Candelario Garcia, Jr. (February 26, 1944 – January 10, 2013) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

veteran of the Vietnam War, and a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

. "Biography" or "Citation" tabs.

Biography

Garcia was born in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in and the county seat of Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 50 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. Its population was 25,109 at the 2020 census. Corsicana is considered an important ...

on February 26, 1944, of Mexican descent. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 28, 1963, and his actions on December 8, 1968 while serving in Vietnam caused him to receive the Medal of Honor, posthumously, in 2014. Garcia died on January 10, 2013, aged 68, in his native Corsicana.

Medal of Honor

Garcia distinguished himself on December 8, 1968, as a team leader during a reconnaissance-in-force mission near

Lai Khê Lai Khê (Lai Khê hamlet, Lai Hưng commune, Bến Cát, Bình Dương Province) (also known as Lai Khê Base) was a former Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and U.S. Army base, located along Highway 13 to the northwest of Saigon and abo ...

, Vietnam during

Operation Toan Thang II Operation Toan Thang II ("Complete Victory") was an operation conducted by the US Army and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War between 1 June 1968 and 16 February 1969. It was designed to keep pressure on the Viet Co ...

. Garcia destroyed two enemy machine-gun positions in an attempt to aid casualties that were in the open and under fire, then rejoining his company in a successful assault on the remaining enemy positions. Garcia was originally awarded a

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

on 4 April 1969 for this action. The award was rescinded on 18 March 2014 under Permanent Order 077-34. He received the Medal of Honor, posthumously, from President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in a March 18, 2014 White House ceremony. As Garcia had been a former "Big Red One" (1st Infantry Division) soldier, the 1st Infantry Division's Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Grinston received the medal on behalf of Garcia and his surviving family members. Garcia's surviving Family members had asked the division to represent him in the White House ceremony and the Pentagon ceremony inducting him into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes. The award came through the Defense Authorization Act which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.

Citation

Other honors, awards and decorations

Besides the Medal of Honor, Garcia received the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with "V" Device and one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with two Silver Service Stars and one Bronze Service Star, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Marksmanship Badge with Rifle, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Silver Star, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with "60" Device, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citations with Palm Device and Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal Unit Citation, First Class

References

External links