Question: The earliest action in the Vietnam War to have a Medal of Honor awarded for it was for a hispanic soldier who sacrificed himself how ?

text: List of Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients
Vietnam War

The Medal of Honor was introduced during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an enemy of the United States. Due to the nature of this medal, it is commonly presented posthumously. Sixty men of Hispanic heritage have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Of the sixty Medals of Honor presented to Hispanics, two were presented to members of the United States Navy, thirteen to members of the United States Marine Corps and forty-six to members of the United States Army. Forty-two Medals of Honor were presented posthumously. The first recipient was Corporal Joseph H. De Castro of the Union Army for his actions at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War and the most recent recipient is Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry for his actions in Afghanistan. Corporal De Castro was a member of the Massachusetts Infantry, a militia that was not part of the regular army; however, Private David Bennes Barkley was a member of the regular army during World War I and has been recognized as the Army's first Hispanic Medal of Honor recipient. In 1864, Seaman John Ortega became the first Hispanic member of the U.S. Navy to receive the Medal of Honor and in 1900, Private France Silva became the first person of Hispanic descent in the U.S. Marine Corps to receive the medal. President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to 17 Hispanics on a March 18, 2014 in a ceremony in the White House. The award comes through the National Defense Authorization Act which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor. Fifteen recipients were born outside the United States mainland, one each in Chile and Spain, five in Mexico and eight in Puerto Rico.
Name Rank Branch Unit Place of action Date of action
Leonard L. Alvarado Specialist four Army Company D , 2d Battalion , 12th Cavalry , 1st Cavalry Division Phuoc Long province , South Vietnam Aug. 12 , 1969
Roy P. Benavidez Master sergeant Army Detachment B-56 , 5th Special Forces Loc Ninh , Vietnam May 2 , 1968
Felix M. Conde-Falcon Staff sergeant Army Company D , 1st Battalion , 505th Infantry , 3d Brigade , 82d Airborne Division Ap Tan Hoa , South Vietnam April 4 , 1969
Emilio A . De La Garza * Lance corporal Marine Corps Company E 2nd Battalion , 1st Marines Da Nang April 11 , 1970
Ralph E. Dias * Private first class Marine Corps 1st Battalion , 7th Marines Quang Nam Province November 12 , 1969
Jesus S. Duran Specialist four Army Company E , 2d Battalion , 5th Cavalry , 1st Cavalry Division ( Airmobile ) South Vietnam April 10 , 1969
Santiago J. Erevia Specialist four Army Company C , 1st Battalion ( Airmobile ) , 501st Infantry Regiment , 101st Airborne Division Tam Ky May 1969
Daniel Fernandez * Specialist four Army Company C , 1st Battalion , 5th Infantry ( Mechanized ) 25th Infantry Division Hau Nghia Province February 18 , 1966
Candelario Garcia Sergeant Army  Lai Khe , South Vietnam Dec. 8 , 1968
Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez * Sergeant Marine Corps Company A 1st Battalion , 1st Marines Hue City February 4 , 1968
Jose Francisco Jimenez * Lance corporal Marine Corps Company K 3rd Battalion , 7th Marines 1st Marine Division Quang Nam Province August 28 , 1969
Miguel Keith * Lance corporal Marine Corps III Marine Amphibious Force Quang Ngai Province May 8 , 1970
Carlos Lozada * Private first class Army Company A , 2nd Battalion , 502d Infantry , 173d Airborne Brigade Dak To November 20 , 1967
Alfred V. Rascon Specialist four Army Reconnaissance Platoon , Headquarters Company , 1st Battalion ( Airborne ) , 503rd Infantry,173d Airborne Brigade Republic of Vietnam March 16 , 1966
Louis R. Rocco Sergeant first class Army Advisory Team 162 , United States Military Assistance Command Northeast of Katum , Republic of Vietnam May 24 , 1970
Jose Rodela Sergeant first class Army Detachment B-36 , Company A , 5th Special Forces Group ( Airborne ) , 1st Special Forces Phuoc Long Province , South Vietnam September 1 , 1969
Euripides Rubio * Captain Army Headquarters and Headquarters Company , 1st Battalion , 28th Infantry , 1st Infantry Division Tay Ninh Province November 8 , 1966
Hector Santiago-Colon * Specialist four Army Company B , 5th Battalion , 7th Cavalry , 1st Cavalry Division ( airmobile ) Quang Tri Province June 28 , 1968
Elmelindo Rodrigues Smith * Sergeant first class Army Company C , 2d Battalion , 8th Infantry , 4th Infantry Division Republic of Vietnam February 16 , 1967
Jay R. Vargas Captain Marine Corps Company G 2nd Battalion , 4th Marines 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade Dai Do April 30 , 1968 - May 2 , 1968