Medal of Honor recipients, Puerto Rican

Puerto Rican Medal of Honor recipients

Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated in every conflict in which the United States has been involved, from World War I to the Iraq War. The following five soldiers of Puerto Rican descent have made the ultimate sacrifice and were posthumously awarded the nation's highest military decoration - the Medal of Honor, sometimes referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is bestowed "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." The medal is awarded by the President of the United States on behalf of the Congress.

PFC Fernando Luis Garcia was the first Puerto Rican and the only one who was a member of the United States Marine Corps to have been awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War. The other four were members of the United States Army and were awarded the medal for their actions during the Vietnam War.

1. Fernando Louis Garcia
2. Carlos James Lozada
3. Euripides Rubio
4. Hector Santiago-Colon
5. Humbert Roque Versace