Demensio Rivera-Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico - Medal Of Honor Resting Places on Waymarking.com

He was born on April 23, 1933 in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico and died on March 19, 1967. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously on March 18, 2014. His Medal of Honor information and citation is: DEMENSIO RIVERA
Rank: Private
Organization: U.S. Army
Company: Company G, 2d Battalion
Division: 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division
Born: April 29, 1933, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Departed: Yes (03/19/1967)
Entered Service At: New York
G.O. Number:
Date of Issue: 03/18/2014
Accredited To: New York
Place / Date: May 22-23, 1951, Changyongni, Korea

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.

*SPECIAL EXCEPTION WAYMARK* This category made the decision to approve this waymark based on the research and partnerships between the submitter, Don.Morfe, and individuals who gave permission for their photos of Medal of Honor resting places to be used in this community. Although the vision and philosophy of the Waymarking body is to promote in-person visits and photo documentation, special circumstances can be made on a case-by-case basis such as this submission. We appreciate the fact that Don.Morfe spent over 20 years visiting more than 2,900 Medal of Honor resting places and has documented them in this category with personal photos the past 18 months. He recently took it upon himself to document many more Medal of Honor resting places around the world that he could not visit in person. He reached out to individuals on FindaGrave.com and elsewhere and received permission to use their photos, created write-ups and submitted them here for approval. A compromise was made to allow his submissions here in order to gain a sense of appreciation to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. Thank you, Don, for your tireless efforts and contributions to this category and to the Waymarking community!

Armed Service: Army

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Date Logged Log User Rating   11/10/2021 Don.Morfe visited it