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Daniel D. Fernández (June 30, 1944 – February 18, 1966) was a United States Army soldier in the Vietnam War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in Hậu Nghĩa province, Republic of Vietnam, in February 1966 — throwing himself on a live grenade, he sacrificed his life to save lives of the soldiers around him.
Early years
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 30, 1944, Fernández grew up in nearby Los Lunas. He had two younger brothers, Peter and James, and a sister, Rita.
Fernández joined the Army from Albuquerque in 1962 and by 1966 was on his second tour of duty in Vietnam. During that deployment, he served as a specialist four in Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), 25th Infantry Division. On February 18, 1966, in Củ Chi, Hậu Nghĩa province, his 16-man patrol was ambushed by a Viet Cong rifle company and forced to fall back. Fernández and two others volunteered to follow a sergeant back to the ambush site and rescue a wounded soldier who had been left behind. After reaching the injured man, the sergeant was shot in the knee and Fernández took over command of the patrol. All five men were pinned down by heavy fire when a rifle grenade landed in their midst. In the scramble to get away from the device, Fernández accidentally kicked it closer to the rest of the group. He then shouted "move out", jumped over the immobile sergeant, and threw himself on the grenade. Fernández was killed in the resulting explosion, but successfully saved the lives of his fellow soldiers.
For this action, Fernández was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in November 1966. He was the first of nine Mexican Americans to receive the medal in Vietnam.
Medal of Honor
His official Medal of Honor citation reads:
FERNANDEZ, DANIEL
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry (Mechanized) 25th Infantry Division
Place and date: Cu Chi, Hau Nghia Province, Republic of Vietnam, 18 February 1966
Entered service at: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Born: 30 June 1944, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Fernández demonstrated indomitable courage when the patrol was ambushed by a Viet Cong rifle company and driven back by the intense enemy automatic weapons fire before it could evacuate an American soldier who had been wounded in the Viet Cong attack. Sp4c. Fernández, a sergeant and 2 other volunteers immediately fought their way through devastating fire and exploding grenades to reach the fallen soldier. Upon reaching their fallen comrade the sergeant was struck in the knee by machine gun fire and immobilized. Sp4c. Fernández took charge, rallied the left flank of his patrol and began to assist in the recovery of the wounded sergeant. While first aid was being administered to the wounded man, a sudden increase in the accuracy and intensity of enemy fire forced the volunteer group to take cover. As they did, an enemy grenade landed in the midst of the group, although some men did not see it. Realizing there was no time for the wounded sergeant or the other men to protect themselves from the grenade blast, Sp4c. Fernández vaulted over the wounded sergeant and threw himself on the grenade as it exploded, saving the lives of his 4 comrades at the sacrifice of his life. Sp4c. Fernández' profound concern for his fellow soldiers, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
In Fernández's hometown of Los Lunas, a number of structures have been named in his honor. In March 1966, the newly opened Los Lunas Junior High School was renamed Daniel Fernández Junior High School in his honor. It has since been reorganized as Daniel D. Fernández Intermediate School. A park and recreation facility, Daniel D. Fernández Memorial Park, was dedicated in 1972. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars post bears his name, as does a road, Fernandez Street.
Students at Daniel D. Fernández Intermediate School wrote of biography of him, titled Man of Honor: The Story of Daniel D. Fernández, which was published in 2009 by Author House Publishing.
Daniel D Fernández
United States of America
United States Army
Specialist Four
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.