USS Alfredo Gonzalez

On February 04, 1968, Marine sergeant Alfredo Gonzalez died near Thua Thien, Vietnam, after action that earned him the Medal of Honor. On January 31 the native of Edinburg, Texas, was commanding a platoon in a truck convoy formed to relieve pressure on the beleaguered city of Hue. After being wounded, he moved through a fire-swept area and rescued a wounded comrade. On February 3 he was again wounded, but refused medical treatment. The next day, as the enemy inflicted heavy casualties on his company, Gonzalez knocked out a rocket position and suppressed much enemy fire before falling. The missile destroyer USS Alfredo Gonzalez, named for him, is the first United States military ship named for a Hispanic.