Richard E. Cavazos - Distinguished Service Cross
In This Week in Military History, we explore the career of Richard Cavazos, the first Hispanic four-star General in the US Army who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions in the Korean War on September 10, 1953.
Born in 1929, Cavazos was strongly influenced by his father a World War I Veteran After a leg injury ended his football career, Cavazos pivoted to the Army ROTC and graduated with honors. -He subsequently commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry and attended Basic Officer Infantry Training at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1951.
Two years later in 1953, Cavazos (by then promoted to 1st Lieutenant) found himself on the front lines of combat in the Korean War. He excelled as a leader with a rifle platoon from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment - the “Borinqueneers”, a mostly Puerto Rican unit. His fluency in Spanish made Cavazos the right man to lead what would become a famous regiment. On the night of June 14, 1953 Cavazos led his men in a raid on the entrenched enemy upon whom heavy casualties were inflicted – His actions earned him his first Distinguished Service Cross. The Citation reads in part:
“When a heavy barrage was laid on the position by the enemy, Lieutenant Cavazos withdrew the company and regrouped his men. Lieutenant Cavazos three times led the company through the heavy barrage in assaults on the enemy position, each time destroying vital enemy equipment and personnel. When the United Nations element was ordered to withdraw, Lieutenant Cavazos remained alone on the enemy outpost to search the area for missing men. Not until he was assured that the hill was cleared did he allow treatment of his own wounds sustained during the action.”
A few months later, Cavazos was back in the US. and by 1967, as a Lieutenant Colonel serving in the Vietnam War, he earned a second Distinguished Service Cross.
Cavazos continued to serve in a variety of positions until 1984, retiring after thirty-three years of service, with his last position being the Commanding General of US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM). He passed away at age 88 in 2017, and Fort Hood, Texas has recently been renamed Fort Cavazos in his honor.
Join us next time for another segment of this week in military history, with the Pritzker Military Museum and Library.