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4 High Desert Warrior www.aerotechnews.com/ntcfortirwin
December 4, 2015
Honor
Medal of Honor recipient memorialized in hometown
Story and photos by Jason Miller
Public Affairs Office Fort Irwin United States Army Garrison Commander Col. Scott Taylor, keynote speaker, addressed the gathering
during a highway interchange naming ceremony at the Ritchie Valens Park in Pacoima, Calif., Nov. 10.
During a morning ceremony, United States Army Soldiers with the National
Training Center and Fort Irwin honored Medal of Honor recipient, Pfc. David
M. Gonzales and family at the Ritchie Valens Park, in Pacoima, Calif., Nov. 10.
Sounds of freeway traffic could be heard in the park, as a copy of the newly
designated interchange sign was lifted into the air by David Gonzales Jr., son
of the American hero.
The highway interchange between Interstate 5 and California State Route
118 is now designated, Pfc. David M. Gonzales, Medal of Honor World War
II, Memorial Interchange.
During the ceremony, Gonzales Jr., recalled the loss of his father, but ac-
knowledge all families who suffered loss during World War II.
“My father wears the medal (Medal of Honor), but that medal is for all
Veterans, I don’t care what branch you’re in,” said Gonzales Jr.
Gonzales was born in Pacoima and was the first Medal of Honor recipient
in Los Angeles County.
He joined the U.S. Army on March 31, 1944, and was assigned to A Com-
pany, 127th Infantry Regiment. Nine months after, he faced heavy fighting in
the rugged terrain along the Villa Verde trail on the Island of Luzon, Philippines.
During the fierce battle, a 500 pound bomb exploded where his unit was
occupied, burying five of his teammates in their fox holes. Without hesitation,
Gonzales began digging out his comrades with an entrenching tool, under heavy
fire and without cover. Gonzales saved three Solders before he was mortally
wounded by enemy fire.
Guest speaker of the Pacoima ceremony, Fort Irwin United States Army
Garrison Commander Col. Scott Taylor spoke of Gonzales’ service and sacrifice.
“Private First Class Gonzales gave up his life saving others, he lived up to the
Army values,” Taylor said. “These values are not learned after enlistment, they
come from home. They are learned from the family.”
On Dec. 8, 1945, President Harry S. Truman, posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor to Gonzales and presented the medal to his surviving family.
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