Jesus Santiago Duran (July 26, 1948 – February 17, 1977) was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Biography Duran was born, July 26, 1948, in Juarez, Mexico. He was the sixth of twelve siblings.
Duran joined the U.S. Army on May 13, 1968, and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) to support Search and Destroy missions. During his service in the Vietnam war, his actions resulted in him being awarded, posthumously in 2014, the Medal of Honor.
After leaving the military, Duran pursued a career as a corrections officer at a juvenile detention center in San Bernardino, California, dedicating personal time to mentoring youths and leading them on educational trips. He married twice and had two children. Duran died on February 17, 1977, and is buried at Olivewood Memorial Park in Riverside, California.
Medal of Honor Duran's daughter, Tina Duran-Ruvalcaba, received the Medal of Honor on his behalf from President Barack Obama in a March 18, 2014 White House ceremony. The following day, she received the Medal of Honor flag from Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, in a ceremony where Duran was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes.
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.
Citation
Legacy Jesus Duran is the protagonist of two award-winning documentaries directed by filmmaker Andrés Gallegos: From Mexico to Vietnam: A Chicano Story (2022) and the short documentary Immigrant Service: Focus on Jesus Duran (2021), both titles were produced by El Dorado Films in association with the Veteran Documentary Corps.
From Mexico to Vietnam: A Chicano Story: After losing her father at an early age, Tina Duran explores the rich history of her father, the story of her ancestors who migrated from Mexico to the United States, and the implications the Vietnam War had on the Chicano & Latino community.From Mexico to Vietnam: a Chicano story (2022) - IMDb. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17073590/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_from%2520mexico%2520to%2520vie
Commendations SGT Duran's awards included the following:
BadgeCombat Infantryman Badge1st rowMedal of Honor2nd rowBronze StarAir MedalArmy Good Conduct Medal3rd rowNational Defense Service MedalVietnam Service Medal Vietnam Campaign MedalBadgesSharpshooter Badge Marksman Badge Unit awardVietnamese Gallantry Cross
1 Service stripe2 Overseas Service Bars
See also
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients Ysmael R. Villegas, also a Medal of Honor recipient from Riverside Salvador J. Lara, also a Medal of Honor recipient from Riverside
References
External links