Then: 1945

Now: 2007

Alejandro Ruiz was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1946: On April 28, 1945 in Okinawa’s Ryukyu Islands, his squad fell under attack. PFC Ruiz managed to acquire an automatic rifle, running through grenades and machine gunfire. When attacked by an enemy solider, his rifle jammed, and he clubbed the assailant. Later, while running through bullets and grenades, he killed 12 enemy soldiers and ended the firefight, saving his entire squad.