pages of history

Slighted No More

Army veterans from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars finally received the Medal of Honor after their bravery had gone unrecognized for years because of racism and prejudice.

Twenty-four Army veterans — their bravery and heroism in combat ignored for decades because of racism and prejudice — finally were awarded the Medal of Honor March 18.

The recipients, all of whom were Hispanic, Jewish, or African-American, included veterans of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. Only three (pictured, from left) were alive to receive the medal in person: Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia, Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Morris, and Master Sgt. Jose Rodela.

Posthumous recipients who served during World War II are Pvt. Pedro Cano, Pvt. Joe Gandara, Staff Sgt. Salvador J. Lara, Staff Sgt. William F. Leonard, Master Sgt. Manuel V. Mendoza, Sgt. Alfred B. Nietzel, and 1st Lt. Donald K. Schwab.

Posthumous recipients who served in the Korean War are Cpl. Joe R. Baldonado, Sgt. Victor H. Espinoza, Sgt. 1st Class Eduardo C. Gomez, Pfc. Leonard M. Kravitz, Master Sgt. Juan E. Negron, Master Sgt. Mike C. Pena, Pvt. Demensio Rivera, Pvt. Miguel A. Vera, and Sgt. Jack Weinstein.

Posthumous recipients who served in the Vietnam War are Spc. Leonard L. Alvarado, Staff Sgt. Felix M. Conde-Falcon, Sgt. Ardie R. Copas, Sgt. Jesus S. Duran, and Sgt. Candelario Garcia.

“Today we have the chance to set the record straight,” said President Barack Obama at the White House ceremony. “No nation is perfect, but here in America, we confront our imperfections and face a sometimes painful past, including the truth that some of these soldiers fought and died for a country that did not always see them as equal.”

Helldiver Restored

A Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver was unveiled in April to visitors of the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. The plane was the first historic aircraft to be restored in the museum’s Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar. Experts spent 15 months during the process.

The dive-bomber rolled off the assembly line in May 1945, near the end of World War II. Between September and December 1945, it was flown in the western Pacific and later in occupied Japan by Bombing Squadron 92 aboard USS Lexington (CV-16).

World War II veterans and others who were associated with the Helldiver attended the final act of restoration — securing the plane’s last panel. Two survivors of Bombing Squadron 92 assisted in the restoration by documenting its use on Lexington.
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— Don Vaughan, a North Carolina-based freelance writer, authors this monthly column.

History Lesson

On July 3, 1988, the U.S. Navy warship USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly fired two surface-to-air missiles at Iran Air Flight 655, bringing down the aircraft and killing all 290 passengers onboard.