Salvador J. Lara
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Staff Sergeant Salvador J. Lara (July 11, 1920 – September 1, 1945) was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and recipient of the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
. He was of Mexican-American descent.


Background

Lara was born in
Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...
and raised in the neighborhood of Casa Blanca. He was the son of Juan and Isabel (Herrera) Lara, and worked in Riverside's citrus production before enlisting with the United States Army in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
on July 29, 1942. He never married, and had no children. In May 1944 Lara was
wounded in action Wounded in Action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...
during the Italian campaign while serving as the squad leader of a rifle squad. Despite his injuries, he continued to lead his squad taking multiple enemy strongholds. Lara's hometown newspaper reported his injury was sustained at the
Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a Port, fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine I ...
beachhead, which is about from
Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...
, the location of Lara's Medal of Honor citation. Lara died on September 1, 1945, shortly after World War II ended, while serving with the 602d Ordnance Armament Maintenance Battalion in Europe.


Medal of Honor

Members of Lara's family received the Medal of Honor flag from Secretary of Defense
Chuck Hagel Charles Timothy Hagel ( born October 4, 1946)Pentagon Hall of Heroes. They received the actual medal from President
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at the
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on March 18, 2014. The award came through the Defense Authorization Act, which called for a review of Jewish and Hispanic 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. According to Lara's U.S. Army biography:
Then-Pfc. Salvador Lara was bestowed the Medal of Honor to recognize his valorous actions in Aprilia, Italy, May 27–28, 1944. During the fight, May 27, he aggressively led his rifle squad in neutralizing multiple enemy strong points and inflicting large numbers of casualties on the enemy. The next morning, as his company resumed the attack, Lara sustained a severe leg wound, but did not stop to receive first aid. Lara continued his exemplary performance until he captured his objective.


Awards and decorations

Lara's awards include:


In Memoriam

Lara's burial monument is located at Plot F Row 17 Grave 33 of the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in
Saint-Avold Saint-Avold (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Sänt Avuur'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated twenty-eight miles (45 km) east of Metz, France and seventeen miles (27 km) southwest ...
,
Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...
, France, a site administered by the
American Battle Monuments Commission The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is an independent agency of the United States government that administers, operates, and maintains permanent U.S. military cemeteries, memorials and monuments primarily outside the United States. ...
. The ''SSgt. Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library'' in Riverside, opened in 2003, is named in Lara's honor.


See also

*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II This is a list of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II. The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recip ...
* Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients *
Hispanic Americans in World War II Hispanic Americans, also referred to as Latin Americans, Latinos, served in all elements of the American armed forces in the war. They fought in every major American battle in the war. Between 400,000 and 500,000 Hispanic Americans served in the ...
*
Ysmael R. Villegas Staff Sergeant Ysmael Reyes Villegas (March 21, 1924 – March 20, 1945), was a United States Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, for heroism during World War II at the Bat ...
, also a World War II Medal of Honor recipient from Riverside * Jesus S. Duran, a Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient from Riverside


References


Further reading

*


External links


American Battle Monuments Commission:Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lara, Salvador J. United States Army Medal of Honor recipients World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Army non-commissioned officers American people of Mexican descent United States Army personnel killed in World War II Burials at Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial People from Riverside, California 1920 births 1945 deaths