TestimonIES for the upgrade of sgt. danny HernandeZ
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
"There's a difference between action heroes in movies, and action heroes in real life. Danny is a real action hero."
Lt. James Lupori
"Hernandez had put his life at risk by diving through enemy fire to save a wounded marine in a machine gun kill-zone. He then carried the marine to safety, and refused to be evacuated even after being hit in the back by enemy fire."
Sgt. John Enriquez
"He saved the lives of all us marines. He did it under heavy firepower, risking his own life so that the rest of us could live."
Gen. John Kelly
"It takes a pretty special person to know you have a ticket out of battle, and you still don't take it. Those men would have died had it not been for Danny."
Youtube interview
Combat Stories by Ryan Fugit captures the whole story in video directly from Sgt. Danny Hernandez
Marine Corps Silver Star Recipient | Operation Utah | Vietnam Veteran | Community Activist | Danny Hernandez - By Ryan Fugit
Nov 5, 2022
Today we hear the Combat Story of Danny Hernandez, a Vietnam Veteran who served as a Marine rifleman in Operation Utah in March 1966. Danny would later be awarded the Silver Star and there is currently a push to have that upgraded to a Medal of Honor.
Danny came from the rough streets of East LA and after Vietnam would return to be a committed community activist and mentor for many of the kids who were not as fortunate as he was.
The Silver Star was certainly earned as Danny was shot twice while providing medical aid to a stranded and wounded Marine on the battlefield; refusing to be evacuated, and killing several enemy soldiers as they flanked the casualty collection point that Danny had just been sitting in.
Danny’s work on mentoring and building the community in his hometown is inspiring and you can’t help but laugh as you hear some of the stories of the Marine Corps back in the Vietnam era. Hear Sgt. Hernandez' amazing and heroic story directly from him using the link below.
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Find Ryan Online:
- - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
NEW AND IMPORTANT SUPPORT FOR THIS UPGRADE
Hubert Yoshida - See his story here: https://youtu.be/PCdXfFrwc_I
My name is Hubert Yoshida. I was a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and was the Platoon Commander of 1st Platoon, H Company, 7th Marines during one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps History during the Vietnam War, known as Operation Utah which occurred from 4 March to 7 March 1966. I decided to write a book about this battle and during the research for this book I came across the heroic story of Pfc Danny Hernandez, who was awarded a Silver Star , 43 years after Operation Utah.
In my research I came across many heroic acts which I documented from eye witness accounts and award citations. Danny’s action stood out as particularly courageous and I began to compare it with other higher awards that were given for similar actions in other battles in Vietnam, and came to the conclusion that Danny should be qualified for the highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Of all the heroic acts that I reviewed, PFC Danny Hernandez’ heroism stands out as particularly noteworthy. There were no Medals of Honor awarded during Operation Utah. There were four Navy Crosses, which ranks next to the Medal of Honor, that were awarded for the following actions during Operation Utah"
Operation Utah is not as well-known as other battles like the Tet Offensive and the siege of Khe Sanh, but it was a pivotal battle in that it was the first battle between The U.S. Marine Corps and the regular North Vietnamese forces. The task Force commanders under estimated the strength of the enemy and pitted three under-staffed Battalions against at least one regiment of North Vietnamese and a regiment of VC who were dug into extensive fortified positions. Command and communications were fragmented and supporting air and artillery had no effect on the fortified positions. It was only the heroics of individual Marines like Danny Hernandez who saved the battle. Hubert Yoshida
*Note-this is an excerpt of Mr. Yoshito's justification for medal upgrade
ORIGINAL SILVER STAR AWARD - 43 YEARS LATE
Los Angeles Times
VIETNAM VETERAN AWARDED SILVER STAR AFTER 43 YEARS BY ESMERALDA BERMUDEZ OCT. 4, 2009
It took 43 years, but Marine Pfc. Daniel Hernandez finally got his medal. And when he did Saturday morning in Boyle Heights, the Vietnam veteran stood up straight and proudly puffed out his chest, his eyes glistening with emotion. “His immediate and fearless actions, while himself painfully wounded, undoubtedly saved many lives,” said Marine Lt. Jim Lupori, reading from the Silver Star medal citation that, because of lost paperwork, was never awarded to Hernandez by the secretary of the Navy after he left Vietnam in the late 1960s.
The four-decade wait only made the honor more meaningful to Hernandez, 63, as several hundred relatives, friends and fellow veterans gathered for a ceremony in his honor at the Hollenbeck Youth Center. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-East Los Angeles) and a host of other state and city leaders attended. They came in support of a man they had known for decades as a community youth leader and president of the Hollenbeck Youth Center, which provides after-school programs to keep children away from gangs and drugs. Few knew Hernandez also was a war hero. “There’s a difference between action heroes in movies and action heroes in real life,” said Schwarzenegger, who has long collaborated with Hernandez on youth issues. “Danny is a real action hero.”
Hernandez was 20 when he served as a machine gunner with M Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. The company, which was among the hardest hit during the Vietnam War, lost 17 men on March 5, 1966, during Operation Utah in Quang Ngai province. That day, the citation notes, Hernandez dived through enemy fire to pick up a wounded Marine and carry him to safety. A bullet grazed his back. Still, he refused to be evacuated, and, moments later, when he saw an enemy soldier firing at a group of wounded Marines, he ran through oncoming bullets to kill the soldier and save his comrades. Another bullet later grazed his head, sending him to a hospital in Guam. During Saturday’s two-hour ceremony, Hernandez quietly looked on from the stage, now and then blushing and smiling timidly as two of his former supervisors retold the story in detail. Marines in the room, some of them former comrades who witnessed his bravery, cheered “Semper Fi!” and “Welcome home, Danny!”
Maj. Gen. John F. Kelly drove from Camp Pendleton to present the medal to Hernandez. “It takes a pretty special person to know you have a ticket out of that situation, and you still don’t take it,” he said. “Those men would have died had it not been for Danny.”
Heroic as it was, the act was not immediately recognized by the secretary of the Navy. Lupori, who was Hernandez’s commander during the battle, recommended the young man for the medal. Lupori was soon transferred to another battalion and lost contact with Hernandez, but he always assumed that Hernandez had been awarded the honor. Forty years later, Lupori found out that wasn’t the case.
By chance in 2005, another Marine brought the two men together for lunch. When Lupori congratulated Hernandez on the medal, Hernandez didn’t know anything about it. “It was then I decided to do everything in my power to get him his medal,” said Lupori, who believes the paperwork was lost in the military bureaucracy. Then retired, the lieutenant from Akron, Ohio, spent three years preparing the application. It was all the more challenging because so much time had passed. He had to track down witnesses to verify his claim and explain the delay. He flew across the United States, enlisted the help of several high-ranking political officials, scoured the Internet and made countless phone calls. Finally, earlier this year, Lupori was notified by the awards office that Hernandez’s medal was approved.
“I was elated and relieved,” he said. When Hernandez stepped behind the microphone, he thanked each of the people -- one by one -- who helped him receive the medal he now wore pinned to his black sweater. He dedicated the honor to all Marines and soldiers and the youths at Hollenbeck. “In my company,” he said. “I did not own valor. It was not exclusive to me. My company owned valor.”
IN CONCLUSION
WITHOUT A DOUBT, SGT. HERNANDEZ IS WORTHY
We have read many citations of Medal of Honor awardees and believe that Sgt. Danny Hernandez' heroics meets or exceeds many of the Medal of Honor award citations found where the recipient sacrificed their own safety and sometimes their lives to save their fellow cosmrade. Without a doubt, his actions saved many lives while under the most dangerous and difficult conditions. He did not run from the danger, he ran towards it even while severely wounded. Indeed, while being wounded a second time and offered a ride to safety, he refused to be treated and went back into battle. Danny Hernandez’ action encompassed all the attributes of a Medal of Honor recipient and desreves to be reconsiderd for this honor.
Operation Utah is not as well-known as other battles like the Tet Offensive and the siege of Khe Sanh, however, it was a pivotal battle that placed Danny and his fellow marines up against a far more fortified regiment of North Vietnamese and a regiment of VC who were dug into extensive fortified positions. While the odds were certainly against them, these marines fought bravely. Some marines, like Sgt. Danny Herandez, went above and beyond the call of duty.
"It was only the heroics of individual Marines like Danny Hernandez who saved the battle". Hubert Yoshida
Today, the mission continues. - The Marines not only created a hero on the battlefield, but the Marine Corps also created a hero and leader in Los Angeles through Danny's creation of Inner-City Games and the Hollenbeck Youth Center about to celebrate its 50th Anniversary.
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About Us - The team for the upgrade of sgt. danny hernandez
Priscilla Hernandez
Priscilla Hernandez
Priscilla Hernandez
Hubert Yoshida
Priscilla Hernandez
Priscilla Hernandez
Vietnam Veteran and
Published Author
Ronald Stebenne
Priscilla Hernandez
Ronald Stebenne
Business owner
and supporter