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{{short description|United States Army Medal of Honor recipient}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
|name= David M. Gonzales
|name= David M. Gonzales
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|birth_place= ]
|birth_place= ]
|death_place= ]
|death_place= ]
|placeofburial= ]
|placeofburial= New Calvary Catholic Cemetery, ]
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|image=] ]
|image= DavidMGonzales cropped.jpg
|medal= Medal of Honor U.S.Army.jpg
|caption=Pvt. David M. Gonzales, Medal of Honor recipient
|caption=Pvt. David M. Gonzales, Medal of Honor recipient
|nickname=
|nickname=
|allegiance= ]
|allegiance= United States of America
|branch= ]
|branch= ]
|serviceyears= 1944 - 1945
|serviceyears= 1944–1945
|rank= ]
|rank= ]
|commands=
|commands=
|unit=127th Infantry, ]
|unit=127th Infantry, ]
|battles=],<br/>*]
|battles=]
* ] {{KIA}}
|awards= ]<br/>]<br/>]
|awards= ]<br>]<br>]
|laterwork=
|laterwork=
}}
}}
Private First Class '''David M. Gonzales''' (June 9, 1923–April 25, 1945) was a ] soldier who ] received the ] — the United States' highest military decoration — for his actions during ]. On April 25, 1945, at age 22, PFC Gonzales was ] in the ] while, in the face of enemy machine gun fire, digging out fellow soldiers who had been buried in a bomb explosion.
Private First Class '''David M. Gonzales''' (June 9, 1923 – April 25, 1945) was a ] soldier who ] received the ] — the United States' highest military decoration – for his actions during ]. On April 25, 1945, at age 21, PFC Gonzales was ] in the ] while, in the face of enemy machine gun fire, digging out fellow soldiers who had been buried in a bomb explosion.
==Early years==
==Early years==
David Gonzales was a semi-skilled machine shop (and related occupations) in ] when he joined the U.S. Army at the ] in March 1944.<ref></ref>.
Gonzales, a ], was a semi-skilled machine shop worker in Los Angeles when he joined the U.S. Army in ] in March 1944.<ref></ref>
==World War II==
==World War II==
]
On February 1, 1945, Gonzales, was awarded the ]{{fact|date=July 2012}}. On April 25, 1945, Gonzales' company found itself ] against Japanese forces at Villa Verde Trail on ] island in the Philippines. A 500-pound ] was dropped accidentally on the wrong hill by an American ].<ref name="TR">{{cite book|title=The Rakkasans: the combat history of the 187th Airborne Infantry|first=E. M.|last=Flanagan|publisher=Presidio Press|year=1997|isbn10=0891416048|isbn=978-0-89141-604-3}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=July 2012}}The ] was using a tactic called "skip bombing" and were fusing the bombs for delayed action detonation to destroy the labyrinth of Japanese caves and tunnels in the northern Luzon campaign. This fusing allowed the bomb to bury itself deeply into the ground prior to detonation. This event trapped five American soldiers in their standing foxholes.<ref name="rescued">Castro, Tony. (May 26, 2007) ", '']'' Section: News; Page N1. {{Dead link|date=March 2011}}</ref>
On April 25, 1945, Gonzales' company found itself ] against Japanese forces at ] on ] island in the Philippines. The ] was using a tactic called "skip bombing" and were fusing the bombs for delayed action detonation to destroy the labyrinth of Japanese caves and tunnels in the northern Luzon campaign. This fusing allowed the bomb to bury itself deeply into the ground prior to detonation. This event trapped five American soldiers in their standing foxholes.<ref name="rescued">{{cite news|last=Castro|first=Tony|date=May 25, 2007|url=http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20070526/heros-son-finally-to-meet-vet-his-dad-rescued-in-war|title=Hero's son finally to meet vet his dad rescued in war|newspaper=]}}</ref>
Gonzales and his commanding officer rushed to the buried men's rescue. The commanding officer was killed by enemy ] fire while Gonzales was digging out the men using a shovel and his bare hands. In an attempt to dig faster, Gonzales stood up, exposing himself to enemy fire. With his actions, he was able to rescue three of the men before he was hit and mortally wounded. The third soldier saved by Gonzales' actions was Sgt. William Walter Kouts. Kouts, who later received a field commission of Lieutenant and was subsequently awarded the ], was the senior ] at the time of the incident, wrote the initial account citing the efforts of David M. Gonzales on that day. The report resulted in the awarding of the Medal of Honor to David M. Gonzales.<ref name="MoH"/>
On December 8, 1945, President ], ] awarded the Medal of Honor to Gonzales, presenting the medal to his surviving family. On February 2, 1949, Gonzales' body arrived in a funeral train to ] where he was buried.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb7m3nb4vr/?layout=metadata&brand=oac
On December 8, 1945, President ], ] awarded the Medal of Honor to Gonzales, presenting the medal to his surviving family. On February 2, 1949, Gonzales' body arrived in a funeral train to ] where he was buried.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb7m3nb4vr/?layout=metadata&brand=oac
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|date=February 3, 1949
|date=February 3, 1949
|work=]
|work=]
|accessdate=2006-11-23}}</ref>
|accessdate=November 23, 2006}}</ref>
==Medal of Honor citation==
=== Medal of Honor citation ===
{{quotebox|]
<center><big>'''Pvt. David M. Gonzales'''</big></center>
{{center|
''<center>Rank and organization:'' Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division.</center>
'''Pvt. David M. Gonzales'''<br>
''<center>Place and date:'' Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands, April 25, 1945.</center>
''Rank and organization:'' Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division.<br>
''<center>Entered service at:'' Pacoima, California</center>
''Place and date:'' Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands, April 25, 1945.<br>
''<center>Birth:'' Pacoima, California</center>
''Entered service at:'' Pacoima, California<br>
''<center>G.O. No:'' 115, December 8, 1945.</center>
''Birth:'' Pacoima, California<br>
''<center>Citation:</center>''
''G.O. No:'' 115, December 8, 1945.<br>
Citation:
{{quote|He was pinned down with his company. As enemy fire swept the area, making any movement extremely hazardous, a 500-pound bomb smashed into the company's perimeter, burying 5 men with its explosion. Pfc. Gonzales, without hesitation, seized an entrenching tool and under a hail of fire crawled 15 yards to his entombed comrades, where his commanding officer, who had also rushed forward, was beginning to dig the men out. Nearing his goal, he saw the officer struck and instantly killed by machinegun fire. Undismayed, he set to work swiftly and surely with his hands and the entrenching tool while enemy sniper and machinegun bullets struck all about him. He succeeded in digging one of the men out of the pile of rock and sand. To dig faster he stood up regardless of the greater danger from so exposing himself. He extricated a second man, and then another. As he completed the liberation of the third, he was hit and mortally wounded, but the comrades for whom he so gallantly gave his life were safely evacuated. Pfc. Gonzales' valiant and intrepid conduct exemplifies the highest tradition of the military service.<ref name="MoH">{{Cite web
He was pinned down with his company. As enemy fire swept the area, making any movement extremely hazardous, a 500-pound bomb smashed into the company's perimeter, burying 5 men with its explosion. Pfc. Gonzales, without hesitation, seized an entrenching tool and under a hail of fire crawled 15 yards to his entombed comrades, where his commanding officer, who had also rushed forward, was beginning to dig the men out. Nearing his goal, he saw the officer struck and instantly killed by machinegun fire. Undismayed, he set to work swiftly and surely with his hands and the entrenching tool while enemy sniper and machinegun bullets struck all about him. He succeeded in digging one of the men out of the pile of rock and sand. To dig faster he stood up regardless of the greater danger from so exposing himself. He extricated a second man, and then another. As he completed the liberation of the third, he was hit and mortally wounded, but the comrades for whom he so gallantly gave his life were safely evacuated. Pfc. Gonzales' valiant and intrepid conduct exemplifies the highest tradition of the military service.<ref name="MoH">{{Cite web
'In 1999, David Gonzales, Jr. and his wife Bea attended a ceremony for war heroes in ]. There they discovered that the' picture the Army was sending out to military ceremonies was not of his father, but of someone else. Gonzales Jr. wrote to the Army in ] to tell them of their mistake, but did not receive a response. He then wrote to ] ], who in turn referred the letter to his aide Fred Flores. Flores, who was also from Pacoima, California, immediately called ] officials and had them correct the mistake. However, Flores found out that the family had only been presented with a Medal of Honor and a duplicate ] — the original one was stolen — and he realized that Gonzales had earned many other medals.<ref name="McCarthy2002">{{Cite news|url=http://www.homeofheroes.com/news/archives/2002_1107_gonzalesphoto.html
In 1999, David Gonzales, Jr. and his wife Bea attended a ceremony for war heroes in ]. There, they discovered that the picture the Army was sending out to military ceremonies was not of his father, but of someone else. Gonzales Jr. wrote to the Army in Washington, D.C. to tell them of their mistake, but did not receive a response. He then wrote to ] ], who in turn referred the letter to his aide Fred Flores. Flores, who was also from Pacoima, California, immediately called ] officials and had them correct the mistake. However, Flores found out that the family had only been presented with a Medal of Honor and a duplicate ] — the original one was stolen – and he realized that Gonzales had earned many other medals.<ref name="McCarthy2002">{{Cite news
|title=Medal of Honor Winner's Son Finally Gets dad's Due
|title=Medal of Honor Winner's Son Finally Gets dad's Due
|author=Dennis McCarthy
|author=Dennis McCarthy
|date=November 7, 2002
|date=November 7, 2002
|work=Daily News
|work=Daily News
|accessdate=2006-11-23}}</ref>
|accessdate=November 23, 2006
|archive-date=November 11, 2006
During a November 7, 2002 ceremony at ], Congressman Berman presented David Gonzales, Jr. the following medals earned by his father: the ], the ], the ], the ] with two Bronze Service Stars, the ], the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, the ], and the Expert Rifle Badge. Finally he presented the Gold Star Lapel Button, which identifies the next of kin of members of the military who lost their lives while engaged in action.<ref name="McCarthy2002"/>
During a November 7, 2002, ceremony at ], Congressman Berman presented David Gonzales, Jr. the following medals earned by his father: the ], the ], the ], the ] with two Bronze Service Stars, the ], the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, the ], and the Expert Rifle Badge. Finally, he presented the Gold Star Lapel Button, which identifies the next of kin of members of the military who lost their lives while engaged in action.<ref name="McCarthy2002"/>
The photo of a soldier who was not Gonzales, but identified as that of the medal winner, had been erroneously displayed in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. This was removed and replaced with a correct one of Gonzales after the renovations of the Pentagon — made necessary by the ] attack — were completed on March 31, 2003.<ref>{{Cite web
The photo of a soldier who was not Gonzales, but identified as that of the medal winner, had been erroneously displayed in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. This was removed and replaced with a correct one of Gonzales after the renovations of the Pentagon – made necessary by the ] attack – were completed on March 31, 2003.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Family of Hometown Hero Presented with War Medals
|title=Family of Hometown Hero Presented with War Medals
|date=November 7, 2002
|date=November 7, 2002
|publisher=Los Angeles Mission College
|publisher=Los Angeles Mission College
|accessdate=2006-11-23}}</ref>
|accessdate=November 23, 2006}}</ref>
==Reunion between the Gonzales and Kouts families==
On March 20, 2007, Maribeth Kouts, daughter of William Walter Kouts, posted a message in ] asking for assistance in establishing contact with the Gonzales family while Kouts was still alive. With the help of a Misplaced Pages contributor, a meeting was arranged between Kouts and the son of the David Gonzales.<ref name=azrepublic>{{Cite news
]
|accessdate=2007-05-27
On March 20, 2007, Maribeth Kouts, daughter of William Kouts posted the following message in Misplaced Pages:
<blockquote>"my father, William Kouts, was the soldier David M. Gonzales was digging out when he was shot and killed by sniper fire. My Dad is 85 and in ill health and we want to get into contact with the Gonzales family before Dad's passing so that Dad can tell David Jr. of his father's heroics firsthand.Mbkouts"<ref>, wiki version "diff" of 4 March 2007</ref></blockquote>
==In memory==
In honor of David M. Gonzales, Pacoima Park in ], ] was renamed David M. Gonzales/Pacoima Recreational Center. The local Army recruiting station there also carries his name, as does a county Probation Department camp in ].<ref name="McCarthy2002"/>
] responded to the message and told Maribeth that he would try to help her in their quest. Santiago sent e-mails to ] ] and telephoned every David Gonzales in the Los Angeles area without any luck.<ref>Tony Santiago. , Retrieved July 21, 2007</ref> He then placed a message in '']'', a Hispanic heritage cultural magazine, and on April 11, 2007, Santiago made contact with Ernestine Gonzales, cousin of David Gonzales Jr. and, as a result, both families met in the Atlanta suburb of ] for the first time on May 24, 2007.<ref name=azrepublic>{{cite news |last=Faherty |first=John |date=May 27, 2007 |title=A medal, a debt, both of honor |url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0527MedalofHonor.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120416/http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0527MedalofHonor.html?&wired |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |accessdate=May 27, 2007 |work=The Arizona Republic}}</ref> The event brought closure to over 60 years of searching for the relatives of David M. Gonzales on behalf of William W. Kouts. Said Beatrice Gonzales, David's daughter-in-law, "We feel so much peace because David's father died to save a very good man who lived a good life."<ref name=azrepublic /> "We owe so much to Mr. Santiago," said Maribeth Kouts.<ref>{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved May 27, 2007</ref>
==In Memoriam==
In honor of David M. Gonzales, Pacoima Park in ], California was renamed David M. Gonzales/Pacoima Recreational Center. The local Army recruiting station there also carries his name, as does a county Probation Department camp in ].<ref name="McCarthy2002"/>
In November 2015, the interchange between the 5 and 118 freeways in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley was renamed the David M. Gonzales Memorial Interchange.
==Awards and recognitions==
==Awards and recognitions==
Among Pvt. David M. Gonzales' decorations and medals were the following:
Among Pvt. David M. Gonzales' decorations and medals were the following:
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
{|
|] ]
|colspan="3"|]
|-
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Medal of Honor ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|] ]
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Bronze Star ribbon.svg|width=106}}
{{Portal box|Biography|United States Army|World War II}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
*]
*]
*]
*]
*], who was also a 32d Infantry Division Medal of Honor recipient.
*]
*]
*], also a 32d Infantry Division Medal of Honor recipient
{{clear}}
{{clear}}
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*{{Cite web |accessdate=September 27, 2010 |url=http://www.32nd-division.org/history/moh/32moh.html#Gonzales |title=The 32nd "Red Arrow" Veteran Association Medal of Honor recipients from the 32nd "Red Arrow" Infantry Division}}
*{{Cite web |accessdate=September 27, 2010 |url=http://www.32nd-division.org/history/moh/32moh.html#Gonzales |title=The 32nd "Red Arrow" Veteran Association Medal of Honor recipients from the 32nd "Red Arrow" Infantry Division}}
Private First Class David M. Gonzales (June 9, 1923 – April 25, 1945) was a United States Army soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor — the United States' highest military decoration – for his actions during World War II. On April 25, 1945, at age 21, PFC Gonzales was killed in action in the Philippines while, in the face of enemy machine gun fire, digging out fellow soldiers who had been buried in a bomb explosion.
Early years
Gonzales, a Mexican-American, was a semi-skilled machine shop worker in Los Angeles when he joined the U.S. Army in San Pedro, California in March 1944.
World War II
On April 25, 1945, Gonzales' company found itself engaged in combat against Japanese forces at Villa Verde Trail on Luzon island in the Philippines. The Army Air Corps was using a tactic called "skip bombing" and were fusing the bombs for delayed action detonation to destroy the labyrinth of Japanese caves and tunnels in the northern Luzon campaign. This fusing allowed the bomb to bury itself deeply into the ground prior to detonation. This event trapped five American soldiers in their standing foxholes.
On December 8, 1945, President Harry S. Truman, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Gonzales, presenting the medal to his surviving family. On February 2, 1949, Gonzales' body arrived in a funeral train to San Fernando, California where he was buried.
Medal of Honor citation
Pvt. David M. Gonzales Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands, April 25, 1945. Entered service at: Pacoima, California Birth: Pacoima, California G.O. No: 115, December 8, 1945.
Citation:
He was pinned down with his company. As enemy fire swept the area, making any movement extremely hazardous, a 500-pound bomb smashed into the company's perimeter, burying 5 men with its explosion. Pfc. Gonzales, without hesitation, seized an entrenching tool and under a hail of fire crawled 15 yards to his entombed comrades, where his commanding officer, who had also rushed forward, was beginning to dig the men out. Nearing his goal, he saw the officer struck and instantly killed by machinegun fire. Undismayed, he set to work swiftly and surely with his hands and the entrenching tool while enemy sniper and machinegun bullets struck all about him. He succeeded in digging one of the men out of the pile of rock and sand. To dig faster he stood up regardless of the greater danger from so exposing himself. He extricated a second man, and then another. As he completed the liberation of the third, he was hit and mortally wounded, but the comrades for whom he so gallantly gave his life were safely evacuated. Pfc. Gonzales' valiant and intrepid conduct exemplifies the highest tradition of the military service.
After the war
Lt. William W. Kouts
In 1999, David Gonzales, Jr. and his wife Bea attended a ceremony for war heroes in Santa Ana, California. There, they discovered that the picture the Army was sending out to military ceremonies was not of his father, but of someone else. Gonzales Jr. wrote to the Army in Washington, D.C. to tell them of their mistake, but did not receive a response. He then wrote to CongressmanHoward Berman, who in turn referred the letter to his aide Fred Flores. Flores, who was also from Pacoima, California, immediately called Pentagon officials and had them correct the mistake. However, Flores found out that the family had only been presented with a Medal of Honor and a duplicate Purple Heart — the original one was stolen – and he realized that Gonzales had earned many other medals.
During a November 7, 2002, ceremony at Los Angeles Mission College, Congressman Berman presented David Gonzales, Jr. the following medals earned by his father: the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the World War II Victory Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the Philippine Liberation Medal, the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Expert Rifle Badge. Finally, he presented the Gold Star Lapel Button, which identifies the next of kin of members of the military who lost their lives while engaged in action.
The photo of a soldier who was not Gonzales, but identified as that of the medal winner, had been erroneously displayed in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. This was removed and replaced with a correct one of Gonzales after the renovations of the Pentagon – made necessary by the 9/11 attack – were completed on March 31, 2003.
Reunion between the Gonzales and Kouts families
(L-R)Tony the Marine, W.Kouts and D.Gonzales, JR.
On March 20, 2007, Maribeth Kouts, daughter of William Kouts posted the following message in Misplaced Pages:
"my father, William Kouts, was the soldier David M. Gonzales was digging out when he was shot and killed by sniper fire. My Dad is 85 and in ill health and we want to get into contact with the Gonzales family before Dad's passing so that Dad can tell David Jr. of his father's heroics firsthand.Mbkouts"
Tony Santiago responded to the message and told Maribeth that he would try to help her in their quest. Santiago sent e-mails to CongressmanHoward Berman and telephoned every David Gonzales in the Los Angeles area without any luck. He then placed a message in Somos Primos, a Hispanic heritage cultural magazine, and on April 11, 2007, Santiago made contact with Ernestine Gonzales, cousin of David Gonzales Jr. and, as a result, both families met in the Atlanta suburb of Powder Springs, Georgia for the first time on May 24, 2007. The event brought closure to over 60 years of searching for the relatives of David M. Gonzales on behalf of William W. Kouts. Said Beatrice Gonzales, David's daughter-in-law, "We feel so much peace because David's father died to save a very good man who lived a good life." "We owe so much to Mr. Santiago," said Maribeth Kouts.
In Memoriam
In honor of David M. Gonzales, Pacoima Park in Los Angeles County, California was renamed David M. Gonzales/Pacoima Recreational Center. The local Army recruiting station there also carries his name, as does a county Probation Department camp in Malibu.
In November 2015, the interchange between the 5 and 118 freeways in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley was renamed the David M. Gonzales Memorial Interchange.
Awards and recognitions
Among Pvt. David M. Gonzales' decorations and medals were the following:
Pvt. David M. Gonzales, Medal of Honor recipient
