Leonard Louis Alvarado

Leonard Louis Alvarado was a U.S. Army posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.

Alvarado joined the Army in 1968, and served as a specialist four. On Aug. 12, Specialist Four Alvarado and a small reaction force moved through dense jungle en route to a beleaguered friendly platoon, Alvarado detected enemy movement and opened fire.

Despite his quick reaction, he and his comrades were soon pinned down by the hostile force that blocked the path to the trapped platoon. Alvarado quickly moved forward through the hostile machine gun fire in order to engage the enemy troops.

An enemy grenade exploded nearby, wounding and momentarily stunning him. Retaliating immediately, he killed the grenadier just as another enemy barrage wounded him again.

Alvarado crawled forward through the fusillade to pull several comrades back within the hastily-formed perimeter. Realizing his element needed to break away from the hostile force, he began maneuvering forward alone.

Though repeatedly thrown to the ground by exploding satchel charges, he continued advancing and firing, silencing several emplacements, including one enemy machine gun position.

From his dangerous forward position, he persistently laid suppressive fire on the hostile forces, and after the enemy troops had broken contact, his comrades discovered that he had succumbed to his wounds.

For his heroic actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2014.