--- title: "Veterans call on Congress to award the ‘Puerto Rican Rambo’ the Medal of Honor" date: "2026-10-15" modified: "2026-10-15" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/veterans-call-congress-puerto-rican-rambo-medal-of-honor/" categories: - "History" - "Vietnam War" - "War History" tags: - "Medal of Honor" - "Military History" - "Veterans" - "Vietnam War" --- # Veterans call on Congress to award the ‘Puerto Rican Rambo’ the Medal of Honor ![1st cavalry division airmobile jeb stuart jorge otero barreto vietnam]() *Members of 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), wait in an open field for orders to move out on a search and destroy mission during Operation Jeb Stuart in South Vietnam, 1968. (U.S. Army)* By the time Jorge Barreto left Vietnam for the last time in 1970, he'd participated in more than 200 combat and aerial missions, was wounded five times, and received five Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, and five Bronze Stars with Valor, among his career-long 38 decorations. His two Silver Stars came in a single, brutal stretch of 1968 that would also (eventually) earn him the nickname “Puerto Rican Rambo.” The one medal he didn’t receive was the Medal of Honor for his leadership and daring on May 1, 1968—a recognition that many argue is decades overdue.⁠ **Also Read: [‘The Iron Major’: James Capers Jr.’s long road to the Medal of Honor]()** Jorge Otero Barreto was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, in 1937. His father named him after George Washington because he admired Washington. He probably had no idea his son would embody the leadership and daring of his namesake. As a young man, Otero Barreto studied biology and medicine, and even had the chance to become a doctor. Instead, he enlisted in the Army in 1959 and would spend the better part of 11 years becoming arguably the most decorated Puerto Rican veteran in American military history. In 1968, then-Staff Sgt. Otero Barreto would receive his two Silver Stars with the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) on his fourth voluntary tour in Vietnam. A group of veterans argue that his second warrants an upgrade. [Legislation introduced]() in the House of Representatives in July 2026 would help rectify that oversight, waiving the statutory time limits to authorize the president to posthumously award Jorge Otero Barreto the Medal of Honor. ### Operation Jeb Stuart, Quảng Trị On Feb. 17, 1968, American forces in Vietnam were still retaking enemy strongholds captured during the Tet Offensive. Just weeks prior, North Vietnam launched a massive offensive across South Vietnam that upended the American public's understanding of the war. Otero Barreto's company was pushing through the terrain [near Quảng Trị]() as part of Operation Jeb Stuart, a sweep operation in I Corps that aimed to blunt the momentum of the North Vietnamese Army in the northern provinces. But that ground had been contested for years by then. In fact, Operation Jeb Stuart was launched before the Tet Offensive, intended to destroy North Vietnamese units operating near Quảng Trị and the surrounding areas. When the Tet Offensive kicked off, communist forces met American and South Vietnamese at Quảng Trị, fighting a weeklong battle for control of the city.⁠ They would eventually push the North Vietnamese out of Quảng Trị, but 38 miles away, the city of Hue was largely overrun and captured by the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong. Fighting in Hue would rage until March 1968. ![jorge otero barreto vietnam]() *Jorge Otero Barreto.* About a week after expelling the communists from Quảng Trị, Otero Barreto was operating in the area with his unit, Company A, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). It was overcast and rainy as they made their way through rice paddies and trees. That’s when they began taking heavy fire from Viet Cong hidden behind a hedgerow. When the shooting started, the unit's machine gun crew went down first, the gunner wounded, and his assistant gunner killed. Outnumbered and overpowered, The platoon lost its base of fire immediately, a dangerous situation during an ambush. Otero Barreto rushed to the machine gun, took control of it, and poured rounds into the unseen enemy positions to cover his platoon’s withdrawal. It wasn’t long before the entire enemy force concentrated their fire on Otero Barreto. He stayed on the machine gun throughout the firefight, even after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Wounded and out of machine gun rounds, he finally rejoined his unit, covering his own escape with his rifle. But before he let anyone touch his injury, he then led the men to safety. His daring move to man the machine gun may have saved the platoon, and it earned him [his first Silver Star](). ### Operation Carentan II, North of Hue Just 74 days later, he did it again. This time it was part of Operation Carentan II, cleaning up the enemy positions, continue driving hostile forces from the area around Hue, and to begin clearing operations toward the A Shau Valley. By March 2, 1968, Hue had been liberated from the North Vietnamese Army, but the fighting was far from over. In April, the NVA's 8th Battalion, 90th Regiment was discovered, dug into Phuoc Yen, a village 10 miles northwest of the city, where they established a bunker complex and refused to give up. American forces established a cordon around the village. For two days, the communists held off any offensive push by the surrounding Americans, despite a constant hammering by air strikes, helicopters, and artillery. The desperate enemy’s only remaining option was a breakout or a last stand.⁠ At 0415 hours on May 1, they chose the breakout, coming out in human waves. Company A, with Otero Barreto as a platoon sergeant, was in a defensive position near the village when the first NVA wave came at them in the dark. The NVA assaulted Otero Barreto’s company twice, losing 58 before moving back to the village for the last stand. ![jorge otero barreto Vietnam war]() Otero Barreto took his men on the offensive, moving into the village at point position. Almost immediately, the NVA opened up with everything it had left: rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns, and small arms fire came out of every bunker and spider hole. Then the Puerto Rican Rambo took the initiative. He first fought his way into the nearest machine gun position, neutralized it and killed its crew. Then, with the help of his squad, fought his way through three more. After taking one, he pushed his squad into the vacated position, turning them into point to suppress enemy fire and let other elements of Company A move in. Jorge Otero Barreto spent nearly a decade serving [across five tours of duty in Vietnam]() from 1961 to 1970. He retired from the Army as a sergeant first class, went home to Puerto Rico, and spent years working as a counselor, helping fellow veterans overcome post-traumatic stress and substance abuse. He died on Oct. 14, 2024, at age 87. **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **• [The ‘Purple Heart Battalion’ fought Nazis abroad and injustice at home]()** **• [A former violinist singlehandedly cleared a mountain fortress during World War II]()** **• [A Vietnam War pilot who purposely went down with his plane may receive the Medal of Honor]()** ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()