Al C.--- Los Angeles California
March 15 2000
Medic Receives Long-delayed Medal
of Honor
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2000 - "This award is not
really mine; it's for those who were with me that day,"
a humble, soft-spoken Alfred Rascon said after
President Clinton presented him the Medal of Honor
during White House ceremonies Feb. 8.
But Congress, the president and his platoon buddies
who attended the ceremony said he earned the
nation's highest military award. "None of us would be
here today if not for Al," said Ray Compton, who was
on the reconnaissance patrol's point during Rascon's
heroic action on March 26, 1966, in Vietnam. "We
owe a lot to Al Rascon. We wouldn't be alive or have a family if it hadn't
been for Al."
Born in Mexico on Sept. 10, 1945, Rascon was not even an American citizen
when he
performed his heroic deeds. "I was always an American in my heart," he
said during the
ceremony.
Rascon, then an Army medic, is credited with saving Compton, a former Army
sergeant, and
former Pfc. Neil Haffey's lives by shielding them from hand grenade blasts
with his own body
during "10 minutes of pure hell." Haffey attended the ceremony along with
several other
members of the 1st Battalion 503rd Airborne, 173rd Airborne Brigade.
In addition to Rascon's family and several members of his former unit,
Defense Secretary
William S. Cohen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Henry
H. Shelton, cabinet
and military officials and congressional representatives witnessed the
presentation.
Clinton said Rascon's platoon was sent to Vietnam in May 1965, and on March
16, 1966, they
were in Long Khanh Province, helping another platoon that was pinned down
by the enemy.
"In his words, it was '10 minutes of pure hell,'" Clinton said. "In the
middle of an intense firefight,
Alfred was everywhere."
The president said while attending to a fatally wounded machine gunner,
Pvt. William
Thompson,
Rascon was hit with shrapnel and shot in the hip. The bullet went parallel
to his spine, and came
out by his shoulder.
"Ignoring his own wounds, he then brought desperately needed ammo to another
machine
gunner, Pvt. Larry Gibson (who was wounded)," Clinton noted. "Several grenades
then landed
nearby. One of them ripped his mouth open. When he saw another land near
Pvt. Neil Haffey,
he covered him with his body, absorbing the brunt of the blast. Yet another
grenade landed near
Sgt. Ray Compton, and Alfred covered him, also."
Barely able to walk and bleeding from his ears and nose, Rascon spotted
and ran to recover a
machine gun that the enemy was about to capture, Clinton said.
"The extra firepower kept the enemy from advancing, and Alfred Rascon saved
his platoon,"
Clinton emphasized.
The attendees erupted in laughter when the president said Rascon never
gave a single thought to
himself - "except, he admits, for the instant when the grenade exploded
near his face and he
thought, oh, God, my good looks are gone."
"This man gave everything he had, utterly and selflessly, to protect his
platoon mates and the
nation, and yet he was not yet an American citizen," Clinton said.
Clinton quoted Rascon as saying later: "I did it because I had to do it
and that's all there is to it. I
don't consider myself a hero -- anybody in combat would do the same thing
for their buddies
and friends. We were all color-blind, we were all different nationalities;
The important thing
is that we were Americans fighting for America."
Clinton drew laughter again when he said, "At the advanced age of seven,
wanting to do his part
to defend America, he built a homemade parachute and jumped off the roof
of his house.
Unfortunately, in his own words, the chute had a 'total malfunction' and
he broke his wrist."
After graduating from high school, Rascon joined the Army and became a
medic for a platoon
of paratroopers, Clinton said.
Rascon said, "I wanted to give back something to this country and its citizens
for the
opportunities it had given me and my parents. Those paratroopers who served
with me in the
reconnaissance platoon knew nothing of my immigrant status. It was never
an issue. They simply
knew me as Doc."
"Alfred Rascon was so severely wounded that day he was actually given last
rites," Clinton
noted. "After a long convalescence, he pulled through -- and he continued
to serve his country."
Rascon became a citizen in 1967. He served in the Army Reserves from 1966
to 1969. After
graduating from Officers Candidate School in February 1970, he returned
to active duty as a
commissioned officer and volunteered for a second tour in Vietnam in 1972.
He's now the inspector general of the Selective Service System in Arlington, Va.
"Now, here's the story of how we all came here," Clinton said. "Alfred
Rascon was given a
Silver Star Medal for his valor that day, in 1966. But the request for
his Medal of Honor
somehow got lost in a thicket of red tape. His platoon mates persisted,
showing as much loyalty
to him as he had shown to them.
"Thanks to them, after 34 years, I am proud to present you with our nation's
highest honor,"
Clinton told Rascon.
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