Miguel Armando "Nando" Rodriguez-Vera (May 3, 1932 – September 21, 1952) was a United States Army soldier who was killed in the Korean War and a posthumous 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 ...

for his actions during the Battle of Old Baldy.

Biographical details

Rodriguez-Vera was born in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico to Carmen Vera Cardona, and joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary 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 the United Stat ...

when he was 17 years old. After Rodriguez-Vera was killed in action in the Korean War, his body was transferred to Puerto Rico where he was buried with full military honors in the Utuado Municipal Cemetery, Utuado, Puerto Rico. Years later, in November 2014, Rodriguez-Vera was reburied at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. In 2017, Miguel Rodriguez Vera, was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.

Medal of Honor

The bestowal of the Medal of Honor recognized Rodriguez-Vera for his actions at Chorwon, North Korea, on September 21, 1952. While Rodriguez-Vera's unit attempted to retake the right sector of ''Old Baldy'', it came under heavy fire at close range and was forced back. Rodriguez-Vera selflessly chose to stay and cover the troops' withdrawal, and lost his life during this action. Rodriguez-Vera was posthumously bestowed the

by President Obama in a March 18, 2014 White House ceremony. The bestowal of the Medal of Honor was in accordance with the

National Defense Authorization Act The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is any of a series of United States federal laws specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense. The first NDAA was passed in 1961. The U.S. Congress oversees the de ...

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.

Medal of Honor citation

Awards and decorations

Notes

References