Recently, amid a deluge of last-minute political awards issued by the departing Biden administration, there were seven that were not presidential awards, and they stood far “above and beyond” the others. Those seven were Medal of Honor recipients, and it was disgraceful for Joe Biden to bestow those among all the others, as if they were commensurate with the 47 “presidential” medals he doled out, mostly as political trophies.

Five of those posthumous Medals of Honor were for actions during the Korean War — four of those, Private Bruno Orig, Private First Class Wataru Nakamura, Corporal Fred McGee, and Private First Class Charles R. Johnson, I have previously profiled.

The fifth Medal of Honor was awarded to GEN Richard E. Cavazos for his actions in Korea on June 14-15, 1953.

As I have noted before regarding long delays between service rendered and recognized, these recipients are, first and foremost, humble warriors — all the bravado over good whiskey and cigars notwithstanding. Inherent in their willingness to “lay down one’s life for his friends” is the ultimate expression of humility, valuing the lives of others above one’s own. Thus, it is not in their nature to advocate for their personal recognition. That advocacy falls to others, often many decades later, and mostly those with whom the recipient served, to advocate for upgrading a fellow warrior’s prior decoration to a Medal of Honor.

Over the last century, many Medals of Honor have been approved and awarded for actions that occurred decades earlier, most often posthumously. The verification process for valorous actions that may merit a Medal of Honor is very strenuous, making that process more difficult with the passage of time.

Richard Cavazos was born in Kingsville, Texas, a sixth-generation American whose ancestors were Mexican immigrants. He was raised on a cattle ranch, where his father was the foreman. He was stewarded in the service to our country as a youngster by his father, a World War I Veteran. A proud Texan, Richard was a descendant of Texas Revolution heroine Francita Alavez, the “Angel of Goliad.”

After high school, Richard graduated from Texas Tech University as a distinguished ROTC graduate. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, and upon completing his initial military training, he deployed to Korea as platoon leader of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment. Known as the Borinqueneers, the 65th Regiment consisted of mostly Spanish-speaking recruits from Puerto Rico, and Cavazos, who was bilingual, was uniquely suited to lead this unit.

For his service in Korea, then-1LT Cavazos was awarded both the Silver Star and a Distinguished Service Cross, the latter being the second-highest award for valor. His DSC citation noted he “distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces,” and “when the United Nations element was ordered to withdraw, Lieutenant Cavazos remained alone on the enemy outpost to search the area for missing men.” Despite his exposure to heavy enemy fire, he “located five men who had been wounded in the action” and “evacuated them, one at a time, to a point … they could be removed to the safety of the friendly lines.” Though he was wounded, he would not cease his search and exfil of casualties until he was assured the area was cleared of American troops.

After Korea, he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas (now named Fort Cavazos in his honor). In 1967, then-LTC Cavazos deployed to Vietnam as commander of the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment. For his valiant leadership at Loc Ninh in October and November of that year, he was awarded a second Distinguished Service Cross. That citation noted he “distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions,” leading “his unit on a search and destroy operation.” Under “heavy fire from a Viet Cong battalion” and “exposed to savage hostile fire and shrapnel,” he “moved among his troops directing a counterattack.”

Furthermore: “When the fighting reached such close quarters that supporting fire could no longer be used, he completely disregarded his own safety and personally led a determined assault on the enemy positions. … The assault was carried out with such force and aggressiveness that the Viet Cong were overrun and fled their trenches. … His brilliant leadership in the face of grave danger resulted in maximum enemy casualties and the capture of many hostile weapons.”

Bill Fee, who served under Cavazos, recalled: “He was an atypical army officer in Vietnam. Most battalion commanders stood in the rear or in a helicopter above to direct the battle. … [He] had nothing to do with that. He fought on the ground with his troops during battle. … He was on the ground with us as we were facing the North Vietnamese Army.”

After Vietnam, Cavazos became commander of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, and then commander of the 9th Infantry Division — becoming the first officer of Hispanic heritage to reach the rank of Brigadier General. In the following years, he advanced in rank to become a four-star general in 1982 before retiring after 33 years of distinguished service in 1984.

Of his inspiration to others, MG Alfred Valenzuela said of Cavazos: “I told him what he meant to us poor Hispanic kids. His impact as a mentor is probably the greatest impact our Army had. … We all looked up to him as an American soldier, a Hispanic soldier. He was the guy we wanted to be. If we couldn’t be him, we wanted to be near him and serve with him.”

In retirement, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Chemical Warfare Review Committee and would later serve on the Board of Regents of his alma mater, Texas Tech. Notably, his older brother Lauro Cavazos, also an Army Veteran, was appointed by President Reagan as his Secretary of Education.

Richard and his wife Caroline, who had moved with him 27 times over his 33 years in the Service, returned to San Antonio after his retirement, and he died there in 2017. They had been married for 65 years. She died in 2023, and they are survived by their four children, 11 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.

He departed with these words for those with whom he had served: “Esteemed comrades: be assured of my affection, regard, and great, great gratitude. Thank you for soldiering, thank you for sustaining this great land. God love you.”

At the time of his death, the process of upgrading his Korean War Distinguished Service Cross to a Medal of Honor was just getting underway. That process was completed last year, and his now-Medal of Honor citation concludes, “[His] conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.”

In addition to his Medal of Honor, his second Distinguished Service Cross, and his Silver Star, Cavazos received five Bronze Stars (valor) among his 29 other combat decorations. He was inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame, the Ft. Leavenworth Hall of Fame, and the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor (football).

Had he been living today, Richard would likely have rejected the Medal of Honor recognition. At the 2023 ceremonial renaming of Ft. Hood to Ft. Cavazos, his daughter Katherine noted that he “wouldn’t have liked this ceremony because he was a server,” adding, “It’s very hard when you have that serving heart to receive it back.”

Moreover, she noted: “He was a faithful man. Many chaplains have stories and were friends of his. … His faith got him through those times of extreme loss. The chaplains [recounted] that he could see God in the worst of moments.”

Richard Cavazos: Your example of valor — a humble American Patriot defending Liberty for all above and beyond the call of duty and in disregard for the peril to your own life — is eternal.

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Live your life worthy of his sacrifice.

(Read more Profiles of Valor here.)

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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