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Deleted profiles in courage: Sgt. Alfredo Gonzalez, USMC [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-03-21

Sergeant Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez has one of the most impressive Medal of Honor citations I have ever read. Born in Texas, he died in Vietnam in a heroic sacrifice for his subordinates. He was fatally wounded, but he tried to hang on for a day or two and was able to save some of his men before his inevitable death.

I couldn’t quite remember the exact details. Nineteen sixty something in Hanoi? I looked him up on the website of the Naval History and Heritage Command, but, um, page not found. “Content on this website has been revised or removed to align with the [Trump]’s executive orders and DoD priorities in accordance with DoD Instruction 5400.17 “Official Use of Social Media for Public Affairs Purposes.””

But since a Navy destroyer was named after Sergeant Gonzalez, not all information about this particular hero has been completely purged from the *.mil top level domain (TLD). The namesake page for the USS Gonzalez, DDG-66 has some information about the man.

Alfredo Gonzalez, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in the Vietnam War in February 1968. Gonzalez was born May 23, 1946, in Edinburg, Texas. He graduated from Lamar Grammar School, 1955, and from Edinburg High School, 1965. Gonzalez enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at San Antonio, Texas, June 3, 1965 and was discharged to enlist as an active-duty Marine, July 6, 1965. He completed recruit training with the 3d Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, September 1965, and individual combat training with the 2d Battalion, 2d Infantry Training Regiment, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California, October 1965 After completing individual combat training, he became a rifleman with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and served in that capacity until January 1966. Following this, he saw a one-year tour of duty as a rifleman and squadron leader with Company L, 3d Battalion, 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division. He was promoted to private first class on Jan. 1, 1966, to lance corporal on Oct. 1, 1966, and to corporal on Dec. 1, 1966. Upon returning to the U.S. in February 1967, he joined to 3d Replacement Company, Staging Battalion, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, for transfer to the Far East. On July 1, 1967, he was promoted to sergeant, and later that month arrived in the Republic of Vietnam. He served as a squad leader and platoon sergeant with the 3d Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. While participating in the initial phase of Operation Hue City in the vicinity of Thua Thien, Vietnam, on Feb. 4, 1968, Gonzalez was mortally wounded by hostile rocket fire. His complete list of medals and decorations include: the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with star, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with palm, the Military Merit Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Yeah, I know there’s information about Sergeant Gonzalez on websites not under the *.gov and *.mil TLDs. But removing pages about him from *.gov and *.mil websites is an insult to a man who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, and the insult is coming from chickenhawks.

The text of Gonzalez’s Medal of Honor citation is available from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as platoon commander, 3d Platoon, Company A. On 31 January 1968, during the initial phase of Operation Hue City, Sgt. Gonzalez' unit was formed as a reaction force and deployed to Hue to relieve the pressure on the beleaguered city. While moving by truck convoy along Route No. 1, near the village of Lang Van Lrong, the marines received a heavy volume of enemy fire. Sgt. Gonzalez aggressively maneuvered the marines in his platoon, and directed their fire until the area was cleared of snipers. Immediately after crossing a river south of Hue, the column was again hit by intense enemy fire. One of the marines on top of a tank was wounded and fell to the ground in an exposed position. With complete disregard for his safety, Sgt. Gonzalez ran through the fire-swept area to the assistance of his injured comrade. He lifted him up and though receiving fragmentation wounds during the rescue, he carried the wounded marine to a covered position for treatment. Due to the increased volume and accuracy of enemy fire from a fortified machine-gun bunker on the side of the road, the company was temporarily halted. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sgt. Gonzalez exposed himself to the enemy fire and moved his platoon along the east side of a bordering rice paddy to a dike directly across from the bunker. Though fully aware of the danger involved, he moved to the fire-swept road and destroyed the hostile position with hand grenades. Although seriously wounded again on 3 February, he steadfastly refused medical treatment and continued to supervise his men and lead the attack. On 4 February, the enemy had again pinned the company down, inflicting heavy casualties with automatic-weapons and rocket fire. Sgt. Gonzalez, utilizing a number of light antitank assault weapons, fearlessly moved from position to position firing numerous rounds at the heavily fortified enemy emplacements. He successfully knocked out a rocket position and suppressed much of the enemy fire before falling mortally wounded. The heroism, courage, and dynamic leadership displayed by Sgt. Gonzalez reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

On the other hand, Trump’s Reichspropagandaleitung is perfectly happy to let stand a page with a news report about Googlegänger Alfredo J. Gonzalez, a former U. S. Air Force Master Sergeant and now convicted rapist who’ll probably spend the next couple of decades in prison.

I’ll let you decide for yourself which Alfredo Gonzalez bears a closer resemblance to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

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