Demensio Rivera

Private Demensio Rivera (April 28, 1932 – March 19, 1967) was a United States Army veteran of the Korean War who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross; the award was upgraded in 2014, decades after his death, to the Medal of Honor.

Biography Demensio Rivera y Avilés was the youngest of five children born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Medal of Honor The bestowal of the Medal of Honor recognized Rivera for his actions at Changyong-ni, Korea, May 22–23, 1951.

Rivera's granddaughter, U.S. Army Sgt. Ashley Randall, received the Medal of Honor on her late grandfather's behalf, from President Obama in 2014.

The award came through the Defense Authorization Act which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor citation

Honors, awards and decorations Among Private Rivera's military decorations are the following: alt=A metal device depicting a blue bar with a rifle, in front of a wreath of silver leaves.

3rd Infantry Division Insignia

Honors In 2017 Demensio Rivera was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame. In 2022 Demensio Rivera was posthumously inducted to the 3rd Infantry Division Marne Hall of Fame.

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