Rafael Peralta

Rafael Peralta (April 7, 1979 – November 15, 2004), assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, was a United States Marine killed in combat during Second Battle of Fallujah in the city of Fallujah, Iraq. In September 2008 his family was notified that he was awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest award a U.S. Marine can receive. In February 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer would be named USS Rafael Peralta.