Jesus Santiago Duran (July 26, 1948 – February 17, 1977) was a U.S. Army 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
Duran was born, July 26, 1948, in Juarez, Mexico. He was the sixth of twelve siblings.
Duran joined the U.S. Army on May 13, 1968, and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) to support Search and Destroy missions. During his service in the Vietnam war, his actions resulted in him being awarded, posthumously in 2014, the Medal of Honor.
After leaving the military, Duran pursued a career as a corrections officer at a juvenile detention center in San Bernardino, California, dedicating personal time to mentoring youths and leading them on educational trips. He married twice and had two children. Duran died on February 17, 1977, and is buried at Olivewood Memorial Park in Riverside, California.
Medal of Honor
Duran's daughter, Tina Duran-Ruvalcaba, received the Medal of Honor on his behalf 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. The following day, she received the Medal of Honor flag from Secretary of Defense,
Chuck Hagel
Charles Timothy Hagel ( ; born October 4, 1946)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
Legacy
Jesus Duran is the protagonist of two award-winning documentaries directed by filmmaker Andrés Gallegos: From Mexico to Vietnam: A Chicano Story ' (2022) and the short documentary Immigrant Service: Focus on Jesus Duran ' (2021), both titles were produced by El Dorado Films in association with the Veteran Documentary Corps.
From Mexico to Vietnam: A Chicano Story '' After losing her father at an early age, Tina Duran explores the rich history of her father, the story of her ancestors who migrated from Mexico to the United States, and the implications the Vietnam War had on the Chicano & Latino community.
Commendations
SGT Duran's awards included the following:
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipients must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their o ...
Ysmael R. Villegas
Staff Sergeant Ysmael Reyes Villegas (March 21, 1924 – March 20, 1945), was a United States Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, for heroism during World War II at the B ...
, also a Medal of Honor recipient from Riverside
* Salvador J. Lara, also a Medal of Honor recipient from Riverside