Santiago Jesus Erevia passes

Today is National Medal of Honor Day, so it’s fitting that we pay our respects to Santiago Jesus Erevia who, sadly, passed on Tuesday. He was awarded his Medal of Honor just two years ago for his actions on May 26th, 1969. By all accounts, he was embarrassed by the attention that honor gained for him. He was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, but a review of DSCs in 2002 prompted the Pentagon to upgrade the award to the Medal of Honor. From Stars & Stripes;

“He was a very, very modest, very, very decent person and his wife must be just devastated,” said [retired two-star Army general Patrick] Brady, 79, of New Braunfels. “He was kind of taken by all the publicity and everything that went on. He was very humble about it.

“Like most of them, they don’t believe they really deserve it and then they get all that attention and it just kind of overwhelmed him a little bit.”

Erevia was anything but overwhelmed on May 26, 1969, though, according to his Medal of Honor citation;

Specialist Fourth Class Santiago Jesus Erevia…while serving as a radio telephone operator in Company C, 1st Battalion (Airmobile), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) during search and clear mission near Tam Ky, Republic of Vietnam on 21 May 1969. After breaching an insurgent perimeter, Specialist Four Erevia was designated by his platoon leader to render first aid to several casualties, and the rest of the platoon moved forward. As he was doing so, he came under intense hostile fire from four bunkers to his left front. Although he could have taken cover with the rest of the element, he chose a retaliatory course of action. With heavy enemy fire directed at him, he moved in full view of the hostile gunners as he proceeded to crawl from one wounded man to another, gathering ammunition. Armed with two M-16 rifles and several hand grenades, he charged toward the enemy positions behind the suppressive fire of the two rifles. Under very intense fire, he continued to advance on the insurgents until he was near the first bunker. Disregarding the enemy fire, he pulled the pin from a hand grenade and advanced on the bunker, leveling suppressive fire until he could drop the grenade into the bunker, mortally wounding the insurgent and destroying the fortification. Without hesitation, he employed identical tactics as he proceeded to eliminate the next two enemy positions. With the destruction of the third bunker, Specialist Four Erevia had exhausted his supply of hand grenades. Still under intense fire from the fourth position, he courageously charged forward behind the fire emitted by his M-16 rifles. Arriving at the very edge of the bunker, he silenced the occupant within the fortification at point blank range. Through his heroic actions the lives of the wounded were saved and the members of the Company Command Post were relieved from a very precarious situation. His exemplary performance in the face of overwhelming danger was an inspiration to his entire company and contributed immeasurably to the success of the mission. Specialist Four Erevia’s conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Category: Real Soldiers