Jesus S. Duran
Jesus Santiago Duran was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Biography
Duran was born, July 26, 1948, in Juarez, Mexico. He was the sixth of twelve siblings.Duran joined the U.S. Army on May 13, 1968, and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division to support Search and Destroy missions. During his service in the Vietnam war, his actions resulted in him being awarded, posthumously in 2014, the Medal of Honor.
After leaving the military, Duran pursued a career as a corrections officer at a juvenile detention center in San Bernardino, California, dedicating personal time to mentoring youths and leading them on educational trips. He married twice and had two children. Duran died on February 17, 1977, and is buried at Olivewood Memorial Park in Riverside, California.
Medal of Honor
Duran's daughter, Tina Duran-Ruvalcaba, received the Medal of Honor on his behalf from President Barack Obama in a March 18, 2014 White House ceremony. The following day, she received the Medal of Honor flag from Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, in a ceremony where Duran was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes.The award came through the Defense Authorization Act which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.
Legacy
Jesus Duran is the protagonist of two award-winning documentaries directed by filmmaker Andrés Gallegos: ' and the short documentary ', both titles were produced by El Dorado Films in association with the Veteran Documentary Corps.: After losing her father at an early age, Tina Duran explores the rich history of her father, the story of her ancestors who migrated from Mexico to the United States, and the implications the Vietnam War had on the Chicano & Latino community.
Commendations
SGT Duran's awards included the following:| 1 Service stripe | |
| 2 Overseas Service Bars |