FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — Fort Cavazos namesake, Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, is one of seven former U.S. Army soldiers who will be receiving the Medal of Honor from President Joe Biden.
Biden announced the news Friday for seven soldiers who “served their country above and beyond the call of duty.” In Cavazos’ case, it was during the Korean War where he served as a first lieutenant.
In the press release, it is explained that Cavazos will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for acts of “gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty” while serving as the Company Commander, Company E, 2d Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, on June 14 and 15, 1953, in the vicinity of Sagimak, Korea.
“On the night of June 14, 1953, Lieutenant Cavazos led his men in a raid on the entrenched enemy, upon whom heavy casualties were inflicted,” the release states. “When a heavy barrage was laid on the position by the enemy, Lieutenant Cavazos withdrew the company and regrouped his men.”
Lieutenant Cavazos led the company through the heavy barrage twice in assaults on the enemy position, each time destroying vital enemy equipment and personnel.
“When the United Nations element was ordered to withdraw, Lieutenant Cavazos remained alone on the enemy outpost to search the area for missing men,” says the release. “Exposed to heavy hostile fire, Lieutenant Cavazos located five battle casualties. He evacuated them, one at a time, to a point on the reverse slope of the hill from which they could be removed to safety. Lieutenant Cavazos then made four more trips between the United Nations position and the enemy-held hill, searching for casualties and evacuating scattered groups of men who had become confused. Not until he was assured that the hill was cleared did he get treatment for the wounds sustained during the action.”
Lieutenant Cavazos went on to serve for over thirty years, becoming the first Hispanic four-star General. He retired from the military service in 1984 and died on October 29, 2017, in San Antonio at 88.
“General Richard E. Cavazos was an exceptional soldier, a proud Texan, and a remarkable man,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro. “Tonight’s Medal of Honor presentation is a long-deserved award for a heroic man who dedicated his life to our country and the soldiers under his command. Latino and Hispanic servicemembers have a long and decorated history in our nation’s Armed Forces, but those sacrifices have too often gone overlooked. I hope this award is a marker of greater progress in our country’s efforts to recognize the heroism of servicemembers from all walks of life.”
On May 9, 2023, Fort Hood was renamed Fort Cavazos in honor of General Cavazos.
Cavazos is joined by fellow Korean War soldiers Private Bruno R. Orig, Private First Class Wataru Nakamura, Corporal Fred B. McGee, Private First Class Charles R. Johnson. Vietnam War soldiers Captain Hugh. R. Nelson Jr. and Then-Private First Class Kenneth J. David will also be receiving the medal.
This brings the total number of Medal of Honor recipients to 3,526.
