to the US for a better life. He entered illegally. He wanted to go to college. He also wanted to be a US Marine. Rafael Peralta made sure he got his Green card allowing him to do both an became a citizen.

William Berry, also served in Iraq. He ended up serving in jail because of PTSD and drunk driving arrests connected to Combat PTSD.

Peralta's life ended when he put his body over a grenade to save other Marines. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor but only received the Navy Cross for heroism. Why? Because some said it was an accident that Peralta's body landed on the grenade.

When you think about the argument, one question needs to be answered. Since when does the military award the Navy Cross for an accident?

They don't. Basically they admitted that Peralta was a hero. It is something that has been fought for by many people across the country wanting to make sure that his life is honored accordingly to his heroism.

As for Berry, he was one of the ones responsible for cleaning blood off of Peralta's rifle.

Fallen Marine's rifle returns to U.S. soil
Richmond Times-Dispatch
BY LAURA KEBEDE
January 21, 2014

Almost 10 years after a Marine's heroic death during some of the Iraq war's heaviest fighting, a Virginia Marine veteran continues to hope the death will be recognized with a Medal of Honor.

William Berry, a longtime Henrico County resident who served in the Iraq war, wrote a letter from jail that brought the fallen Marine's rifle home to be put on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Berry served as an armorer in Kuwait, Iraq and Japan after joining the Marines in 2003, making sure weapons were fully functioning and ready to go at a moment's notice.

Occasionally, Berry cleaned weapons of Marines who died in battle, and one in particular stood out — the rifle of Navy Cross recipient Sgt. Rafael Peralta.

Berry had known Peralta, though not well. They were in the same company and briefly served together in Fallujah, Iraq.

"We lost a lot of good people out there," Berry said.

Rafael Peralta was born in Mexico and entered the United States illegally to attend school in San Diego, in order to avoid gang violence in Tijuana. Inspired to become a U.S. Marine, he enlisted the same day he received his "Green Card" and earned his citizenship while serving in the Marine Corps.

His bedroom wall bore only three neatly-framed paper documents: The U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Rafael's Marine Corps graduation certificate. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor based upon the eye witness statement of the five Marines whose lives he saved. In a highly controversial move, the Secretary of Defense downgraded the award to the Navy Cross. Efforts continue by those whose lives he saved, as well as many other Marines, to see Rafael Peralta ultimately awarded the Medal of Honor for this action.
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