Namesake of the U.S.S. Gonzalez
Sergeant Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez enlisted in the Marine Corps in June 1965. He served as a rifleman with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion for a year, then served with 3rd Marine Division (Rein), where he was promoted to Private First Class on January 1, 1966; to Lance Corporal on October 1, 1966, and to Corporal on December 1, 1966.
On July 1, 1967, Gonzalez was promoted to Sergeant just prior to arriving in Vietnam. He served there as Platoon Sergeant with the 3rd Platoon Company “A”, 1st Battalion. During Operation Hue City on February 4, 1968, Gonzalez was killed by rocket fire. He earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, and the National Defense Service Medal, among others.
You can learn more about Sergeant Gonzalez on the Navy website – for now, at least. It could disappear at any moment.
