Vietnam War hero Leonard Alvarado posthumously awarded Medal of Honor by Obama

On July 25, 1968, Leonard Louis Alvarado enlisted in the U.S. Army. By August 1969, he had risen to the rank of Specialist 4 and served as a rifleman in Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).

The Battle at Duc Phong

Just over a year later, the California native found himself part of a small reaction force advancing through thick jungle near Duc Phong in Phuoc Long Province. The unit was responding to Vietnamese communist soldiers threatening another American platoon. What followed was a counterattack that placed Company D in grave danger — and in which Alvarado played a vital role.

As his platoon moved toward the ongoing fight, Alvarado detected enemy movement and opened fire. Despite his swift reaction, he and his fellow soldiers were pinned down by heavy small arms fire and blocked from joining the endangered platoon they had come to assist. It soon became clear that a large, well-armed component of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) was targeting his platoon for overrunning, as well as the men they were trying to rescue.

Acts of Valor

Alvarado’s next action was to charge forward through a storm of machine gun fire to engage the enemy. Suddenly, a grenade exploded nearby, wounding and temporarily stunning him. Regaining his composure, he killed the North Vietnamese grenadier — just as another barrage wounded him again. Nevertheless, he continued crawling forward under heavy fire to pull several wounded comrades back within the perimeter the unit had hastily formed.

Assessing the situation and deciding his unit needed to break away from the larger enemy force, Alvarado began maneuvering forward alone to cover the disengagement.

Although he was repeatedly knocked to the ground by exploding satchel charges, he continued advancing and firing, using his rifle and grenades to silence several PAVN positions, including a machine gun nest. Taking shelter in a dangerous forward position, he persistently laid suppressive fire on the enemy until the communists — rather than his platoon — broke contact.

Final Sacrifice

Shortly afterward, however, his comrades discovered that Alvarado had succumbed to his wounds. He left behind a wife and a daughter.

The engagement at Duc Phong cost Company D four men killed and 26 wounded. Alvarado’s all-out, ultimately sacrificial role in saving his platoon from possible disaster did not go unnoticed among his fellow Air Cavalry troops.

“I was Leonard’s squad leader,” remarked William Lytle during an interview. “Us, as surviving members of the 2nd platoon, never forgot him on this day.”

Recognition and Legacy

Alvarado was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, as well as the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medal with “V” device.

A re-evaluation of his record, however, made it clear that his sacrifice had been underrecognized. With the passage of the Defense Authorization Act, his daughter, Lenora, was called to the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 2014, to see his DSC upgraded and receive the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama.

His remains rest in his hometown, at Greenlawn Cemetery in Bakersfield, California.