David M. Gonzales
| David M. Gonzales | |
|---|---|
  Pvt. David M. Gonzales, Medal of Honor recipient | |
| Born |
June 9, 1923 Pacoima, California |
| Died |
April 25, 1945 (aged 21) Luzon, Philippines |
| Place of burial | San Fernando, California |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944 - 1945 |
| Rank | Private First Class |
| Unit | 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars |
World War II, *Battle of Luzon |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Bronze Star Purple Heart |
Private First Class David M. Gonzales (June 9, 1923–April 25, 1945) was a United States Army soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor — the United States' highest military decoration — for his actions during World War II. On April 25, 1945, at age 22, PFC Gonzales was killed in action in the Philippines while, in the face of enemy machine gun fire, digging out fellow soldiers who had been buried in a bomb explosion.
Early years
David Gonzales was a semi-skilled machine shop (and related occupations) in Los Angeles when he joined the U.S. Army at the San Pedro, California in March 1944.[1]
World War II
On February 1, 1945, Gonzales, was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge.[citation needed] On April 25, 1945, Gonzales' company found itself engaged in combat against Japanese forces at Villa Verde Trail on Luzon island in the Philippines. A 500-pound bomb was dropped accidentally on the wrong hill by an American P-47 Thunderbolt.[2]The Army Air Corps was using a tactic called "skip bombing" and were fusing the bombs for delayed action detonation to destroy the labyrinth of Japanese caves and tunnels in the northern Luzon campaign. This fusing allowed the bomb to bury itself deeply into the ground prior to detonation. This event trapped five American soldiers in their standing foxholes.[3]
On December 8, 1945, President Harry S. Truman, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Gonzales, presenting the medal to his surviving family. On February 2, 1949, Gonzales' body arrived in a funeral train to San Fernando, California where he was buried.[4]
Medal of Honor citation
He was pinned down with his company. As enemy fire swept the area, making any movement extremely hazardous, a 500-pound bomb smashed into the company's perimeter, burying 5 men with its explosion. Pfc. Gonzales, without hesitation, seized an entrenching tool and under a hail of fire crawled 15 yards to his entombed comrades, where his commanding officer, who had also rushed forward, was beginning to dig the men out. Nearing his goal, he saw the officer struck and instantly killed by machinegun fire. Undismayed, he set to work swiftly and surely with his hands and the entrenching tool while enemy sniper and machinegun bullets struck all about him. He succeeded in digging one of the men out of the pile of rock and sand. To dig faster he stood up regardless of the greater danger from so exposing himself. He extricated a second man, and then another. As he completed the liberation of the third, he was hit and mortally wounded, but the comrades for whom he so gallantly gave his life were safely evacuated. Pfc. Gonzales' valiant and intrepid conduct exemplifies the highest tradition of the military service.[5]
After the war
'In 1999, David Gonzales, Jr. and his wife Bea attended a ceremony for war heroes in Santa Ana, California. There they discovered that the' picture the Army was sending out to military ceremonies was not of his father, but of someone else. Gonzales Jr. wrote to the Army in Washington, D.C. to tell them of their mistake, but did not receive a response. He then wrote to Congressman Howard Berman, who in turn referred the letter to his aide Fred Flores. Flores, who was also from Pacoima, California, immediately called Pentagon officials and had them correct the mistake. However, Flores found out that the family had only been presented with a Medal of Honor and a duplicate Purple Heart — the original one was stolen — and he realized that Gonzales had earned many other medals.[6] During a November 7, 2002 ceremony at Los Angeles Mission College, Congressman Berman presented David Gonzales, Jr. the following medals earned by his father: the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the World War II Victory Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the Philippine Liberation Medal, the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Expert Rifle Badge. Finally he presented the Gold Star Lapel Button, which identifies the next of kin of members of the military who lost their lives while engaged in action.[6]
The photo of a soldier who was not Gonzales, but identified as that of the medal winner, had been erroneously displayed in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. This was removed and replaced with a correct one of Gonzales after the renovations of the Pentagon — made necessary by the 9/11 attack — were completed on March 31, 2003.[7]
On March 20, 2007, Maribeth Kouts, daughter of William Walter Kouts, posted a message in Wikipedia asking for assistance in establishing contact with the Gonzales family while Kouts was still alive. With the help of a Wikipedia contributor, a meeting was arranged between Kouts and the son of the David Gonzales.[8]
In memory
In honor of David M. Gonzales, Pacoima Park in Los Angeles County, California was renamed David M. Gonzales/Pacoima Recreational Center. The local Army recruiting station there also carries his name, as does a county Probation Department camp in Malibu.[6]
Awards and recognitions
Among Pvt. David M. Gonzales' decorations and medals were the following:
 Combat Infantryman Badge |
 Expert Rifle Badge |
 |
Medal of Honor |
 |
Bronze Star |
 |
Purple Heart |
  |
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars |
 |
World War II Victory Medal |
 |
Philippine Liberation Medal |
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
- List of Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients
- Ysmael R. Villegas, who was also a 32d Infantry Division Medal of Honor recipient.
- Hispanic Americans in World War II
Notes
- ↑ WWII Army Enlistment Records
- ↑ Flanagan, E. M. (1997). The Rakkasans: the combat history of the 187th Airborne Infantry. Presidio Press. ISBN 978-0-89141-604-3.
- ↑ Castro, Tony. (May 26, 2007) "Hero's son finally to meet vet his dad rescued in war.", Los Angeles Daily News Section: News; Page N1.
- ↑ "Funeral of Pfc. David M. Gonzales". Los Angeles Times. February 3, 1949. Retrieved 2006-11-23.
- ↑ "David M. Gonzales Medal of Honor citation". HomeofHeroes.com. Retrieved 2006-11-23.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Dennis McCarthy (November 7, 2002). "Medal of Honor Winner's Son Finally Gets dad's Due". Daily News. Retrieved 2006-11-23.
- ↑ "Family of Hometown Hero Presented with War Medals". Los Angeles Mission College. November 7, 2002. Retrieved 2006-11-23.
- ↑ John Faherty (May 27, 2007). "A medal, a debt, both of honor". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
External links
- "The 32nd Infantry Division in World War II, "The Red Arrow"". Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- "The 32nd "Red Arrow" Veteran Association Medal of Honor recipients from the 32nd "Red Arrow" Infantry Division". Retrieved September 27, 2010.