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Hero from Rio Grande valley dies in Vietnam
On this day in 1968, Marine sergeant Alfredo Gonzalez died near Thua Thein, Vietnam, after action that earned him the Medal of Honor. On January 31 the native of Edinburg was commanding a platoon in a truck convoy formed to relieve pressure on the beleaguered city of Hue. After being wounded, he moved through a fire-swept area and rescued a wounded comrade. On February 3 he was again wounded, but refused medical treatment. The next day, as the enemy inflicted heavy casualties on his company, Gonzalez knocked out a rocket position and suppressed much enemy fire before falling. The missile destroyer USS Alfredo Gonzalez, named for him, is the first United States military ship named for a Hispanic.
- Links to Related Handbook of Texas Online Articles
- GONZALEZ, ALFREDO CANTU
- EDINBURG, TX
- Other Texas Day by Day Articles for This Date
- Republic of Texas authorizes ill-fated Peters colony (1841)
- La Bahía becomes Goliad (1829)
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