Johnny J. Peralez, Jr.

Died: January 5, 2006

Rank: Sergeant

Unit: 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

Branch: U.S. Army

Sergeant Johnny J. Peralez, Jr., lost his life on January 5, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near the Humvee he was riding in while providing medical coverage during convoy operations in An Najaf, Iraq. The 25-year-old Soldier died while serving his second tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sergeant Peralez was a medic for the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. Family and friends gathered at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Falfurrias, Texas, on January 17, 2006, to say their final fare­wells to their beloved hero before he was laid to rest at the Falfurrias Burial Park.