Demensio Rivera

He held his bunker through a night assault by enemy soldiers

Demensio Rivera earned the Medal of Honor for defending a forward position at Changyong-ni, Korea, during the fighting of 22 and 23 May 1951. Then a private and automatic rifleman with Company G, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, he resisted an attack even after his principal weapon failed.

Rivera was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, on 29 April 1933. He enlisted in the United States Army in New York on 26 September 1950.

As enemy troops advanced through fog, Rivera fired until his rifle jammed, then continued with a pistol and grenades. When only one grenade remained and attackers entered his bunker, he detonated it despite the danger to himself. Friendly troops later recovered him severely wounded.

Rivera survived the Korean fighting and died on 19 March 1967. He is buried in Cementerio San Miguel Arcangel at Cabo Rojo. President Barack Obama presented his posthumous Medal of Honor to his granddaughter at the White House on 18 March 2014. His citation recognizes the defense of the position at extraordinary personal risk.

Medal of Honor citation

Private Demensio Rivera distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an automatic rifleman with 2d Platoon, Company G, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Changyong-ni, Korea on May 23, 1951. Early that morning, a large hostile force emerged from a dense fog and viciously attacked Private Rivera and his comrades. Private Rivera immediately responded by firing with deadly accuracy until his weapon jammed. Without hesitating, he threw his rifle down and began to engage the enemy with his pistol and grenades. At one point, Private Rivera fearlessly crawled from his emplacement to engage an infiltrating enemy soldier in fierce hand-to-hand combat. With only the sound of footsteps and obscure shadows to guide his aim, Private Rivera held his position against tremendous odds, inflicting numerous casualties on the enemy until he found himself without ammunition of any kind except one grenade. Displaying a peerless fighting spirit and an utterly selfless devotion to duty, Private Rivera pulled the pin from his last grenade and calmly waited for the enemy to reach his position. As enemy troops leaped inside his bunker, Private Rivera activated the grenade with the full knowledge that it meant his almost certain death. When the debris from the explosion had cleared, friendly forces recovered a severely wounded Private Rivera and discovered the bodies of four dead or dying enemy soldiers surrounding him. Private Rivera’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.